180?) 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
i47 
INSPECTION OF FEED STUFFS IN MAINE. 
AN OUTLINE OF THE STATE LAW. 
Why Enacted! How Enforced! Results! 
The Maine legislature of 1897, at its January session, 
enacted a law regulating the sale, inspection and 
chemical analysis of hy-products sold as concentrated 
feeds for horses, cattle, poultry, and other animals. 
The law has been in successful opera*ion since Oc¬ 
tober, 1897. 
Reasons for the Law. —It has been found by 
chemical analysis and feeding tests, as well as by com¬ 
mon experience, that there are great differences in 
the feeding values of goods which outwardly closely 
resemble each other. For example, in the Fall of 
189G, the Maine Experiment Station purchased a quan¬ 
tity of cotton-seed meal from a local dealer. A few 
weeks later, the firm offered, at a somewhat reduced 
rate, a b-and which, to outward appearance, was ap¬ 
parently equal to the first. Yet chemical analysis 
showed that the first contained 52 2 per cent protein, 
and the latter only 31.9 per cent. In other words, one, 
which was an unusually good article, contained over 
60 per cent more protein than the other, which proved 
much below the average. As regards the feeding 
value, the actual difference was, probably, much 
greater, since the amount of-ash found in the lower 
grade indicated that the adulterant used was of in¬ 
ferior quality, and the digestibility of the protein 
present must have been affected thereby. In the im¬ 
provement in the manufacture of gluten meals and 
feeds, and the increased demand for corn oil, the per¬ 
centages of fat have been greatly diminished, and in 
most glutens, the percentages of protein have been 
correspondingly increased. 
The general feeling of dissatisfaction with the exist¬ 
ing state of things came to the front at the State 
Dairy Meeting held in Skowhegan in December, 1896, 
and again later at the meeting of the State Grange. 
At the first of these meetings, the State Board of 
Agriculture appointed a committee to draft a law to 
regulate the sale of feeding stuffs. The State Grange 
passed resolutions urging the desirability of such 
legislation. At the annual meeting of the Board of 
Agriculture, the committee presented their report, 
re.ommending the enactment of a la v in all its essen¬ 
tials identical with the act which was finally passed. 
Feed Coming Within the Law.— The law covers 
all feeding stuffs except hays and straws ; whole seeds 
and meals of wheat, rye, barley, oats, Indian corn, 
buckwheat and broom corn ; brans and middlings. 
The principal feeds coming under the provisions of 
the law are linseed meals, cotton-seed meals, pea 
meals, cocoanut meals, gluten meals, gluten feeds, 
maize feeds, starch feeds sugar feeds, dried brewers’ 
grains, malt sprouts, hominy feeds, cerealine feeds, 
rice meals, oat feeds, corn and oat chops, ground beef 
or fish scraps, mixed feeds, and all other materials of 
similar nature. 
Inspection Tax.—In order to meet the expenses 
of inspection, a tax of 10 cents per ton must be paid 
to the Director of the Maine Experiment Station. 
The Director of the Station, on receipt of the inspec¬ 
tion tax, is required to furnish a tag stating that all 
charges have been paid. 
The Brand, —Each package of feeding stuff in¬ 
cluded within the law shall have affixed the tax tag 
described in section 5 of the law, and shall also bear 
conspicuously printed the following statements : 
Tne number of net pounds contained in the package. 
The name or trade mark under which it is sold. 
The name of the manufacturer or shipper. 
The place of manufacture. 
The place of business of manufacturer or shipper. 
The percentage of crude protein. 
The percentage of crude fat. 
These statements may be printed directly on the 
bag, on a tag to be attached to the package, or on the 
back of the tax tag furnished by the Director of the 
Station. 
Analysis.— A copy of the statement of brand must 
be filed with the Director of the Station, and when¬ 
ever the Director shall so request, it must be accom¬ 
panied by a sealed sample of the goods so certified. 
The Director must cause to be collected each year at 
least one sample of each of the brands of feeding 
stuffs coming within the provisions of the act. These 
samples are to be analyzed, and the results, together 
with related matter, published from time to time in 
the form of bulletins. 
From the above outline, it is apparent that the law 
in essence is identical with the law regulating the 
sale of commercial fertilizers. It is, however, the 
first attempt to establish an adequate control over 
the sale of offals and other by-products used as food 
for cattle and other live stock. 
