REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Chemistry, 



Washington^ D. C.^ Sejjtemher 1. 1910. 

 Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith the annual report of 

 the Bureau of Chemistry for the year ending June 30, 1910, together 

 with plans of the work proposed for the year ending June 30, 1911. 

 Respectfully, 



H. W. Wiley, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. James Wilson, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



IMPORTANT FOOD INVESTIGATIONS. 



deterioration or poultry and eggs. 



The investigation of the deterioration of foods, especially of poultry 

 and eggs, instituted primarily to afford data for the enforcement of 

 the food and drugs act, has progressed under the direction of M. E. 

 Pennington, along the lines indicated in last year's report of the Food 

 Research Laborator3\ As there stated, this work, which begun with 

 the study of cold-stored poultry, has led to the investigation of the 

 handling of poultry in every phase from the producer to the co!i- 

 sumer. The industries concerned are bringing their problems for 

 solution, and are offering the most hearty cooperation in furthering 

 the work, believing that by the improved methods evolved not only 

 will losses be prevented, but it will be possible to put a better product 

 on the market. The cooperators include not only associations of 

 poultry dressers and merchants, but also railways, refrigerator trans- 

 portation companies, and cold-storage warehousemen. 



The laboratory studies on the decomposition of flesh, especially as 

 influenced by temperature, have progressed far enough to warrant 

 their collation. The results include data on the changes occurring in 

 flesh when kept at temperatures below zero for varying periods of 

 time, as well as those Avhich occur at atmospheric and ordinary ice- 

 box temperatures. 



Shipping experiments. — During the summer of 1909 the Food Re- 

 search Laboratory conducted a series of shipping experiments with 

 Chicago as the receiving center. Chemists, bacteriologists, and field 

 men from this laboratory established tomj^ornry lioadqnarters in the 

 Chicago food and drug inspection lal)oratory and conducted there 

 the necessary laboratory work. Large poultry packing houses from 



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