8 P.D. 123 



Pet stock breeders fluctuate from year to year, and many come to the Divi- 

 sion for help. 



Miscellaneous demands on the Division called for attendance at a great many 

 meetings, by the men in charge of Poultry, Animal Husbandry and Inspection, 

 also for numercois conferences, much correspondence, etc., through the office. 



Protecting the Farmer's Milk Check 



It has been the policy of the Department during the past year to insist upon 

 a type of collateral that will fully satisfy the intent of the milk dealers licens- 

 ing and bonding law, and guaranty to the farmer suitabe protection for one 

 payment period for milk delivered to the milk dealer. When this bonding law 

 first became law it was necessary for the Department to accept many chattel 

 mortgages in lieu of a better type of security, and during the past year it has 

 been our purpose to eliminate many of the troublesome chattel mortgages that 

 offered vei-y little protection to the farmer in the event that the milk dealer 

 neglected to pay for milk delivered. We have increased the number of bank 

 books and surety bonds and are in a position to offer to the farmer a more li- 

 quid type of collateral as protection to the milk producer. It was necessary 

 during the year to employ assistants to take care of additional work that had 

 arisen under the provisions of this law. Many problems relating to the small 

 milk dealer who was operating with very limited capital and had furnished in- 

 adequate collateral occupied a large part orf the valuable time of our bonding 

 investigators. We feel, however, that most of these problems have been 

 taken care of, and many of these questionable milk dealers, wiho intended to 

 purchase milk from the producers as long as possible and then drift into some 

 other business, have been forced to find another type of employment. There 

 are some provisions of the Milk Dealers Bonding Law that need qualification 

 at this time, and it is our purpose during the next session of the Legislature 

 to seek amendments that will tend to provide more adequate protection for the 

 dairy farmer. 



REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF MARKETS 



Market News 



Daily reports on the farmers produce markets were issued through the year 

 from Boston and Springfield, and for a portion of the year from Worcester. 

 During the summer and fall months, a reporter was also stationed at the Bos- 

 ton Regional Produce Market in West Cambridge. 



Special Apple Market Report 



The Special Apple Market News Service, now in its twelfth year of opera- 

 tion, has been maintained regularly throughout nine months of the apple mar- 

 keting season. An increasingly important part of this service is the attention 

 being given to cold storage reports, now covering not only New England 

 points, but also some areas outside New England. It is necessary to cover 

 these points because of the competitive effect that they have on local sales. 



Apple Inspection 



Regular inspection of apples has been carried on at all principal market 

 centers. In addition to this, the inspectors of this division have been licensed 

 by the Federal government under a Federal-State cooperative agreement, 

 which authorizes them to certify fruit for export shipment. 



Inspections at Welfare Centers — Because of heavy supplies of apples on 

 hand in the late winter months, the Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation 

 inaugurated a buying program in late March for purchase of surplus apples. 

 This division cooperated in the program by furnishing inspection service at 29 

 welfare centers in this state. These inspectors operated under the Federal- 

 State cooperative agreement. 



