BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 431 



The relative stability of the flesh of poultry well drained of blood, 

 as compared with that which holds any quantity of blood in the 

 tissues, as well as the more sightly appearance of the former, has led 

 to a careful study of the whole matter. Shipping experiments, in- 

 chiding marketing and experiments in the packing house, are now 

 under way in the hope of obtaining practical information on this 

 subject. Part of the work includes an anatomical study of the blood 

 vessels of the neck and head of the chicken, that the methods of bleed- 

 ing may be improved by a knowledge of the location of the vessels 

 and the most available place for the cutting of them. The results of 

 this part of the work have already been published in the form of a 

 circular (Circular 61 of the Bureau of Chemistry). 



Handling of eggs.— A study of the changes occurring in eggs after 

 long keeping at low temperatures and after shorter periods at ordi- 

 nary or incubator temperatures is in progress. Eggs of known his- 

 tory, from those of the highest quality to those of a low commercial 

 grade, have been analyzed from time to time after keeping under 

 definite conditions, and have also been studied bacteriologically. This 

 work forms the scientific basis for the study of the commercial 

 handling of eggs along the same lines as are being followed in the 

 investigation of poultry. The details of this investigation and the 

 arrangements for the cooperation of the industry are noAV completed, 

 and it is expected that it will go forward promptly during the egg 

 season of 1911. This work involves the careful tracing of commer- 

 cial practices in the handling of eggs, from the producer to the con- 

 sumer, and includes the study of the holding of eggs at various 

 points, either for gain in price or through ignorance or carelessness; 

 sorting and packing in the collecting centers; shipping to distant 

 points^; marketing by the jobber and retailer; and storage, from the 

 season of production until the season of shortage. These records of 

 history and environment are to be accompanied by a laboratory 

 analysis at every stage. 



Field laboratories. — The development of the investigation of the 

 handling of poultry and eggs intended for food and the ultimate 

 effect of such handling on their wholesomeness has necessitated the 

 installation of small laboratories at the packing houses where experi- 

 ments are being conducted. One such laboratory was established in 

 Atchison, Kans., for the winter of 1909-10, and did most effective 

 work in defining the condition of poultry when fresh killed and the 

 differences caused by various methods of dressing as exhibited by 

 chemical and bacteriological findings. So valuable was the work 

 done in this field laboratory that the establishment of such is now 

 looked upon as an indispensable part of the field equipment. A brief 

 mention, at least, must be made of the interest taken in the field 

 laboratories by the packers themselves and the encouraging under- 

 standing which they evidence of the practical value to them of bac- 

 teriological and chemical findings. 



During the latter part of the year work has been inaugurated in 

 cooperation with the Bureau of Statistics, in order to obtain reports 

 from the industry concerning the production and sectional distribu- 

 tion of poultry and eggs throughout the country. 



Analytical work. — The analytical work of the laboratory, which 

 furnishes, as has been stated, the foundation for all the field and 



