•202 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



and their refusal to drink water, are sometimes kept for several days 

 without nourisliment. 



TRICHINA IN PORK. 



As the bureau continued to receive occasional reports of illness 

 following the eating of uncooked or insufficiently cooked pork, it 

 was found desirable during the year to give to the press a statement 

 warning the public agai:ist the danger of trichinosis. An average of 

 about 1 per cent of the hogs slaughtered in the United States are 

 infested with the microscopic parasite commonly known as trichina 

 or fleshworm, the scientific name being TricMiiella spiralis. Wlien 

 transmitted to human beings trichinae may cause serious illness, 

 sometimes resulting in death. 



No method of inspection has yet been devised by which the presence 

 or absence of trichinsB in pork can bo determined with certainty, and 

 the Government meat inspection does not include inspection for this 

 parasite. A}\ persons are accordingly warned not to eat pork, or 

 sausage containing pork, whether it has been officially inspecte<l or 

 not, until after it has been properly cooked. 



A temperature of about 160° F. kills the parasite, therefore pork 

 when properly cooked may be eaten without any danger of infection. 

 Fresh pork should be cooked until it becomes white and is no longer 

 red in color in all portions of tlie piece, at the center as well as near the 

 surface. Dry-salt pork, pickled pork, and smoked pork previously 

 salted or pickled, providing the curing is thorough, are practically 

 safe so far as trichinosis is concerned, but as the thoroughness of the 

 curing is not always certain, such meat should also be cooked before 

 it is eaten. 



The bureau has for distribution a circular giving information on 

 the subject. 



PUBLICATIONS AND DIFFUSION OF INFORMATION. 



The results of the bureau's work are made available to the people 

 through publications, correspondence, public addresses, and material 

 furnished to teachers, writers, and the press. 



The bureau's new publications issued during thefiscal yearnumbered 

 105, aggregating 2,891 printed pages. This is an increase of approxi- 

 mately 25 per cent over the preceding fiscal year. In addition to 

 the new publications there have been numerous reprints of ear- 

 lier publications. The new publications consisted of the Twenty- 

 sixth Annual Report of the Bureau (for 1909), the Annual Report of 

 the Chief of the Bureau for the fiscal year 1910, 22 bulletins, 19 

 circulars, 7 Farmers' Bulletins, 5 reprints from the annual report, 2 

 Yearbook articles, 26 orders and amendments, and 22 miscellaneous 

 publications. 



In addition to the distribution of literature, it is necessary to 

 conduct a heavy correspondence to meet the large volume of requests 

 for information. 



THE ANIMAL HUSBANDRY DIVISION. 



The Animal Husbandry Division, of which Mr. George M. Rommel 

 is chief, deals mainly with the breeding and feeding of live stock and 

 poultry. 



