164 Maine; agricultural experiment station. 1909. 



Whiskey. 

 Numerous sample packages of spirituous liquors seized by 

 State officials have been sent to the Station for examination 

 with the thought that the chief chemist of the Station, who 

 holds a commission to act under the Bureau of Chemistry of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture could make the 

 analyses and if the goods were found adulterated they could be 

 held and confiscated under the State law. Obviously this was 

 not practicable, as a process could not be begun under United 

 States law and finished under State law. Only in 4 instances 

 were the samples so obtained that proceedings were possible 

 under the National Food and Drug Law. These samples were 

 analyzed and found to be rather weak imitation whiskeys. The 

 cases were ready to report for prosecution at the time the whole 

 question of the definition of whiskey was reopened by President 

 Taft. 



Rice. 

 Recently the inspector purchased rice at a number of dififerent 

 places in the State and for the most part the goods delivered to 

 him were either pure uncoated rice or else they were correctly 

 labeled to show that they were coated with glucose and talc, and 

 carried printed directions for removing the foreign matters 

 before cooking. In one instance adulterated rice was sold 

 without being labeled to show that it was coated and in one 

 instance coated rice was labeled and guaranteed to be uncoated. 

 In the first instance the dealer was prosecuted and fined under 

 the Maine Food and Drug Law. In the other case the Maine 

 dealer was protected by a written guaranty and the matter was 

 reported to the United States District Attorney and the goods 

 were libelled under the provisions of the National Food and 

 Drug Act. It is now possible for the consumer to know pretty 

 accurately the quality of the rice offered for sale and for the 

 most part uncoated rice can be had if he insists. 



