130 MAINE AGRICUI.TURAL EXPE;rIMI;nT STATION. I9II. 



Strainers, refrigerator rooms so damp that water continually 

 dropped from the ceiling into the milk, unsanitary arrange- 

 ment of toilets and employees not clean in appearance and in 

 some cases apparently not even in good health. In the partic- 

 ular case described above an agent of the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture had upon more than one occasion called the atten- 

 tion of the proprietors to the unsanitary conditions and the dan- 

 ger to the public resulting from such criminal carelessness or 

 indifference, but not having at hand any law by which he might 

 insist that his suggestions and advice be acted upon nothing 

 was done until a deputy acting under the food law. reported the 

 conditions. A peremptory message gave notice to the proprie- 

 tors that failure to clean up would be followed by prosecution, 

 and upon the next visit to the place a short time after a marked 

 improvement had been made and renovations were planned to 

 change the entire aspect of the establishment. 



Not all of the creameries, however, approach the conditions 

 described above. For instance, one which was visited in one of 

 the largest cities of the state was in excellent condition. It 

 was well screened, light, airy and clean, the employees were 

 neatly dressed. One could come from a visit to the place feel- 

 ing that milk or cream obtained there would be not only pala- 

 table but safe. 



Groceries and Markets. 



For the most part the grocery stores and markets were found 

 in fairly good condition, although in many the protection of 

 such foods as meat and soft fruits from dust and flies was not 

 adequate, and often not attempted. 



' Several cases of dirty back rooms used for storage purposes 

 have been found where conditions were bad. For example, a 

 book store was crowded with various food commodities ex- 

 posed to the foul odors of a poorly ventilated closet which was 

 separated from the store room only by a loose partition which 

 did not extend to the ceiling. Hanging within a few feet of the 

 open door of this closet was a lot of meat, and flies had free 

 access to both. 



It has been a practice quite common in many places to 

 have barrels, boxes and packages of such goods as pork, pickles, 

 crackers, sugar, meal and many other things open to the inspec- 

 tion of customers, and incidentally to contamination from dirty 



