BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 579 



jam, pie fillings, and similar foods, has seemed to be undesirable from 

 the standpoint of food-law enforcement because of their fermented 

 condition when they arrive in Boston. One of the largest receivers 

 has discontinued the old method of having the berries shipped to 

 Boston and is packing them in a factory on the ISIaine border, where 

 the fruit may be received in a much more satisfactory condition. It 

 seems to be impracticable to pack the goods at the place of production 

 because of the duty of 35 per cent and 1 cent a pound. 



During the past year great improvement has been made by a num- 

 ber of food manufacturers of New England in regard to their fac- 

 tories. Several have moved into new buildings and others have 

 greatly improved existing sanitary conditions. There is an apparent 

 tendency on the part of the higher-grade manufacturers of foods and 

 di-ugs to get away from the use of artificial colors and preservatives 

 in so far as possible, and a great majority of the food manufacturers 

 and dealers evidence a willingness to cooperate with the department 

 in its enforcement of the law. 



CHICAGO LABORATORY. 



Food and drug inspection. — The imported foods and drugs re- 

 ceived at the port of Chicago consist chiefly of wines and liquors, 

 tea, cheese, olive oil, olives, dried fruits, macaroni, tomato sauce, pre- 

 served and tinned fish, cacao, crude drugs, and medicinal beverages. 

 "Within the past j^ear the food products most frequently at fault have 

 been Italian cheese made from skimmed milk but not so declared, cor- 

 dials containing artificial color without declaration, so-called gluten or 

 diabetic biscuits with false or misleading claims, figs unfit for con- 

 sumption because of worms and excreta, fruit extracts containing 

 artificial flavors, and Dutch cocos without a statement of added 

 alkali. The imported drug products at fault have been chiefly cnide 

 drugs not conforming to the United States Pharmacopoeia, bittei-s, 

 and other medicinal preparations without a declaration of alcohol. 



The work of this laboratory is largely the examination of inter- 

 state food samples and the study of methods pertaining thereto. 

 Among the common forms of adulteration and misbranding which 

 have been detected during the jqav are the following: Flour bleached 

 to conceal inferiority, condensed milk below standard, eggs decom- 

 posed and unfit for food, phosphate and alum baking powders con- 

 taining ai-senic, cream of tartar and cream of tartar baking powders 

 containing lead, so-called cf^<:^ noodles containing artificial color and 

 but little or no eggs, sweetened coco sold as powdered sweetened 

 chocolate, comjiounds of coffee, cereals, and chicory improperly 

 labeled, mustard flour adulterated with charlock, ground mace adul- 

 terated with Bombay mace, black jiepper containing added pepper 

 siiells, paprika containing added oil, prepared mustard containing 

 mustard hulls and artificial color, maple products adulterated with 

 cane produrts, confectionery containing talc and unpermitted colors, 

 misbranded mixtures of olive oil and cottonseed oil, imitation cider 

 vinegar sold as genuine, imitation extracts substituted for true ex- 

 tracts, fruit products variously adulterated witli apple juice, improp- 

 erly declared glucose, acid phosphate of lime, artificial colors, etc. 



Invksttoattoxs. — Methods for the determination of acidity and 

 nitrites in the same weighed portion of flour have been studied and 



