No. 4.] REPORT OF DAIRY BUREAU. 301 



we have found the white oleomargarine sold as butter, 

 though in most of these the offenders were small dealers, 

 some of them not familiar with our language and laws. In 

 such instances we believed there was no intention of violat- 

 ing the law ; but in one case a peddler, Avho was asked by 

 an inquisitive customer why the butter was so white, replied 

 that "Vermont had just passed a law against coloring 

 butter." 



The fluctuation of the oleomargarine business in Massa- 

 chusetts, as indicated by the number of people paying the 

 United States tax, is very significant. When the anti-color 

 law was passed, in 1891, 485 people were paying a tax to 

 sell imitation butter in this Commonwealth, — 34 at whole- 

 sale, 451 at retail. The number was gradually reduced 

 under the operation of the law, until in the years ending- 

 June 30, 1897 and 1898, there were only 29 of these tax 

 payers, one to do a wholesale business and 28 a retail busi- 

 ness ; and in 1898 the number of cases we had in court for 

 violating the anti-color law was as low as 13. But with the 

 national fiscal year ending June 30, 1899, there became 

 evident a strenuous attempt on the part of the oleomargarine 

 people to push more sharply than ever, and more openly 

 and wilfully to violate the State law. The number of per- 

 sons paying this tax for that year increased to S8, and for 

 the 3'ear ending June 30, 1901, to 109 ; while the number 

 of our court cases increased in the year 1900 to 178, 145 of 

 these being for a violation of the anti-color law. This sharp 

 fight put up against the law breakers had the effect to curtail 

 the business, and the number of taxes fell off more than one- 

 half the next year ; but with the advent of the uncolored 

 oleomargarine the number has increased to 34(3. 



So far the consuming public has not taken hold of the 

 uncolored oleomargarine very readily, preferring the color 

 of butter. Should success attend the efforts to educate 

 consumers to prefer a lighter-colored butter and to use uncol- 

 ored oleomargarine in any considerable quantities, the latter 

 would become an important factor to be considered commer- 

 cially. But the moral question would be eliminated, for the 

 light-colored oleomargarine Avould not be a fraud, and would 