Operation of the Law.— It was and is my belief 
that all the principal manufacturers and dealers in 
feeding stuffs are reliable men of strict integrity. 
The enforcement of the law has been made on this 
assumption, and we have enjoyed the cooperation of 
dealers and manufacturers, as well as that of con¬ 
sumers. No case of willful violation has come to our 
notice. On the contrary, there has been an evident 
desire on the part of most dealers to live up to all the 
requirements of the law. 
The most noticeable thing accomplished by the law 
is the driving out of the State the adulterated cotton¬ 
seed meal which was so largely sold in 1897. The law 
has come into effect without friction, and is running 
as smoothly and satisfactorily as the fertilizer law. 
It protects both the dealer and the consumer. It 
tends toward a more rational use of feeding stuffs 
beneficial to the feeder and the dealer. 
What Changes Are Desirable? —From men 
outside of the State who have studied the law, this 
is the most frequent question asked. The following 
are the more important changes which commend 
themselves to my judgment: 
The cost of the inspection should be met by a direct 
State appropriation, and not by a special tax. A 
brand tax similar to that in vogue in many States to 
meet the expense of the fertilizer inspection is not 
practicable with feeds, since few of the goods are of a 
definite “brand”. The chief drawback to the ton¬ 
nage tax is its cost of execution. The tags and the 
office work incidental to sending them out use up one- 
fourth of the income from a 10-eent tonnage tax. It 
is very doubtful whether the gain from this system is 
at all commensurate with the cost. Furthermore, all 
other police work is carried on at State expense. 
These inspections are important to all, and the ex¬ 
pense should be evenly distributed. In most States, 
it would, however, probably be impossible to pass the 
law if its cost of execution was not met by a special 
tax. In this case, the tonnage tax seems to be the 
best ^ay out. 
Wheat brans, middlings, etc., which, under the 
Maine law, are exempt, should be included in the in¬ 
spection. While most brans and many so called mixed 
feeds are fairly uniform in composition, some mill 
stuffs—middlings for example—are exceedingly vari¬ 
able in composition. In 26 samples of middlings ex¬ 
amined by this Station in November, the protein ran 
from 12 4 to 21.5 per cent. In the case of goods car¬ 
rying less than four per cent ©f fat, a very good idea 
of their feeding value can be obtained' from the 
knowledge of the protein content alone, and it may 
be necessary to require a guarantee of the percentage 
of fat. On the other hand, a knowledge of the fat 
content in oil and gluten meals and allied materials 
is of great importance to the feeder, as oils from these 
prcducts seem to have a marked effect upon the char¬ 
acter of the butter. 
There is an increasing tendency toward government 
inspection of all articles of merchandise that are par¬ 
ticularly liable to fraud and adulteration. To me, 
this tendency seems a wise one. The feeding-stuff 
law is commending itself more and more, alike to 
dealers and consumers. Dealers in this class of by¬ 
products are welcoming the law, as it tends to put 
their business on a more definite basis, and the con¬ 
sumers are finding their interests protected by it. This 
experiment in legislation in Maine has proved a suc¬ 
cess, and in some form, feed inspection has come in 
this State to stay, and the idea is spreading to other 
States. 
The Vermont legislature, at its session last Fall, 
passed a law practically identical with that of Maine. 
This law does not go into effect until July, 1899. The 
subject is attracting much attention in Massachu¬ 
setts, Rhode Island, Delaware and Maryland. It is 
more than likely that legislation on this subject will 
come up in some of these States the present Winter. 
A similar bill has already been introduced in the New 
York legislature. chas. d. woods. 
Director Maine Experiment Station. 
Even ts of the Week. 
Domestic.—During the blizzard February 9, a Tennessee River 
packet was wrecked by smashing into a bridge at Johnsonville, 
and eight lives were lost. . . The steamer Venus, frcm Java, 
arrived at Lewes, Del , February 9, after a tempestuous passage. 
