54 



ADULTERATION OF DAIRY PRODUCTS. 



Hon. James H. Brown, of the New York State dairy commission, in 

 an address before the sixteenth annual session of the New York Dairy- 

 men's Association, (p. 178, of report) said: 



Our cities and towns were at that time flooded with adulterated milk, butter, and 

 cheese, which tended toward discredit and distrust of the New York State products, 

 and lessened their consumption, as the goods used were so adulterated that the 

 product of the dairyman entered but a little way in their manufacture. This con- 

 dition of affairs would soon have driven our farmer entirely out of business, and 

 when he is oppressed or depressed all people of the State must suffer. Without him 

 we can not live; and thus it was, that with chalk and water for milk, lard, tallow, 

 and horse grease for butter, and cheese enriched with lard, the farmer was certainly 

 in a very bad predicament. With this serious state of affairs confronting our land, 

 our homes, and our prosperity, it became necessary that something be done imme- 

 diately. Our legislature passed, and our governor immediately signed the act, and 

 appointed as the first New York State dairy commissioner the gentleman who still 

 holds that office. I hardly think our legislators had well-defined ideas of what this 

 department could do, what it would do, or what it should do. They fully appre- 

 ciated the fact that something prompt and decisive must be done, and so passed this 

 law, believing it to be the best thing at that time appearing, and I think 1 am fully 

 justified in saying that from later developments it has proved to be the best law for 

 the producer and consumer of dairy products that could have been passed. Our 

 department always has, and it always must have in order to succeed, the hearty 

 cooperation of both the producer and consumer. 



Our law has been amended and new duties added from time to time as experience 

 suggested and necessity compelled, until at the present time the dairy commission 

 is charged with the execution of the provisions of various laws which provide against 

 the manufacture and sale of any article made in semblance or imitation of natural 

 butter or cheese; against selling or offering for sale milk that is adulterated, unclean, 

 or unwholesome ; against branding cheese with a false brand; against the sale of 

 adulterated vinegar, and also for a system of instruction to improve the quality of 

 the butter and cheese manufactured in the State. 



The commissioner became satisfied that the root of the oleomargarine evil was 

 the retail dealer; he bought the goods knowing just what they were because they 

 were cheap, but in all cases sold them to the consumer for dairy butter. 



The commissioner therefore began with the retail dealer, arresting and prosecut- 

 ing every one found, until the business became so risky that very few were willing 

 to try the sale. 



In 1883 there were upwards of 15,000,000 pounds of the article handled in this 

 State, and to-day there is none sold for consumption, excepting possibly a very 

 s mall amount clandestinely. It was ascertained that the enforcement of this law 

 the first year reduced the sale of these goods fully 50,000 pounds per day. This 

 implied, of course, the same number of pounds more of butter consumed. This has 

 not been accomplished without a struggle and a hard, bitter fight. 



The enforcement of the statute relating to milk has been followed up rigidly. 

 The first year or two it was impossible to extend operations over the entire State, 

 because of a lack of funds. We, therefore, confined our early inspections to New 

 York, Brooklyn, and the surrounding counties. This was no small undertaking, as 

 statistics show that in 1885 there were shipped into these cities alone 4,835,831 forty- 

 quart cans of milk, and that this year 7,040,342 forty-quart cans have been received. 

 Our first experience was that quite a large amount of this milk was of poor quality 

 and that it arrived in poor shape, but by persistent work xve are now able to say 

 that dairy products reach the consumer in much better condition and with less 

 adulteration than almost any other kind of food. 



