NEEDED LEGISLATION.

During the session of 1911, there was caused to be introduced in the legislature several bills which were aimed to strengthen existing laws and furnish a means of bringing about better results as a whole in the problem of pure foods, cleanliness and sanitation. Most of the bills failed of passage. This resulted from want of time rather than any apparent disposition on the part of the legislature to withhold its approval of the bills presented. At that session of the legislature Act No. 175, being an act regulating the sale of turpentine and providing for a penalty for the violation of the act was passed. This act should be amended. In its present condition it is in some respects vague and impracticable and therefore impossible of enforcement.

FOOD PRODUCTS IN COLD STORAGE.

The question of the proper control of goods in cold storage is absorbing the minds of the people today and it is earnestly recommended that the incoming legislature take cognizance of this matter and provide suitable and practical legislation having to do with food products kept in cold storage.

SLAUGHTER HOUSES AND MEAT MARKETS.

An all important question is the proper regulation of slaughter houses, meat markets, etc., and the inspection of meat and to provide for sanitation and cleanliness surrounding all places where meat intended for sale is kept or stored. It is urgently recommended that slaughter houses and meats be placed under state control and that means be provided for rigid inspection.

VINEGAR.

The state law regulating the manufacture and sale of vinegar was passed in 1897 and is designed to control but two kinds of vinegar, to-wit, fermented and distilled. Since that time new interests have arisen and new methods have been devised which make possible the manufacture of an entirely wholesome yet altogether different vinegar product from those which the old law was designed to cover. These vinegars being entirely wholesome should not be barred from a place. on the market, yet legislation should be enacted which will provide a means that will remove them from unjust or unfair competition with vinegars of a higher grade and therefore costlier price. This result can be accomplished through legislation compelling the proper labeling of the packages or containers which go to the consumer.

APIARY INSPECTION.

The bee industry of the state is on the increase. In 1901 the legislature provided for an apiary inspector and fixed an annual appropriation of $500 for apiary inspection. This amount is entirely inadequate and I recommend that it be increased to the extent that reasonable and effective inspection can be furnished.

INSPECTION OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

I would recommend that an efficient state law be passed relative to weights and measures. The food inspectors of this department could with very little additional trouble, inspect the weights and measures at all places visited by them. The present state law on this subject, passed over fifty years ago, is obsolete and useless because it is made the duty of no official to enforce the same.

MISLEADING ADVERTISING.

Several prosecutions have been started for the deceptive advertising of oleo with butter which is prohibited by law. In our investigations of these cases the fact was brought to the attention of this department that other food stuffs, notably coffee, cereals, are being advertised deceptively as coffee. I would recommend legislation prohibiting deceptive advertising in newspapers or elsewhere of all kinds of food stuffs.

GENERAL FOOD LAW.

To sum up let me say that the law under which the Department is operating was passed in 1895. Any changes that may hereafter be made, and all new food legislation should be made to conform as nearly as possible with the national law. The national food law and the food law of Michigan in their application to wilful adulteration are practically alike. The differences that exist affect technical questions of labeling, and have a tendency to embarrass and confuse honest manufacturers who have no disposition to defraud the public, yet owing to same are put to enormous expense in the preparation of the different labels without affording any real benefit to the consumer by reason of such differences. Food products may be classed as simple, mixed or compounds. No difficulty is to be met with in labeling the former. It is with the labeling of the mixed and compounds that all interested have to contend. The label should show clearly and distinctly of what the product is composed and the various laws, national and state, regulating the preparation of these labels should be uniform.

The successful enforcement of the state's food law demands the best talent available. Technical knowledge is required not only in the laboratories but of inspectors and others connected with the Department. The present salaries fixed by statute are entirely inadequate and not in proportion to that paid for like services in other states. I recommend that the incoming legislature give careful consideration to this feature of the state's food law and provide means by which the several employes may be adequately paid for their services.

In conclusion, it gives me pleasure to say that the Department's work as a whole has been successful and the earnest, painstaking efforts of those associated with me in the work are commended.

Respectfully submitted,

GILMAN M. DAME, State Dairy and Food Commissioner.

HOMOGENIZER.

BY JAMES W. HELME.

During the year a new dairy apparatus has come into use known as the homogenizer. In this machine, by means of heavy pressure, skim milk and butter fat can be mixed and by forcing the same through the machine an emulsification of the fat and milk takes place and an artificial milk or cream can be produced that will stand a legal test for fat solids. We have reason to believe that some users of this machine have incorporated packing-stock butter and perhaps oleo and other cheap fats with skim milk to make a "cream" for producing ice cream. There are also reasons for believing that at some places skim milk and cheap fats are being run through this machine for the purpose of making a "milk," which is used in cheese making. These machines are expensive, costing one thousand dollars and upwards, and so are available only to the large manufacturers. By cheapening the cost of materials the large manufacturer thus has an unfair and dishonest advantage of his smaller competitor who uses legitimate products. I would recommend that the use of this machine be prohibited or at least that the product should be distinctively labeled as "homogenized" so as to protect the consumer.

ALFALFA: THE DAIRYMAN'S BEST FRIEND.

Ten years ago the writer began to grow alfalfa in southern Michigan. At first he made some mistakes and had some failures, but gradually experience taught him how to remedy his early failures until during the last three years he has used no other hay than alfalfa and he can grow a crop with more certainty of success than he can of red clover or any other forage crop.

