No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 335 



auts were employed. The liquid portions of these paints contained 

 benzine in thirty cases, sometimes large quantities of it; and in 

 twenty-eight cases, water in quantities ranging from 8.25 per cent, 

 was present. In general, it appeared that if one were purchasing 

 white lead, there was about one chance in five of his getting what 

 he asked for. and if he would buy the white or tinted paint, 

 there was only one chance in three that he would get an article 

 of good quality. It was true almost without exception that where 

 be:>zine was used as a drier, water had also been added in large 

 quantity. 



So far as examinations have been made in other localities, they 

 indicate that fraud in the paint trade is equally predominant. 

 Consequently, the last two or three years have witnessed a very 

 widespi'ead movement to correct this evil. North Dakota passed 

 the first pure paint law, and required that all paints except those 

 made of pure white lead, zinc white, linseed oil and turpentine or 

 japan driei-, must have upon their labels a true copy of the formula 

 followed in their manufacture. All packages were further required 

 to bear a statement of the net weight of the paint contained. 

 This \a\\ has been attacked as unconstitutional, but the United 

 States courts have aflirmed the constitutionality of the Act. There 

 is at present pending before Congress, a National Paint Bill. The 

 New York Legislature is likewise considering a pure paint bill, and 

 a number of other states have either passed such laws, or are 

 agitr.ting their passage. The subject is one that merits the atten- 

 tion of Pennsylvania buyers of paints. 



It is true that our linseed oil sold as such is already tested by 

 the State, but such testing becomes of less importance as the trade 

 in ready-mixed paints increases in volume, and these paints are 

 shown b}'' the investigations above mentioned to require, far more 

 than linseed oil, the control of some properly authorized public 

 agencv. 



PiEPORT OF MICROSCOPIST AND HYGIENIST. No. 1. 



BT PROP. C. B. Cochran, West Chester, P«. 



I want to begin my talk by calling attention to one or two samples 

 which I have brought with me and placed on the table. This one 

 is a sample of honey dew, from chestnut leaves. The other is 

 poplar honey. I thought this honey dew might be interesting to 

 you. It was brought to me by an apairist living about eight miles 

 from my home at West Chester. I have made three analyses of 

 tlie article, and find it closely resembles ordinary honey extracted 

 fioni flowers and plants. It has the same chemical analysis. 



The topic on v.hich I Avant to talk to you this evening is Goal 

 Tar Colors in our foods. These are exceedingly numerous sub- 

 stances. There are over two thousand of them quoted. I have in 



