28 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



DELIVERY WITHIN SPECIFIED NUMKER OF MONTHS. 



"Delivery" is the word used in the business to indicate a taking 

 out of .storage, because the deposit is delivered back to the owner. 



The Xew York cold-storage law of this year limits the storage 

 of foods to 10 months, except that butter may remain for 12 months. 

 The Xew Jersey law of this year fixes a limit of 10 months. The 

 Ileyburn bill assigns a limit of seven months to fresh beef, four 

 months to veal, pork, and mutton, and three months to lamb, poultry, 

 game, fish, eggs, and butter. 



It is established by this investigation that 71.2 per cent of the 

 fresh beef received into cold storage in the 3'^ear 1909-10 was deliv- 

 ered within three months, 28.8 per cent of the fresh mutton, 95.2 

 per cent of the fresh pork, 75.7 per cent of the poultry, 40.2 per cent 

 of the butter, 14.3 per cent of the eggs, and 35.5 per cent of the fish. 



Within four months after it was received 8G per cent of the fresh 

 beef was delivered, 42.7 per cent of the fresh mutton, 96.5 per cent 

 of the fresh pork, 85.3 per cent of the poultry, 53.4 per cent of the 

 butter, 22.6 per cent of the eggs, and 49.5 per cent of the fish. 



The percentage of receipts delivered in seven months is 99 for 

 fresh beef, 99.3 per cent for fresh mutton, 99.9 per cent for fresh 

 pork, 96.1 per cent for poultry, 88.4 per cent for butter, 75.8 per 

 cent for eggs, and 64.9 per cent for fish. 



Lastly, let the percentages for the deliveries of 10 months be stated. 

 These are represented by 99.7 per cent for fresh beef, 100 per cent for 

 fresh mutton and pork, 98.9 per cent for poultry, 97.8 per cent for 

 butter, 99.9 per cent for eggs, and 77.5 per cent for fish. 



It is possible to parallel the above statement with one for the fol- 

 lowing year, 1910-1911, for the deliveries of three and four months, 

 but not for a longer time. The figures for three and four months 

 are most of them considerably below those quoted for 1909-10. 



The important observation to be made is that the receipts into cold 

 storage are entirely or very nearly exhausted by the deliveries within 

 10 months. 



PERCENTAGE OF RECEIPTS HELD LONGER THAN A YEAR. 



So common is the belief that large quantites of food are held in 

 cold storage for more than a year that it is worth while to learn what 

 fraction of the receipts of the warehouses embraced in this investiga- 

 tion has been in storage longer than 12| months. In March, 1909, 

 poultry was placed in some of these warehouses; on September 1, 

 1911, 294 months afterwards, not any remained. All of the other 

 commodities covered by this investigation had been delivered. The 

 same fact applies to the commodities received 28^ months before. 



