Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-14
Wholesale Frauds Practiced In
Manufacture OF Patent Prep
arations Sold In Iowa
STATE SOCIETY HEARS REPORT
Sample. of Adulterated Foods on Exhi-
bition in State Agricultural Depart
ment-state College Chemists Con-
duct Experiments to Determine Con.
stituent Parts.

Des Moines, Dec. 14-Mixing of
ground corn cobs and corn hulls ana
ground alfalfa in making stock foods
OF various kinds and wholesale adul-
terations of stock foods and grains
that are sold TO the farmers of the
state Is disclosed in q report made to-
day to the directors of the department
OF agriculture by Governor S. b. Pack
ard. chairman of the committee on
adulteration of foods, seeds and other
products. On the showing of this re-
port the legislature is to be asked to
enact a law that will place the same
restriction around the sale OF stock
foods and grains to farmers as is now
placed around the foods for human
consumption by the state pure food
law
The disclosures of the adulterations
of stock foods was made by an in
vestigation started year and a half
ago by the State Agricultural College
at Ames. The investigation by the
state college was started in March,
1905, when circulars were sent to feed
mills, feed dealers, general stores and
drug stores asking for samples From
these 1853 samples were received. Cir
cular letters were also addressed to
the stock feeders of the state and thru
the farm journals the feeders were
asked for samples. Samples In large
numbers were received from the feed
ers and the entire lot of samples
analysed In addition twenty nine
cities We're visited and 1873 mills Wis
y. ed and from these 160 samples We're
secured direct from the mills.
The state college called the attention
of the committee of the department of
agriculture on "adulterated foods and
seeds and other products" to the con-
ditions and this committee today re-
ported the conditions to the depart
ment. In the rooms of the department
OF agriculture the samples are now
on exhibit.
AT one Of the mills of the state Pro-
fessor Micheal Of the state college dis
SoNCLS0 lWO pipes lGeuuFIlt5 W OII0 DIIl.
Taking a paper sack he took a sample
from one of the pipes and discovered
that it was bran. Taking sample
from one of the other sacks he dis
covered it to be the chaff from corn
cobs. The corn cobs We're thus be-
ing mixed with the bran as an adul-
terant. AS the corn cobs have little or
no value as feed the farmer who
bought the bran was cheated.
The greatest fraud is practiced In
the continental stock foods which
by the report are disclosed to have
practically no value as stock foods.
The report Of Governor Packard as
chairman of the committee made today
in brief was as follows: Concentrated
feed is bought for it's protein and bran,
shorts and other products are quoted at
market prices governed by the percent
age of protein. Analysis of samples
Of blood meal disclosed that they are
1.25 to 2.5S per cent below the guar
antees of the producers. Tankage
guaranteed to contain so per cent of
protein was found to contain as low
as 1925 per cent and thirteen analyses
gave an average Of 6 per cent below
the standard. This is equivalent to
cash shortage of $3.50 ton. Meat meal
was found to be as low as 52.47 per
cent and was found to be adulterated
with oat hulls, hair and sand.
In one mill in Des Moines 1t was
found on a personal investigation that
shorts taken from the duster contain
ed 1s.4o per cent protein but taken
from the packer where the product
49, ofniv hit
per cent protein. In a number Of mills
it was found that sacks are packed. A
sack of shorts (now on exhibition at
the state house) was found filled three
fourths of the way up with shorts and
the top with bran. When the farmer
dumps the sack in his bin the shorts
on the bottom are on top in the bin.
Shredded oat hulls are found to form
the basis of large number of prepar-
ed stock foods. These feeds are mar
keted under fanciful names but are abb
solutely worthless and a gross fraud.
Bran, shorts. pine bark and Oil meal
form the basis Of other stock foods
which are sold at 81 to s14 a hundred
pounds. The bran and shorts are worth
but few cents a hundred pounds.
One such stock food was found to con-
tain anise seed, carroway seed, foenu-
greek seed, flax seed. tumeric, SASH
frass bark. poplar bark, slippery elm
bark, gentian, blood root, powdered
charcoal, common salt and pepper. The
few beneficial drugs it contained were
in such small quantities as to be use
less.
One article on the market advertised
extensively as preventing cattle from
shrinking was found to contain S5
per cent salt and a large amount OF
alum. The salt of course would make
cattle drink lots Of water and the alum
tends to close an animal up. 1t was
sold at a high price. Many other an
alyses made at the state college dis
close that stock and poultry foods are
made mostly Of bark or roots doctored
with drugs to make them smell and
taye no value. They sometimes co.,