Commercial Stock Food Law, 
By R* E* Rose* 
Mr. Presidentj Ladies and Gentlemen: 
The necessity for a ‘‘Commercial Stock 
Food Law'^ similar to our fertilizer law 
in this State, has been recognized by re¬ 
tail dealers and consumers for years. 
The fact that other States have enacted 
such laws, requiring the analysis, inspec¬ 
tion, and guarantee, of commercial feed 
stuffs, while Florida has not, has caused 
this State to become the dumping ground 
of large quantities of material which 
could not find a market in other States. 
During the past four years, while I have 
had the honor to serve the State as State 
Chemist, numerous samples of feed stuff, 
good, bad, and indiffierent, have been sent 
to the State Laboratory for examination. 
My predecessor informs me, and the rec¬ 
ords of the office show, that for years, 
complaints have been made as to the 
quality of commercial feed stuff sold in 
the State; while at all times the informa¬ 
tion required, as to quality and value of 
samples sent in has been given, it has 
been simply as personal information, no 
relief could be given officially, and the 
party defrauded had no resource, except 
a suit at common law for damages. Ad¬ 
ulterated or inferior commercial feed not 
being prohibited, na penalty for false 
statements or misrepresentations be- 
ing provided, the retail dealer and con¬ 
sumer were at the mercy of the manufac¬ 
turers, brokers, importers, or wholesale 
dealers. To such an extent had this evil 
grown, that a general protest from the 
retail dealer and consumer, created a de¬ 
mand for a law regulating the sale of com¬ 
mercial feeding stuffs in this State. While 
the State chemist has received and ex¬ 
amined numerous samples of inferior 
feeding stuff from various parts of the 
State, there has also been analyzed by the 
chemist of the State Experiment Station, 
a number of samples taken from various 
parts of the‘ State, with results confirming 
those made by the State Chemist, showing 
the general inferiority of the stock feed 
sold throughout the State. This inves¬ 
tigation made the State Experimental Sta¬ 
tion, and the State Agricultural Depart¬ 
ment, while along the same lines, and 
caused by the same general protest and 
popular demand, was entirely independ¬ 
ent; in fact, neither Department knew of 
the other’s work, until the bill now before 
the Legislature had been presented. It is 
gratifying to myself, and certainly must 
also be to Prof. A. W. Blair, to know that 
the labors of each, for the benefit of the 
feeder and other citizen of the State, has 
lead to a concerted effort to remedy the 
evil, borne long and patiently by the peo¬ 
ple of the State. 
Special Bulletin number 30, of the 
Elorida Experiment Station, by A. W. 
Blair, M. A., Assistant Chemist. “The 
composition of some of the concentrated 
feeding stuffs on sale in Elorida,” so ably 
and logically states the general conditions, 
and so fully confirms my opinion, and 
