108 THIRTIETH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



osity to ascertain how far breeding down in quality of milk 

 can be carried. 



One check on any continued deterioration wuuld be the con- 

 sumer. The average consumer is extremely ignorant regard- 

 ing the composition of milk and is too much inclined to accept 

 anything and everything as milk, even the more intelligent 

 and critcial cannot be expected to detect a variation of only 

 one or two per cent, in total solids. But there would come 

 a time when the milk would be so extremely poor that even 

 the most ignorant consumer would remonstrate, and the milk 

 dealer, in order to hold business, would be obliged to sell milk 

 of a better quality. 



Another factor in the line of checking a steady deterioration 

 in the quality of milk giving cows, is the state law, which 

 steps in and says " Thus far shalt thou go and no further." 

 This accomplished in nearly every state in the union by a 

 statute standard. A number of states in establishing a stand- 

 ard provide that milk below the standard shall for purposes 

 of enforcing the law be considered as adulterated. New 

 Hampshire and Maine provide that when milk is found of 

 less than standard quality it shall be prima facte evidence 

 that it has been adulterated, but Vermont and Massachusetts 

 have laws prohibiting the sale of " milk not of good standard 

 quality," and then prescribe by statute what that standard 

 shall be. Unless the Vermont law has been changed lately it 

 is 12/^ per cent, of solids except in May and June, when 

 it shall not be less than twelve per cent. The Massachusetts 

 law has been tinkered with until we have a thirteen per cent, 

 standard six months of the year and a twelve per cent, stand- 

 ard six months. In nearly all of our prosecutions in Massa- 

 chusetts, even when milk is doubtless adulterated, we make 

 out our complaint for the sale, — or possession with intent to 

 sell — of " milk not of standard quality." In court it is much 

 easier to prove that milk fell below a standard of quality than 

 to prove that it was adulterated. 



These laws establishing an arbitrary statute standard for 

 milk are criticised by some, and I am free to admit that they 

 are open to objection. The ideal way would be for the con- 

 suming public to be so intelligent that individuals would be 

 willing to pay for milk what it was worth according to its 

 quality, fifteen per cent, milk selling at one price and ten per 

 cent, milk at another price, all milk being marketable provid- 

 ing it was what it purported to be. 



This is an ideal to be hoped for, the same as universal hon- 

 esty and temperance. But I do not believe that it would be 

 wise to open the prisons and discharge all of our police and 

 constables, because mankind ought to be better, and on sim- 



