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BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



most cases was quite satisfactory, being fully up to the 

 standard. In one or two cases where milk of very poor 

 quality was found, the inspector on a second visit got milk 

 of much higher quality, in one case almost cream, showing 

 that the dealer had been careless in mixing the milk, giving 

 some customers cream from the top of the tank, while others 

 got skim-milk from the bottom. In such cases warnings 

 were sent. 



Some restaurants refuse to sell milk to a guest ; a few 

 have skim-milk signs on their milk tanks ; and a few cases 

 have been found where the proprietor of a restaurant posted 

 a sign announcing that he sold pure, unadulterated milk, as 

 it came from the cow, but on account of the State law, in 

 order to save himself from liability to prosecution, he adver- 

 tised all milk which he sold to be skim-milk. 



We give below the averages of the samples of milk taken 

 by this department during the year past, the low showing 

 through July and August being due to a number of samples 

 of low-grade milk taken from restaurants at the beaches, to 

 whom warnings were sent, which resulted in an improve- 

 ment of the quality. 



July, . 



August, 



September, 



October, 



November, 



December, 



December, 



Dr. Harrington, the milk inspector of Boston for the year 

 ending Jan. 31, 1895, reports 14,203 samples of milk col- 

 lected for examination. Out of this number, 142 complaints 

 were entered in court and 138 convictions obtained. Of 

 Dr. Harrington's cases in court, 48 were for milk of below 

 11 per cent total solids ; 87 for milk below 12 per cent, but 

 not below 11 ; 7 cases were for milk ranging from 12 to 12.6 

 per cent. 



Of late there has been an annual agitation before the Legis- 

 lature for a reduction of the statute standard. On this sub- 

 ject we renew our recommendations of previous years in 



