122 ANNTJAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



able for carrying on this work, it was deemed inadvisable to obtain 

 a larger number of samples. The results of this analytical work, to- 

 gether with the information furnished by the Agents and which ac- 

 companied each sample, were reported to the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture and to the Dealers from whom the samples were taken and to 

 the Manufacturers or Imx)orters where known. Eight of these sam- 

 ples were found to be adulterated with varying quantities of heavy 

 or light Mineral Oil, and prosecutions were ordered in 7 cases. The 

 remaining case is being considered and action will be taken against 

 the Importer, or party responsible for its sale in the State, if the 

 results of an investigation now being made warrants this procedure. 

 All but two of the cases ordered have been adjusted, without hear- 

 ing before the Magistrate, by payment of fines, amounting to |250.00, 

 which was paid to the State Treasurer, as they were received. One 

 case is still pending and advice has been received that the other 

 will be adjusted satisfactory to the Department. Eight samples 

 of Linseed Oil were found to contain turpentine and no action was 

 taken against the dealers in these cases for the reason that it was 

 evident from the testimony of the dealers and Special Agent, these 

 Oils had become accidently contaminated. There appears to be a 

 few firms who still persist in selling adulterated Linseed Oil and 

 it is hoped that as the investiga.tion work continues, this form of 

 fraud will be stopped. The new Linseed Oil Law, under which we 

 are working at the present time, and which was passed by the Leg- 

 islature at its last session, has proved to be very effective for the 

 reason that standards of purity were established by this Act. The 

 results of analysis obtained upon the samples thus far received show 

 that these standards are reasonable, as Pure Raw and Boiled Linseed 

 Oil will come within the requirements of the Law, while samples 

 which are found to contain small quantities of Foreign Oils will fall 

 outside of these standards. A Bulletin will be prepared covering 

 the work accomplished during the year in enforcing the Linseed Oil 

 Law and showing to what extent Linseed Oil is being adulterated, 

 which will be sent out to those interested in this line of work. There 

 were only four special samples of Linseed Oil sent to the Depart- 

 ment to be analyzed as provided by the Law with the fee of fl.OO 

 which is required to be charged. This amount of money was paid 

 to the IS'tate Treasurer. 



The year 1914 has seen the enforcement of Pennsylvania's first 

 Pure Seed Law, which was also enacted by the Legislature at its 

 last session, becoming effective January 1, 1914. The work of mak- 

 ing purity tests on samples of seeds in carrying out the provisions 

 of this Act, has been performed in the Chemical Laboratory of the 

 Department. Before the law became operative, the necessary seed 

 testing and other apparatus of the best type were installed and every 

 preparation made to do the work in a thorough and satisfactory 

 manner. The Department now has, in addition to this equipment, a 

 valuable collection of seeds for comparison and it is felt we are 

 fully prepared to do careful and accurate work. During the year 

 Special Agents of the Department secured from Seed Dealers 

 throughout the State, 202 oflBcial samples of seeds. These samples 

 were placed in specially prepared enevlopes and either brought or 

 sent to the Department to be tested. The Seed Law provides, in 

 addition to the securing of official samples for testing, that Seed 



