184 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



sends it across the water he puts borax in it, for us. 

 "They will eat it," he says. And we did, until two years 

 ago, when tliis law went into effect, after which event all 

 sausage dressed with borax has been excluded. There was 

 one boat load sent back to Germany, which, when it reached 

 Germany, wasn't allowed to enter, because they have a law 

 that no piece of meat shall enter Germany that weighs less 

 than eight pounds. This meat, naturally, did not weigh that, 

 and is still sailing the seas over, like the ' ' Flying Dutch- 

 man," for aught I know. 



This illustrates some of the ways in which we are trying 

 to help the farmer, as well as the consumer, by freeing 

 them from all unjust competition. And it seems to me this 

 law is a wise one. It certainly has had the most salutary 

 results so far, and we wish it might be extended to domestic 

 manufactures, but there we have a very great difficulty. 



It is strange how State legislators are always ready to hear 

 essays and addresses on pure food, and are so ready to legis- 

 late along those lines, when it seems almost impossible to get 

 through Congress any law which applies to domestic adul- 

 teration of food under federal control. Most of the States 

 have excellent laws and they execute them ; but there is no 

 federal law regulating interstate commerce, and it is very 

 difficult for a State to protect itself against food adultera- 

 tion practised in other States. 



If we passed a law to inspect food products and to regu- 

 late interstate commerce in them as Ave now regulate foreign 

 foods, we could in a short space of time do away Avith food 

 adulteration as it is practised generally to-day. No one 

 can tell, I believe, the real amount of injury which the eat- 

 ing of adulterated food is producing. Although the adul- 

 terations are not poisonous, yet they produce an effect which 

 is detrimental to health, and are the more dangerous because 

 they are insidious. A little borax, a little sulphurous acid, 

 the coloring that is used, a dozen different dyes everj^ day, 

 — all these things must finally leave some impress, especially 

 upon a delicate organization. They may not affect me, or 

 the majority of men who are able to bear them ; but tliey 

 will affect those naturally predisposed to disease, or having 



