384 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



times a line of investigation may be followed for several days 

 with no reportable results in number of inspections made or 

 samples taken. This part of our work is like all other kinds 

 of detective work, and has a wholesome effect on would-be 

 law-breakers far beyond the story told by any mere sta- 

 tistics. 



During the year we have made 1,351 inspections of stores, 

 wagons and railroad stations, and taken 230 samples. We 

 have had 21 cases in court, and would have had 5 more could 

 the parties have been found. Of the 21, we lost only 1. 

 The charges were as follows : — 



Violating anti-color law, ...... 13 



Violating hotel-restaurant law, 3 



Obstructing an officer, ...... 5 



21 



During the past year one dealer in imitation butter has 

 served a term in the house of correction in default of a tine. 



Of the 13 violations of the anti-color law, above reported, 

 the imitation product was sold as and for butter in several 

 instances ; but complaints were made for violating the anti- 

 color law, for technical reasons of detail in connection with 

 the trial of the cases. Evidence of more sales of the decep- 

 tive product when butter was called for would have been 

 secured were not the agents so well known. 



As we have previously reported, the open sale of imita- 

 tion butter seems to have been practically suppressed. It is 

 an exceptional case where a person can purchase it, to take 

 away with him, in any store in the Commonwealth. Yet, in 

 spite of this, considerable quantities are consumed within 

 the Commonwealth, mostly sold under various subterfuges. 

 Itinerant peddlers dispose of some, and stores that "take 

 orders " still further evade the law, while in some instances 

 officers in charge of public institutions are purchasers. The 

 amount sold is very small, compared with what would be 

 sold were there no laws. In most cases the ultimate con- 

 sumer does not know what he is eating, and in many cases 

 the purchaser is equally ignorant. 



The principle on which these laws are based has been 

 endorsed by the State and national courts, and by the Legis- 



