388 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doer 



Of the 30 cases that we have had in court this year, out 

 of 001 samples taken, the following are the analyses : — 



These cases were from Maiden, Springfield, Chelsea, Law- 

 rence, Revere, Everett and Holyoke. 



It will be seen that this list contains a record breaker for 

 poor cases. We do not believe that in the history of milk 

 adulteration a sample as low as 2.45 per cent of total solids 

 has ever been found before; 9.35 is also very low. It will 

 be noticed that the highest sample of milk on which a case 

 was maintained contained 11.74 per cent of total solids, of 

 which 2 per cent was fat. Although the total solids in this 

 case were close to the standard, the fat was only two-thirds 

 of the proper amount. In the sample testing 2.50 per cent 

 of fat and 11.72 total solids the case was prosecuted because 

 the defendant was under suspicion of adulterating whole 

 milk with skim-milk. Though conviction was secured, the 

 case was put on file by the judge without imposing a fine, 

 because the milk was so near to the standard. 



Many persons who are not familiar with court practice 

 think that a law establishing a milk standard and providing 

 for its enforcement operates like a delicate machine, adjusted 

 to cut with accurate precision upon a certain line, in which a 

 blade falls without a particle of variation, so as to sever 

 everything outside the gauge to which the machine is set. 

 This, however, is not the way that criminal laws are en- 

 forced. Not every man who staggers is brought into court 

 for being drunk; the case must be sufficiently strong, and 

 the violation of law of sufficient magnitude, to make itprob- 



