BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 209 



barracuda. Although the preservation of sardines by the Scotch 

 cure was very successful, this product seems more suitable for home 

 consumption than for shipment East, since lengthy storage tends to 

 turn the oil rancid. The determination of the constants of the oil 

 showed it to be quite unsaturated. Directions for the preparation 

 of smoked sardines and also kippered shad have been widely dis- 

 tributed, and it seems likely that a fish-curing industry will shortly 

 establish itself on the Pacific coast. Improved methods of drying 

 fresh and salt fish have also been studied at Gloucester, Mass. 



A report on the sardine industry of Maine, containing recom- 

 mendations for better and more economical methods of operation, 

 has been prepared. A paper on the formation of ammonia and 

 amines in canned sardines during storage has been published. 

 Special investigations on the proper methods to be followed in dry- 

 ing, salting, and frying sardines for canning have been made. Suc- 

 cessful experiments w^ere made on tlie prompt removal by vacuum of 

 water from sardines after steaming and inverting, and on the various 

 oils and blends of oils as possible substitutes for olive oil, which is 

 now almost unobtainable. The use of traces of essential oils and 

 highly flavored oils to make cottonseed and peanut oil more attractive 

 for packing sardines promises to be of value. A study, with electric 

 thermometers, of the " heating " of sardines on the boats did not 

 confirm this popular idea. Better methods of handling fish before 

 canning were introduced. 



The fea-sibility of canning fish hard frozen immediately after 

 capture has been investigated with a view to determining whether 

 by this means canning operations might be made more continuous, 

 especially in localities with a warm climate, such as the coast of the 

 Gulf of Mexico. » 



DEHYDRATION. 



Much work was done to assist in the establishment of an industry 

 for the drying of fruits and vegetables, so that these perishable prod- 

 ucts may be carried over economically from the period of abundance 

 to the period of the year when production all but ceases. Many 

 methods of drying and many types of drying equipment were em- 

 ployed, and the collection of cost data, apparently at present unavail- 

 able, begun. Much attention was given to the preparation of the 

 products for the drying operations, since in many cases the palata- 

 bility of the final product is greatly influenced by the preliminary 

 treatment. The best methods of storage and of preparation for the 

 table were also investigated. In much of this work the bureau en- 

 joyed the cooperation of the Saijitary Corps of the Army. 



DEMONSTRATION. 



There is little of the bureau's regulatory or investigational work 

 that is not promptly demonstrated to the industry. This year, 

 however, as food conservation and production measures, the educa- 

 tional work on poultry, eggs, and fish, and on the prevention of 

 explosions and fires in thrashers, mills, and elevators, was prosecuted 

 with especial vigor. 