SOIL FOR ALFALFA.

Alfalfa seems to thrive well on sandy or clay soils provided they are well drained. Permanent moisture should not be nearer than five feet of the surface. It does not do well on rich muck lands or lands naturally wet, and standing surface water will kill alfalfa in two or three days. Alfalfa needs a fairly rich soil to start on. It is a mistake to sow it on poor land without liberal fertilization.

SOWING ALFALFA.

Alfalfa should be sown just as early in the spring as possible, in April or March if possible. Frosts, or even freezing weather, will not hurt the young alfalfa plants. It grows in cold weather when most weeds

are dormant and early seeding gives it a chance to get ahead of the weeds. It may be sown alone or with a nurse crop. If the latter is used, a bushel of barley to the acre is the best. The writer sows it alone and generally gets one good crop of hay the same season and sometimes two. Twenty pounds of seed to the acre is about the right amount to sow. I prepare my ground thoroughly making a good seed bed, I sow broadcast, use a weeder to cover the seed and then roll the ground.

While I have never inoculated my soils with alfalfa bacteria, the value of a good stand of alfalfa is so great that I recommend inoculation. It may be done in three ways. First, by treating the seed with a culture of bacteria which can be obtained at the Agricultural College. Second, by sowing a pound of sweet clover seed to every twenty pounds of alfalfa. Third, by sowing on the field, soil taken from an old alfalfa field or along the road where sweet clover flourishes.

CLIPPING AND CUTTING.

Unless the weeds show up very bad I would not clip it until the alfalfa shows blossoms. Often the first year it will turn yellow when six or eight inches high. Mow it down at once and it will come up nice and green. Let it go into winter with an aftermath six inches high to hold the snow.

TIME TO CUT ALFALFA HAY.

Most people cut alfalfa too late. As soon as blossoms begin to appear it is time to cut the crop. This is very important especially with the first crop. If the first crop is allowed to get into full bloom before cutting, the next crop will be seriously injured. It is said that it will pay to cut the first crop on time and lose it rather than postpone the cutting for weather conditions. Moreover, the hay has a greater feeding value if cut early and the stand will be benefited.

CURING THE HAY.

Alfalfa will stand more wet weather in the cock than red clover. If allowed to lie in the sun too long the leaves will rattle off. In practice after cutting I allow it to get well wilted, then I rake it up and let it stand and cure in the cock for several days. Then I open up the cocks for about an hour to dry off the sweat and then draw. In rainy weather, which is probable during the first and third cutting, I find hay caps of great value. For these I buy common unbleached sheeting 40 inches wide, making a cap 40 inches square. In each corner I sew an 8-ounce stone to weight them. Such a cap costs nine cents and will do excellent service for years if taken care of.

ALFALFA HAY AS A DAIRY FEED.

Chemical analysis shows that well cured alfalfa hay has the same food value as bran, pound for pound. Here lies its great value, to the dairyman, as it furnishes him the necessary protein for a milk ration. Fifteen pounds of alfalfa hay and 35 pounds of corn silage furnish a number one balanced ration for a 1,200 pound dairy cow. It is doubtful if it will pay to feed grain with such a ration. Horses will leave their grain

to eat alfalfa. Fed alone it makes an ideal winter ration for the brood SOW.

VALUE TO THE SOIL.

Alfalfa, like red clover and other legumes, takes nitrogen from the air and stores it in the ground. It is thus a soil builder. Theoretically it is a permanent grass but after about five years June grass will begin to appear in the field and run the, alfalfa out and it is well to turn it under after five years cutting and put it into corn. Alfalfa does not do well on acid soils and hence lime is often applied to new fields. The ground lime stone rock is usually used but there is no better form of lime to use than marl which can be found in many lakes and swamps all over Michigan. If a commercial fertilizer is used when seeding, ene strong with phosphoric acid is the best.

WHY EVERY FARMER SHOULD GROW ALFALFA.

First, It will yield four to five tons of hay per acre each year.
Second, It has a greater food value than any other coarse forage.
Third, All stock like it and do well on it.

Fourth, It enriches the soil and makes possible better crops.

Fifth, A seeding once started lasts for years, a great saving over seedings of red clover.

Sixth, All stock like it and it furnishes a rich food that enables a farmer to dispense with many feed bills.

Seventh, While cattle and horses should not be pastured on it, it makes the very best possible hog pasture for the production of cheap pork.

Try a few acres of alfalfa this coming spring and learn to grow it. You will have to get into the game sooner or later and why not "do it now."

FORMIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE OF FRUIT SYRUPS.

BY F. L. SHANNON.

Formic acid in 10% aqueous solution, has been exploited for some time under the names Werderol, Fructol, etc., in Germany and England as a preservative for fruit syrups, etc. It is generally used in quantities of 0.1%-0.25% of absolute acid and has been found to be a very efficient preservative, retarding fermentative changes to a marked degree. In this strength the preservative is odorless and has a characteristic sour taste not unlike that of the natural fruit acids. Although this preservative is very freely used in Germany and England, it appears not to have received much attention from manufacturers of fruit products in this country. At least the literature and the reports of the Federal and State Departments do not disclose its use as a preservative in American fruit products.

It is universally recognized that fruit syrups are prone to spoiling, that is fermenting and molding as ordinarily exposed at the soda fountain, unless they be chemically preserved.

The Crown Cordial and Extract Company of New York City are offer