22o Report of the Commercial Control Branch, [june, 



The forest reserves of the United States, some 190 millions 

 of acres in extent, are under the control of the Department 

 of Agriculture, which is said to possess adequate authority 

 for their preservation and extension, but the control of private 

 owners in their treatment of the forests which they own is not 

 a matter within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government. 

 It is suggested that money should be allotted each year to 

 enable the Government to undertake reafforestation at the 

 sources of certain navigable streams. 



Part 1. of the Report of the Intelligence Division of the 

 Board of Agriculture and Fisheries has recently been issued 

 [Cd. 5172, price 5jd.]. In this Report 

 Report of the tne Assistant Secretary (Mr. T. H. 

 Commercial Middleton) describes the work dealt 

 Control Branch. w j t h i n the Commercial Control Branch 

 during the year ended December 31st, 



1909. 



This Branch undertakes inquiries and correspondence as 

 to the administration of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, 

 1875 to 1907; complaints relating to adulteration of articles 

 of food affecting the interests of agriculture; the administra- 

 tion of the Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act, 1906; prose- 

 cutions under the Merchandise Marks Acts, 1887 to 1894; and 

 complaints as to rates and facilities for the carriage of agricul- 

 tural produce by rail. 



As will be gathered from the above statement, the work 

 of this Branch is of direct assistance to the farmer in prevent- 

 ing the adulteration or misdescription of articles which might 

 cause him to be exposed to unfair competition in regard 

 to some of his produce, in securing the genuineness of the 

 fertilisers and feeding stuffs which he buys, and in making 

 representations to the railway companies in regard to well- 

 founded complaints as to rates and facilities for the carriage 

 of produce by rail. 



The Report in question describes the numerous cases 

 investigated during the year under the Food and Drugs Acts 

 in regard to the adulteration of milk and cream, butter, cheese, 

 and cider, and under the Merchandise Marks Acts in regard 



