Dairy Legislation. 255 



guarantee the quality of a dairy product or to pre- 

 vent the sale of a spurious product for a genuine one. 

 The introduction of the manufacture of artificial but- 

 ter or oleomargarine has led to both national and state 

 regulation. The manufacture of oleomargarine, and 

 particularly its sale as genuine butter, caused a great 

 injury to the manufacturers of the genuine product, 

 both in the sale of their goods and the prices re- 

 ceived for the same. The state of New York was 

 one of the first, if not the very first, to enact regu- 

 lations controlling the sale of the imitation product, 

 and in 1884 passed a law prohibiting the manufac- 

 ture and sale of imitation butter within the limits of 

 the state. This law was the subject of much litiga- 

 tion, but has been upheld by the state and national 

 courts. It has been pretty thoroughly enforced, and 

 is still in operation. In 1886 the National Govern- 

 ment passed a law imposing an income tax of two 

 cents per pound upon all imitation butter made in 

 the country, and levying special license taxes upon 

 those engaged in its manufacture and sale. This has 

 resulted in a measurable control of the product, and 

 with the supplemental laws that have been passed in 

 a large number of the states the matter is now under 

 careful and strict regulation. These laws have not 

 resulted, as was fondly hoped by many dairymen, in 

 absolutely stopping the manufacture of imitation but- 

 ter, but have resulted in a great improvement in the 

 quality of the imitation goods and in securing inno- 

 cent purchasers against fraud in palming" off upon 

 them a spurious for a genuine article. At the same 



