REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 207 



cider vinegar with distilled vinegar or dilute acetic acid so manipu- 

 lated as to simulate genuine cider vinegar, and of glue containing 

 excessive zinc and other metallic impurities sold as edible gelatin. 



Much work of an educational nature has been carried on, designed 

 to secure a strict compliance with the requirements of the "net 

 weight" amendment, and a number of prosecutions for violation of 

 the amendment have been brought with success. Work has been m 

 progress on tea, coffee, cocoa, spices, and similar free-flowing mate- 

 rials to establish suitable tolerances in filling packages of this class of 

 l^roducts. In this connection a careful study was made of automatic 

 weighing machinery. 



With the aid of State feed officials, the inspection of low-protein 

 meal and cake made from delinted cottonseed, reported last year, 

 was repeated and extended to the Pacific coast. This year some of 

 the mills placed fans above the separating screens, thus removing 

 a considerable amount of hulls and linty matter. In many cases the 

 labeling of the meal was changed to correspond with its true com- 

 position. Action was also taken against linseed meal adulterated 

 with screenings and oats with weed seeds added to increase the 

 weight per bushel. 



Carelessness on the part of druggists of the District of Columbia 

 in compounding even the simpler preparations resulted in prosecu- 

 tions involving magnesium citrate solution, chloroform liniment, 

 spirits of camphor, and the like. Similar conditions were found to 

 prevail in Porto Rico. 



Greater care than is now exercised is needed in the collection and 

 preparation of native crude drugs to exclude earth, trash, and for- 

 eign plant matter. Some instances of such bad practice noted were: 

 Pennyroyal containing 20 per cent of sand, unicorn root containing 

 15 per cent of earth, pipsissiwa " leaves " consisting almost entirely 

 of stems. Accordingly, cooperation with the trade has been estab- 

 lished to consider practical working standards for crude drugs not 

 recognized in the United States Pharmacopoeia or the National For- 

 mulary. ^ Among the substitutions observed may be mentioned the 

 substitution of nonofficial aconites containing no aconitine for aconite; 

 of Chlmapli'da 7naculata for pipsissiwa {Cltimaphila umbellata) ; of 

 false unicorn root {C hamaelirium luteum) for true unicorn {Aletris 

 farinosa) ; of Aspidhi??i aculeatum, or an Osmunda species, probably 

 Osmunda cinnamomea^ for male fern {Dryopteris fHix-mas or Dryop- 

 tei'ls marginalis) . The samples of true Aspidium collected were old 

 and not up to the requirements of the Pharmacopoeia. 



C ooperation with State and Municipal Officials. — On August 5, 

 1916, the Association of American Dairy, Food, and Drug Officials 

 adopted the following resolution :" That both State and Federal 

 food and drug officials of this Association unite in the formation of 

 smaller associations on a basis of community interests to study ways 

 and means of handling local problems, and that their conferences be 

 entirely of an executive nature." In consequence, associations have 

 been formed by the officials of New England, of the Central Atlantic 

 States, and of the South Central States. Members of the Bureau of 

 Chemistry have taken an active part in the meetings of these associa- 

 tions. Perhaps the most significant development in cooperation of 



