EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK- PART VIII. 361 



The best argument at the command of the dealer in oleomargarine 

 is the presence on the market of butter of poor quality. The next best 

 argument is the presence of too many so-called pound bricks of butter 

 actually weighing an ounce or more short in weight. The dealer in 

 butter who sells a product of poor quality or a short weight package is the 

 greatest enemy that the butter industry has at the present time. His 

 practices, besides being dishonest, make possible too often successful 

 competition by the dealer in oleomargarine. 



Successful prosecutions for violation of the oleomargarine law have 

 been undertaken at Centerville, Burlington and Waterloo, and one un- 

 successful prosecution at Ottumwa. 



SANITATION. 



Section 2522 of the Code provides: "Every person or corporation, or 

 the employe of such person or corporation, who operates a creamery, 

 cheese or condensed milk factory, or re-works or packs butter, shall main- 

 tain his premises and utensils in a clean and hygienic condition. * * * 

 Whoever shall violate any provisions of this section shall be punished by 

 a fine of not less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred dollars, or 

 by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than thirty days." 

 Under this section, fines have been inflicted on one buttermaker and upon 

 the secretary of another creamery. A careful reading of the above quoted 

 statute shows that the responsibility for cleanliness in the creamery 

 rests equally upon the buttermaker and his helpers, and the secretary, or 

 manager, or proprietor. The assistant commissioners have done a great 

 deal of effective work among the creameries by insisting in a great many 

 cases upon a radical change of conditions on pain of prosecution, and this 

 policy of the department will be further carried out in the future. There 

 is never any excuse for unsanitary conditions in a creamery, and such 

 conditions are the more inexcusable under present prosperous business 

 conditions. 



The law above quoted was intended to insure the consumer of Iowa 

 butter that it is made in a cleanly place. A good many of our creameries 

 were built a number of years ago and ought now to be replaced with new 

 and more substantial and permanent buildings. A very large number of 

 creameries have been this year replaced with buildings composed of 

 buildings made with brick or cement, and the tendency towards better 

 buildings is more marked every year. 



There are two things absolutely essential to the highest degree of 

 cleanliness and sanitation in every creamery. They are: First, a ce- 

 ment floor; second, proper drainage. Unfortunately, a great many cream- 

 eries are so located that there is not sufficient fall to permit of proper 

 drainage. Some of our creameries under such conditions have put in a 

 septic tank and the results have been very successful. This department 

 will be glad to furnish information and plans for such a system of caring 

 for the drainage on request from officers of any creamery. 



TESTING CREAM. . 



Innumerable complaints come to this department concerning the samp- 

 ling and testing of cream by cream haulers, cream purchasing agents, 



