KEPORT OP THE SECRETARY OP AGRICULTURE. 35 



statements concerning their curative or therapeutic effects. A large 

 number of criminal prosecutions have been successfully concluded 

 and many cases are pending. A systematic plan has been developed 

 for dealing with this problem, and already an improvement in the 

 labeling of the medicinal preparations has resulted. Concerted 

 efforts have been directed against spurious and adulterated drugs. 



NUMBER OF CASES. 



During the past three years the bureau has collected and analyzed 

 at least 22,000 samples of domestic foods and drugs. It has afforded 

 formal hearings to more than 9,000 manufacturers and shippers, and 

 has sent to the Department of Justice, through the Solicitor, 

 about 2,250 cases. Approximately 3,000 cases have been finally dis- 

 posed of by the courts, the great majority having been uncontested 

 and practically all those contested having been decided in favor 

 of the Government. During the same period about 50,000 importa- 

 tions have been sampled, of which approximately 3,000 were refused 

 entry, and 15,000 were admitted only after relabeling to conform to 

 the provisions of the law. 



RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL WORK. 



During the past three years the research work of the Bureau of 

 Chemistry, which previously had been confined largely to problems 

 arising in connection with law enforcement, was extended to include 

 work designed to prevent spoilage and waste, to increase production, 

 and to develop new methods of utilizing products of the soil and sea. 

 Investigations in the utilization and transportation of sea foods 

 have resulted in a marked improvement in the canning of American 

 sardines. Means also have been found to utilize the waste of this 

 industry as an animal feed. Important improvements in the trans- 

 portation of fresh shrimp and the shipment of fish under re- 

 frigeration have been made. Studies of the transportation and 

 marketing of poultry and eggs have made possible the elimination of 

 much waste due to decomposition resulting from faulty methods of 

 packing and shipping. A process has been introduced for the manu- 

 facture of table salt which eliminates from it a poisonous ingredient 

 formerly present in the salt obtained in certain sections. Important 

 improvements also have been made in the processes involved in the 



