A Pure Food Report

The report of Major Levi Wells, state Êairy and lood coinmissioner of PennBylvani is always interesting reading, and this rear it is quite up to the mark. The most liopeful and plensing feature of Comuiissiouer Wells' report is that in which he tells us the cause of pure food throughout the state is making great progress, largely through the efforts of the grocers themselves. The way the honest Pemisylvauia grocera manage the pure food business is this: They forru h'ade associations in various loealities. Each member of eaoh associr.tion deposits with the secretary of the organization a bond as guarantee that he will deal ouly in unadulterated goods. This oourse is to be commended to grocers in all the states. If all took like pledges to deal ouly in pure foods, brick dust and buckwheat huil pepper and white earth powdered sugar would soon cease to irritate and poison the alimentary canals of the human race. It is really quite as inuch to the interest of the grocer as of his customer to handle only pure and honest goods. The hearty co-operation of Pennsylvania grocers in the pure food movement has wiped out 7o per cent of the food frauds. Commissioner Wells finds that the trade in that rnysterious compound known as oleomargarine has greatly diniinished in the Quaker State in the past year, though it is still continued in a clandestino way, its purchasers being "cheap boarding house and restaurant keepers. " The part of the report which deals with the manufacture and sale of butter - real butter - is well worth attention. The sale of farm made butter is rapidly decliuing in Pennsylvania, and in other states for the same reason that it is declining the? This reason is that the factory or creamery made butter is so far superior to the homemade article that the Jatter finds few consnmers. It was indeed the poor quality of the farm product that gave rise not only to the establishment of the great bntter factory, but made possible also the manufacture of oleomargarine. Major Wells regrets to say that much of the home dairy butttr of his state is "unfit for human consumption. " He has had ohemical tests made of the various butter colora for sale in the state, and ho finds that oue of them is made of coal tar, a poisonous substauce. The commissioner reccmmends a standard luw regulating the strength and quality of all kinds of vinegar, so that, too, may come within thecategory of pure food.