Coal gave out, all movable woodwork was burned, ard the vessel 
was finally reduced to burning sugar from her cargo to make 
steam. . . During the storm February 8, a number of mines in 
Boston Harbor went adrift, and were cast ashore at South Bos¬ 
ton. . . A coasting party at Washington, D. C., was struck by 
an electric car February 9; one man was killed and six other 
persons injured. . . In Chicago, February 9 was the coldest 
day experienced in 27 years, 21 below zero, the highest tempera¬ 
ture during the day being 13 degrees below zero. It was 30 below 
along the lake shore. It was the coldest February 9 ever recorded 
in New York, three degrees below zero. Every vessel coming 
into the harbor was covered with ice. Throughout the North¬ 
west the cold is breaking the record for many years. . . A fire 
in the old part of New York February 9, caused a loss of $300,000. 
Several firemen were severely frostbitten, being completely in¬ 
cased in ice, while the adjoining buildings looked like icebergs. 
. . . Near Hardin, Ky , Mrs. John Greenfield died after fasting 
45 days. . . At Wakefield, Mich., an entire family of six persons 
were frozen to death February 10. The temperature there ranged 
from 20 to 40 degrees below zero. The Mississippi River was 
frozen over at St. Louis, and gas mains were frozen. Numerous 
fatalities were reported from all parts of the country. Many 
ships were frozen in New York Bay, and ferryboats were frozen 
into their slips. Staten Island Sound was frozen over, and the 
battleship Indiana was so surrounded by ice in the Brooklyn 
Navy Yard that she could not get out. The Hudson River was 
frozen across at Nyack, where it is 3*4 miles wide. The freezing 
of gas mains and water pipes caused great distress in the cities. 
New York had 40 fires on February 10, some serious, and the 
firemen worked under great difficulties. The cold was extended 
by a terrible blizzard, which continued February 12-13. It ex¬ 
tended over a much wider area than the great storm of 1888, and 
completely paralyzed travel. The Mississippi River was closed 
to navigation from Greenville, Miss., to Cairo, Ill., and in many 
parts of the South, persons were frozen to death. At one place 
in Kentucky, a temperature of 39 degrees below zero was re¬ 
ported February 13. The snowfall in New York City was nearly 
15 inches, and the distress among the poor was great, the City 
being unable to aid them. Gov. Roosevelt ordered the armories 
to be thrown open as shelters. Many disasters occurred among 
the shipping. The White Star steamer Germanic sank at her 
pier; the weight of ice with which the vessel was covered, 
caused her to list over, so that she filled with water. Coal was 
short in New York, and the shortage amounted to famine in 
many small towns. Train service was suspended over a wide 
territory. . . February 12, 17 patients were burned to death in 
the State Asylum at Yankton, S. D. . . At Chicago, February 
12, five persons skating on Lake Michigan were cut off from shore 
by the breaking of the ice. They were rescued with difficulty 15 
hours later; one of the victims will lose hands and feet by freez¬ 
ing. . . An avalanche at Cherokee Gulch, Col., buried 25 per¬ 
sons, six of whom were dead when dug out. . . Earthquake 
shocks, so-called, have been felt in many parts of the Middle 
West, in many places opening great fissures in the earth. It is 
thought that it may be caused by the intense cold. . . The 
steamer William Lawrence went ashore off Port Royal, S. C.,dur¬ 
ing the great storm of February 12. The United States collier 
Sterling was crowded on to Delaware Breakwater by the ice, 
February 12. , . A passenger train on the Pittsburg A Lake 
Erie Railroad was wrecked by a broken rail near'Fleming Park, 
Pa., February 12; one man killed and 17 injured. . . A fire in a 
Chicago warehouse February 14, resulted in a loss of $700,000. 
Frozen fire-plugs prevented the firemen from working. . . 
Rosetta Washington died at Louisville, Ky , February 15, aged 
135 years. . . The big machine shop at the Brooklyn Navy 
Yard was burned February 15, loss $1,000,000. 
Philippines.—Gen. Miller has received orders to occupy Iloilo, 
and will compel the Filipinos to evacuate the town and forts. As 
newspaper readers have been puzzled by the difference in time 
between the Philippines and the United States, it may be well to 
remark that Iloilo time is 10 hours, 48 minutes and 9 seconds 
faster than Washington time. . . February 10 our troops took 
Caloocan after a three hours’ fight. It was the strongest rebel 
position on the Island of Luzon, and Aguinaldo had gathered the 
flower of his army there. The place was shelled by the Concord 
and Monadnock, cooperating with the land forces, and then our 
forces rushed the trenches, driving the insurgents before them. 
Our loss was slight. February 11 the insurgents attacked our 
lines at Caloocan, but were repulsed. The weather was intensely 
hot, and some of our men were overcome by the sweltering sun. 
