No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 89 



most nearl}" into resemblance with liigli grade yellow butter, will ap- 

 preciate the commercial advantage which the oleomargarine manu- 

 facturer and dealer tind in bringing their product into close resem- 

 blance, in point of color, with yellow butter. It will be found, further, 

 by a caiefui examination of the facts, that oleomargarine so colored 

 does not usually owe its higher price to the pajanent by the dealer 

 of the ten cent rax fixed by the National oleomargarine act for 

 colored oleomargarine; because, by official contructlon, the term 

 ''coloration" used in the National act is limited in its application 

 to the color change secured by the addition of materials used ex- 

 clusivel}' for the purpose of causing the color change, whereas, UL-aily 

 all of the yellow oleomargarine now oifered for sale i<\ves its color 

 to yellow fats, not introduced exclusively for coloring purposes, but 

 also as valuable ingredients, contributing, like other fats, to tJie 

 nutritive value of the oleomargarine. The study of the production 

 costs for these yellow oleomargarines, made in the manner jr.st 

 stated, shows that the margin of profit for oleomargarine of this 

 kind is very much greater than for oleomargarine not made in re- 

 semblance of yellow butter. 



For the several reasons above suggested, the Bureau is convinced 

 of the essential correctness of the policy laid down in the oleomarga- 

 rine act of 1901, and that the maintenance of the intended color line 

 of separation between these two products is important, not only to 

 the producer and dealer in butter, but also to the "poor man," to 

 whom the oleomargarine trade so frequently and endearingly refers. 



The difficulties of securing C(mvictions of otienders under the oleo- 

 margarine law for violations of the coloration provision, continue 

 as great as in the recent past. Every effort to secure conviction 

 brings to the support of the defense, the organized oleomargarine 

 trade and its expert witnesses, who use their best endeavor to con- 

 vince court and jury that when the Legislature, in the act of 1901, 

 used the words ''yellow butter," not all yellow butter was intended, 

 but only certain butters of a very deep yellow tint, and often com- 

 parisons so complex are instituted as to confuse the minds of tire 

 hearers of the evidence, so that the verdicts sought by the Common- 

 wealth fail to be secured despite the best efforts on its part to obtain 

 a full and effective enforcement of the act. 



MEAT PRODUCTS 



There were examined during the past year 77 samples of meats, 

 canned and fresh, and 339 samples of sausages of various makes ; also 

 169 samples of fish and shellfish. There were terminated during the 

 same period cases for adulteration of products of this class, as fol- 

 lows: 5 cases concerning meats, of which 2 cases were for the sale 

 of meats in unsanitary or decomposed condition, and 3 for the sale 

 of Hamburger steaks containing added sulphites; 2S cases relating 

 to sausages of various classes, the chief adulteration appearing in 

 these cases being the presence of cereal or vegetable flour, together 

 with excessive quantities of added water. It should be noted that 

 the number of cases terminated corresponds to 9 per cent, of the 

 number of sausages examined, a fact clearly establishing the wide 

 extent of the abuse which the law seeks to correct. There were 23 



