4i0 BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



rather than one which has a color of its own. For some 

 reason it also prefers to use, as a part of its corporate title, 

 the name of one of the distinctive dairy States of the union, 

 though its place of business is Rhode Island. 



In fact, all of the oleomargarine distributed in Massachu- 

 setts comes from Rhode Island, which is behind the other 

 States of New England in pure food legislation. This oleo- 

 margarine is mostly sold by peddlers, and in a more or less 

 deceptive way. We have found it under the seats of carry- 

 alls, in wagons with showy " washing-compound" signs, and 

 in unsuspicious handle baskets. In fact, the tactics of these 

 dealers are much like the methods of those who sell intoxi- 

 cating liquors illegally. Evidence of sales under such cir- 

 cumstances is hard and often expensive to secure. The court 

 cases which we have had lead us to the opinion that when the 

 dealer knows — or thinks he knows — his customer, much 

 of this oleomargarine is actually sold for butter. 



Considerable oleomargarine is sold on " orders," the legal 

 " sale " taking place in Rhode Island. We give below a copy 

 of a letter sent by a Rhode Island concern to many of the 

 grocers in Massachusetts. The letterhead announces that 

 the concern deals in " fine creamery butterine." 



We desire to inform you of the fact tliat all grocers in New 

 England are now in a position to sell their customers butterine 

 without a license, and that the demand for a fine quality of cream 

 butterine is steadily increasing, and we take special pains to inform 

 you how to sell this product and pi'otect your trade against com- 

 petitors who are now selling them, which will give j'our firm the 

 profit we are certain you are entitled to. This effort we know will 

 be appreciated by you, and we sincerely hope will develop a busi- 

 ness that will pay us mutually to our satisfaction. 



We enclose you herewith a supply of order blanks, which we 

 request you to give to your solicitors or drivers of your delivery 

 wagons, who will inform your customers of the opportunity to 

 supply them with the finest cream butterine, and the solicitors 

 may fill out the orders, when a sale is made, giving the customer's 

 name, price he sells goods for per pound, and address of cus- 

 tomer, trying, if possible, to accumulate orders for fifty pounds or 

 more before forwarding to us, which we can send by freight or ex- 

 press at a much lower rate than in smaller lots. 



