No. 4.] REPORT OF DAIRY BUREAU. 



313 



Oleomargarine. 



According to statistics of the Treasury Department at 

 Washington, the output from the factories of the United 

 States for the past six years is as follows : — 



In Massachusetts the Dairy Bureau had in court for viola- 

 tion of the oleo laws : in 1900, 178 ; in 1901, 215 ; in 1902 

 (new national law going into effect during this year), 90; 

 in 1903, 56 ; in 1904, 22 ; and in 1905, 26. 



There are indications that certain peddlers in this State 

 are also manufacturers, in the sense that they buy uncolored 

 oleomargarine, color it and peddle the same, wdiich is not 

 only violation of our own anti-color law, but is also viola- 

 tion of national laws. One such violator has served a jail 

 sentence, imposed by the United States courts during the 

 year. 



There are also indications and even statistics which show 

 that oleomargarine does not meet with great popular favor 

 in its uncolored (natural) condition, but that its sales depend 

 to a large extent upon the retailer being able to pass it oft' as 

 butter, when colored in imitation of the latter article. For 

 instance, the output of artificially colored oleomargarine in 

 1904 was 1,639,102 pounds for the whole country ; in 1905 

 the output was 3,284,850 pounds, an increase of 1,645,743 

 pounds, which nearly covers the 1,809,502 pounds total in- 



