204 ANNUAL REPOKTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



drying of a considerable number of vegetables has also been in- 

 vestigated. 



Citrus fruits. — The production of citric acid on a commercial scale 

 from cull lemons has been solved and citric acid has been sold at a 

 price several cents above the market. The preparation of lemon oil 

 has not yet been perfected. Orange pulp for the manufacture of 

 marmalade has been prepared and distributed to the trade. Ar- 

 rangements have been completed for the shipment of frozen orange 

 pulp. Methods for preparing citrus peel for the market have been 

 developed. An exchange service has been inaugurated by which 

 producers and purchasers, of citrus by-products have been brought 

 together. 



DEMONSTRATION. 



Poultry and eggs. — The railroads are rapidly accepting and in- 

 corporating in their refrigerator-car specifications the modifications 

 indicated by the experiments in the transportation of poultry and 

 eggs. About 3,500 cars with heavier insulation, basket bunkers, and 

 floor racks are now^ out of the shops or nearing completion. Several 

 big systems have decided to modify all their refrigerator equipment 

 as fast as it can be put through the shops. 



Over 20 poultry and Qgg packing houses have been built during 

 the past year on the basis of plans and information furnished by the 

 Bureau of Chemistry. More than 10 egg-breaking rooms have been 

 constructed and equipped according to the Bureau's plans and speci- 

 fications. There are now hundreds of small, clean poultry packing 

 houses, where, 10 years ago, were sheds, insanitary and filthy. The 

 prime factor in this transformation has been the department's work 

 to improve the handling of perishables. The egg-breaking business 

 of the country has been revolutionized during the past 10 years — a 

 result due to a combination of educational and regulatory work. 



The Poultry and Egg Demonstration Car w^as sent through Ten- 

 nessee, northern Mississippi, and Alabama and Kentucky. Forty 

 towns were visited. More than 3,000 people came to the car. 



To7nato products. — Bulletin 569, "The Sanitary Control of Tomato- 

 Canning Factories," was issued, and an extensive educational cam- 

 paign conducted to improve the production of tomato products, with 

 special reference to increasing the manufacture of the more concen- 

 trated products, such as pulp and paste, for the purpose of conserving 

 tin plate. 



Sirup. — Improved methods of preparing cane sirup that will 

 neither crystallize nor ferment have been demonstrated and are be- 

 ginning to be adopted. Progress has been made in improving 

 methods of clarifying this sirup. 



Oysters. — Many of the oyster packing houses were visited and im- 

 proved methods of sanitation, washing, and handling oysters were 

 demonstrated. 



Naval stores. — Additional sets of permanent rosin types have been 

 prepared and deposited, one with the Chamber of Commerce at Mo- 

 bile, Ala., one at the Food and Drug Inspection Laboratory, at Chi- 

 cago, 111., one at the Food and Drug Inspection Laboratory at San 

 Francisco, Cal., and two sets have been retained at the Leather and 

 Paper Laboratory in Washington as loan sets. All of these sets are 



