BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 



463 



In the reports of the various food-inspection laboratories it will 

 appear that a relatively large percentage of the foods and drugs 

 examined were found to be in violation of the food and drugs act. 

 From this no inference can be made regarding the prevalence of 

 adulteration and misbranding. As the work of the Bureau increases 

 the inspectors become more and more experienced in the collection of 

 samples and are more and more conversant with various brands and 

 types of food. The samples taken by them do not represent the 

 average foods and drugs on sale on the markets, but those which the 

 inspectors suspect of adulteration. 



Food and drug samples examined in the various hranch laboratories during the 



fiscal year ended June 30, 1910. 



a Owing to death of its chief, this laboratory was closed during the month of June; report is total for 

 eleven months. 



The wide variation in the figures reported from the different 

 branches is due to the different conditions existing, details from one 

 station to another and for court work, the varying amounts of 

 executive and routine work necessitated at different points, etc. In 

 some cases the hearings are conducted almost entirely by correspond- 

 ence and again those cited appear in person. 



BOSTON LABORATORY. 



Of the 1,909 samples analyzed at the Boston laboratory over 

 one-third were imported and included a wide variety of products. 

 Approximately 39 per cent of these were classed as illegal. Of the 

 1.014 interstate samples. 737 were milk samples, a larger part of 

 which were obtained during the milk campaign of November, 1909, 

 undertaken because there had been much complaint concerning the 

 quality of milk shipped to Boston and Springfield, Mass., from 

 outside the State; approximately 13 per cent of these samples were 

 classed as illegal, quite a number being watered milks from New 



