BUREAU OP CHEMISTRY. 197 



oyster beds which has been in progress for two years has been con- 

 tinued on the North Atlantic coast. It is leading to a more satis- 

 factory control of the traffic in oysters from polluted waters. This 

 work was extended to the interstate traffic in clams from polluted 

 sections in New England. 



The work of the Office of State Cooperative Food and Drug Con- 

 trol has been an important factor in making the cooperative work 

 of the bureau effective. The establishment of this office was dis- 

 cussed in this report for the year ended June 30, 1914. Conferences 

 have been held with all but one or two of the food, drug, and feed 

 officials of the States. The State officials have been notified of such 

 violations of their own laws as have been noted by Federal inspectors 

 in the course of their regular work. State officials have been en- 

 couraged to take advantage of the authority conferred upon them 

 by the Federal act to institute proceedings against illegal products 

 upon their own initiative. Such a course is particularly desirable 

 when quick action is demanded, as in the case of spoiled or decom- 

 posed perishable food products. The direct result has been that a 

 considerable amount of such material has been barred by State au- 

 thorities from sale as human food. 



For a number of years a mass of information of the greatest value 

 in the enforcement of the food and drugs act has been accumulating 

 in the files of the Bureau of Chemistry, but it has not been in a form 

 available for use in the bureau or elsewhere. This material is being 

 carefully prepared so that it may be readily used and distributed to 

 State officials. 



The office of State cooperative food and drug control has also 

 largely assisted the joint committee on definitions and standards. 

 The organization and functions of this committee were described in 

 this report for the year ended June 30, 1914. This committee has 

 considered standards and definitions for flours and meals (exclusive 

 of feeds), nonalcoholic and carbonated beverages, milk products, 

 cocoa and chocolates, dried fruits, edible cereal pastes, gluten prod- 

 ucts and diabetic foods, soda flavors, and maple products. It has 

 proposed standards and definitions for cacao products, gluten prod- 

 ucts and " diabetic " foods, macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli, and 

 similar alimentary pastes, egg noodles and plain noodles, condensed 

 milk or evaporated milk, and maple products. 



During the year a Food Inspection Decision, No. 158, based upon 

 the recommendation of the committee, defining condensed milk, 

 evaporated milk, or concentrated milk, was issued. 



Seventy-nine opinions in the form of letters or rulings were pub- 

 lished during the year in the Service and Regulatory Announce- 

 ments. 



Inspection. — Official samples numbering 4,412, besides 873 unoffi- 

 cial samples, were analyzed. Check analyses were made of 269 

 official samples. The number of samples analyzed is considerably 

 less than in former years, because through cooperation between in- 

 spectors and laboratories incident to the reorganization of the bureau 

 the collection of samples has been systematized and the collection 

 of duplicate samples has been avoided to a greater extent than here- 

 tofore. There has also been less duplication of analytical work in 



