PART I. 



REPORT OF SECRETARY 



John C. Simpson 



FOR YEAR ENDING NOVEMBER 30, 1906 



TO 



STATE AGRICULTURAL CONVENTION 



ASSEMBLED IN ROOMS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

 STATE HOUSE, DECEMBER 12, 1906. 



Mr. President, Gentlemen of the Convention: In compliance with 

 the wishes of the State Board of Agriculture I desire to make a brief 

 report of the work of the Department for the past season. 



No funds having been provided for carrying on the work as outlined 

 in Section 1657, Chapter 3, Code Supplement of Iowa, the Department 

 can onlj' make such investigations, etc., as can be made with little or no 

 expense. Seeing the great need of some legislation in regard to pure 

 foods, the Board a few years ago set aside a small amount from the 

 state fair fund to meet the expense of an investigation along this line. 

 The report of the pure food committee through the Board of Agriculture 

 was presented to the Thirtieth General Assembly, together with a draft 

 of a pure food bill. This Assembly did not see fit to enact any legisla- 

 tion for purer foods. Further investigations were made by the Board, 

 and again the report of their findings and a draft of the pure food bill 

 was presented to the Thirty-first General Assembly during the winter 

 of 1906. The bill as presented, with a few alterations, was passed and 

 became effective July 4th of this year. The provisions of the bill com- 

 bined the offices of the State Dairy and Food Commissioner, whose duty 

 it is to see that the law is enforced. The full report of the committee 

 from the State Board, together with an exact copy of the bill as finally 

 passed by the Thirty-first General Assembly, is published in the Iowa 

 Year Book of Agriculture for 1905, pages 135-153 inclusive. No provision 

 being made for the publication of any bulletins containing a report of 



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