No. 4.] REPORT OF DAIRY BUREAU. 313 



REPORT OF THE DAIRY BUREAU. 



To the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of 

 Massachusetts. 



The law creating this bureau went into effect Sept. 1, 

 1891, and requires a report to the legislature not later than 

 January 15, consequently the bureau's first report — to 

 Jan. 1, 1892 — covers a period of only four months. But 

 not all of even that brief time has been available for active 

 work. Several weeks were unavoidably consumed in the 

 appointment, confirmation and organization of the bureau. 

 Considerable time has also been necessarily consumed in 

 making plans and getting ready for work, the delay being 

 increased by the fact that the law and the office were new, 

 and that, therefore, there were no traditions or precedents 

 to go by. Consequently not much active field work was 

 done before the middle of November. 



As the law under which the bureau operates is, in the 

 popular mind, intimately associated with restricting the sale 

 of oleomargarine, there is danger that it may be considered 

 a mere police or detective provision ; and in order to show 

 clearly the duties of the bureau we copy a portion of thp 

 law. 



Chapter 412, section 7, of the Acts of 1891, says that the 

 bureau is " subject to the general direction and control of 

 the board of agriculture," but its particular duties are 

 defined in section 11 of the same chapter as follows : — 



" To investigate all dairy products and imitation dairy products 

 bought or sold within the Commonwealth ; 



" To enforce all laws for the manufacture, transfer and sale of 

 all dairy products and all imitation dairy products within the 

 Commonwealth, with all powers needed for the same ; 



"To investigate all methods of butter and cheese making in 

 cheese factories or creameries ; and 



"To disseminate such information as shall be of service in 

 producing a more uniform dairy product of higher grade and better 

 quality." 



