8 P.D. 123 



the foregoing specifications but only in the following particulars: — (1) the air 

 cell may be not more than three eighths of an inch in depth and may be slightly 

 tremulous, (2) the yolk may be plainly visible and mobile, (3) the white may 

 be reasonably firm, and (4) germ development may be slightly visible; and, 

 in addition, there shall be permitted, in respect to the selling, or offering, 

 exposing or advertising for sale, of eggs at wholesale as aforesaid, a reason- 

 able tolerance established by rules and regulations of the department, author- 

 ity to establish the same being hereby granted. 



No person shall sell, or offer or expose for sale,- eggs which have been pre- 

 served or protected by treating the shells thereof unless the basket, box or 

 other container in which the eggs are placed shall be plainly marked with 

 letters not less than one half inch in height as "shell-treated" or "shell- 

 protected". Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be punished 

 by a fine of not more than twenty-five dollars for the first offence, and not 

 more than one hundred dollars for each subsequent offence. The department 

 of agriculture shall enforce the provisions of this section. 



There have been positive trends during the past year that agriculture is 

 again beginning to assert itself, that price levels for farm products are rising, 

 that a general feeling of confidence prevails among our farmers, and they are 

 ready to face the future of agriculture in Massachusetts with renewed strength 

 and energy. 



REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF DAIRYING AND ANIMAL. HUSBANDRY 



Quality Milk on Massachusetts Farms 

 Our dairy inspection program has been largely responsible for improving 

 the quality of milk on our Massachusetts farms and on other dairy farms out- 

 side of Massachusetts that are supplying our local markets with fluid milk. It 

 has been the aim of the Division of Daiiying to raise the standard of milk 

 production on each farm in Masachusetts so that any local board of health 

 or any milk dealer could reasonably accept all milk within a nearby area, 

 thereby lessening the cost of inspection service, cost of transportation and 

 other costs that might react favorably on the price charged to the consumer. 

 Massachusetts has been divided into districts and each of our six dairy 

 farm inspectors has been assigned certain definite areas to inspect. Within 

 each of these areas our inspectors are filling in the gaps that are left by the 

 local boards of health in the inspection program for the entire Commonwealth. 

 During the first part of the year 1934 we contacted various boards of health 

 and obtained a list of the daii-y farms to be inspected by them, and our in- 

 spectors were assigned the dairy farms that remained to be inspected. It was 

 found later that the local boards of health for various reasons could not carry 

 out their entire program of farm inspection, so that it was necessary for our 

 inspectors to retrace their steps, in many cases going over tha same territory 

 two or three times in an effort to complete the inspection for their districts. 

 During the year 1935 we started out with a program that included the total 

 number of farms that were inspected in 1934 and in many districts it was 

 again necessary to go over the same territory twice in order to fill in certain 

 gaps that were left by certain boards of health. Our 1936 program will in- 

 clude the maximum number of farms that has been allotted to the State for 

 inspection, and if no further adjustments are necessary it will be possible to 

 complete the inspection work in Massachusetts in a shorter number of months 

 and spend more time in the other New England states. During the year 1935 

 the only time spent in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and 

 eastern New York was during the month of November, and at that time three 

 temporary inspectors were added to our inspection force, and every creamery 

 and milk plant in the four states mentioned above was visited and a complete 

 list of all producers was obtained, showing the amount of milk produced and 

 a further statement indicating whether or not each producer had a certificate 

 of registration issued .by the Division of Dairying. These records would indi- 

 cate that many dealers were obtaining some milk from farms that do not have 

 a certificate of registration, and as soon as all records have been carefully 