It is now said, by the Filipinos, that they have lost about 
2,500, with wounded far in excess of that number, during the past 
week’s fighting. The American loss is 65 killed and 257 wounded. 
The insurgents are now taking to the jungles, whence they may 
conduct a harassing warfare. . . On Saturday, February 11, 
Gen. Miller captured Iloilo. The Petrel and the Baltimore bom¬ 
barded the town, which the natives set on fire before evacuating. 
American troops landed and extinguished the fires where foreign 
property was burning, but not before considerable damage was 
done. No American casualties were reported. February 15 the 
steamer Butuan, from Iloilo, reported at Manila that another 
fight had taken place at Pateros, 10 miles out of Iloilo, the natives 
again being driven back. 
Congress.—Mr. Cannon stated February 9 that the Nicaragua 
Canal bill would not be passed this year. Discussing the treas¬ 
ury situation, he stated that the actual deficiency for the seven 
months ended January 31 was $93,000,000. At the same rate of 
receipts and expenditures for the remaining five months, the de¬ 
ficiency for the fiscal year will amount to $159,000,000, exclusive 
of the $20,000,000 to be paid to Spain under the Peace treaty. 
February 10 the President sent a special message to Congress, 
asking immediate action for the construction of a Pacific cable. 
. . . The McEnery resolution against the permanent annexa¬ 
tion of the Philippines was passed by the Senate February 14 by 
a vote of 26 to 22. . . February 15 the Nicaragua Canal bill 
was ruled out on a point of order. 
Army and Supplies.—At a Cabinet meeting February 10, the 
report of the War Investigating Commission was discussed in¬ 
formally, and it was decided that the beef was all right. On 
the same day, Congressman Lentz denounced the President for 
commuting Gen. Eagan’s sentence. With pay during suspen¬ 
sion, and three-fourths pay when retired, calculating his length 
of life according to mortality tables, Eagan will draw $78,000 
from the Treasury after his conviction of a crime against mili¬ 
tary discipline. . . Attacks on the army beef still continue, 
and it is now considered that a Congressional inquiry is a neces¬ 
sity. Reports from 264 army officers who were at the front di¬ 
rectly contradict the report of the Investigating Commission. 
. . A court of inquiry is to aeet February 19, to investigate 
Gen. Miles’s allegations concerning the bad beef. Gen. Miles had 
requested the War Department to appoint an inquiry into this 
matter, and while his connection with newspaper interviews will 
be discussed, the Inquiry is quite distinct from a court-martial. 
The report submitted by the Investigating Commission states 
that all the southern camps were in excellent condition, but that 
there were some defects in the Quartermaster’s Department. 
The beef was all right, the water supplies excellent. In the 
medical department, it was considered that there were many in¬ 
stances of minor neglect and incompetency. 
Cuba.—Gen. Brooke has signed a decree ordering that no taxes 
due before January 1, the date of American occupation, shall be 
collected. . . The remains of Gen. Calixto Garcia arrived on 
the United States gunboat Nashville February 9, and lay in state 
in the City Hall at Havana previous to interment. There was 
some difficulty at the funeral, because the Cuban Assembly as¬ 
serted the right to walk before Gen. Brooke’s staff in the proces¬ 
sion. • . It is said that the Cubans will now be given an exper¬ 
iment in self-government, and that the American troops will be 
gradually withdrawn. Should anarchy result, the soldiers will 
be sent back agaiD. . . A severe storm in Havana February 14 
submerged a portion of the city, and blew down 300 soldiers’ tents. 
General Foreign News,-Terrific weather prevailed along the 
Irish coast February 9, and many wrecks are reported. . . A 
Siberian rumor again describes the finding of Andree’s balloon, 
with three bodies, in Yeniseisk. Dr. Andree left Spitzbergen 
July 11, 1897. . . During the week ending February 10, there 
were 1,600 deaths from plague in Bombay. . . Admiral Cervera 
is to be court-martialed by Spain . . In London, Eng., Febru¬ 
ary 10 was the warmest day of its season for 50 years, the tem¬ 
perature being 64 degrees. . . Frank Pears, of Pittsburg, Pa., 
was killed during the recent revolution in Honduras, and his 
relatives urge the Government at Washington to demand indem¬ 
nity for his death. 
