Department of Chemistry 



J. B. LINDSEY, Chemist. 



INSPECTION Of COMMERCIAL FEED STUFFS 



By P. H. SMITH, Chemist in Charge.* 



INTRODUCTION. 



The Massachusetts feeding stuff law requires that every 

 package of commercial feeding stuff sold, offered or exposed for 

 sale within this state, — with certain exceptions in the case of 

 meals made directly from whole seeds, — be labeled with a state- 

 ment showing the name of the manufacturer or party responsible 

 for placing the product on the market, the net weight of the pack- 

 age, the minimum percentage of protein and of fat and the maxi- 

 mum percentage of fiber that the feeding stuff contains, and in 

 addition in case of mixed or compounded feeds a list of the 

 ingredients entering into their composition. Manufacturers must 

 also register witli the Experiment Station annually, or at least 

 before placing on sale, feeding stuffs offered within the state. All 

 registrations expire on September first of each year and must be 

 renewed at that time. The guarantee is primarily a measure of 

 protection for the consumer, while the registration is of great aid 

 to the supervising official in keeping track of feeding stuffs offered 

 and in preventing irregular or misleading guarantees before the 

 product reaches the market. 



The administration of the feeding stuffs law is in charge of 

 the Director of the Experiment Station or his authorized deputy. 

 The enforcement of the Act requires the services of an inspector 

 who visits the places where feeding stuffs are found on sale in 

 order to see if the requirements of the law are fully observed and 

 to collect samples for analyses. The samples collected are sent 

 to the Experiment Station where they are analyzed to determine 

 if they are as represented. A feeding stuffs bulletin is published 

 annually giving the results of the year's work together with such 

 additional comment and data as may seem warranted. Penalties 

 for violation of the Act are provided. 



*The inspection and collection of samples were carried out 

 by Mr. J. T. Howard. The analyses of the samples were made 

 by the writer assisted bv Messrs. C. 1,. Reals. N H. Rorden and 

 C. W. Davis. 



