392 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Little improvement in our butter production could be expected 

 until some change from our former methods could be brought 

 about. For a number of years the average per cow in Iowa has been 

 140 pounds of butter fat. The fact that for twenty-five years prac- 

 tically no dairy sires were introduced in the state, we believe one 

 of the best reasons that there has been no improvement in our dairy 

 cows. Within the next few years as the heifers sired hy these 

 dairy sires come in milk, we expect to see the average per cow ma- 

 terially increased. The high land valuations have brought about 

 a condition that makes it out of the question for the producer of 

 beef to make money on scrub stock or anj^^thing but cattle bred for 

 this purpose. Our people have been a long time in awakening to 

 the fact that this same economic principle holds good in breeding 

 cattle for the dairj\ 



CITY MILK INSPECTION. 



I am pleased to report that the last General Assembly passed 

 laws that are of material benefit in the prosecution of this work, 

 particularly that section granting this department the power to 

 refuse a milk license to those deemed unworthy, and to revoke a 

 license once granted when the terms thereof have been violated. 

 While this power has been exercised to a very limited extent, it 

 serves as a "big stick" and as such is of undoubted benefit. 



Along the lines of further legislation for this department, I 

 would recommend that a law be passed defining more explicitly 

 who are milk dealers. I would also retiterate the statement made in 

 my last report, advising that the pay for local milk inspectors be 

 increased. The new law requiring milk dealers in all the smaller 

 towns to pay a license as well as those in the cities is also an 

 equitable one, as well as that section requiring that the name of the 

 dealer or dairy be printed on the wagon. The policy of insisting 

 that the cities appoint local milk inspectors before we appoint a 

 state milk inspector we are convinced is proper and shall con- 

 tinue. 



The most common form of adulteration found is that of skim- 

 ming the night's milk, this having set for a sufficiently long time 

 before delivered to allow the cream to raise. The most flagrant vio- 

 lation of the milk law we find is among the restaurants, cafes and 

 hotels in that they are in the habit of storing milk in upright cool- 

 ers with a faucet at the bottom, from which the milk is drawn and 



