138 DEPAKTMENTAL REPORTS. 



subject during the coming year which will include the results of tlie 

 examination of imported oils obtained through the customs officers 

 and in the open market in this country, of domestic oils obtained in 

 the open market, and of both foreign and domestic oils which were 

 obtained from the manufacturers, with as full details as i)ossible 

 regarding the process of manufacture and, wherever possible, with 

 affidavits as to their i^urity. 



The results of the examination of about 350 samples of canned 

 meats during the preceding year were compiled and published in 

 Part X of Bulletin No. 13 of the Bureau of Chemistry. 



Some work has been done with the canned soups which were exam- 

 ined during the i^receding fiscal year. The results have been compiled 

 and the manuscript will shortl.y be submitted for publication. 



A careful study of tropical fruits grown in Cuba and Porto Rico 

 has been under way since early autumn, and it is proposed to examine 

 as many tyi)ical fruits of those islands as can be obtained during one 

 calendar year. This work is of more value because of the presence 

 of a member of the food laboratory in Havana during the greater 

 part of the year, who personally secured the samples. In addition 

 to the examination of these fruits, samples of commercial fruit prod- 

 ucts have been obtained and will shortly be subjected to analysis in 

 the laboratory. 



In connection with the studies of the Pomologist relating to the 

 question of cold storage of fruit, the food laboratory examined eight 

 varieties of apples at the time of their introduction into the storage 

 warehouse, again when they began to ripen, again when fully ripe, 

 and finally when overripe. Owing to the press of work in the labora- 

 tory when this investigation was under way, the results were not as 

 comi)lete as were desired. Some valuable information was gained 

 from them, however, and the way is well marked out for a more 

 detailed investigation of the same question during the present year. 



In cooperation with the Virginia experiment station, a number of 

 varieties of apples, as well as pomace and must produced from them 

 in the manufacture of cider, have been examined by the food labora- 

 tor3^ The results of this work have been incorporated by Mr. 

 William B. Alwood in liis bulletin on the manufacture of cider, which 

 is now in jjress. 



During the latter part of the fiscal year the wines for which prizes 

 were awarded at the Paris Exposition of 1900, Avere examined in the 

 food laboratory. These analyses are of great interest because of the 

 fact that they are the only complete analyses of American wines that 

 have been made for a number of years. All available analyses of 

 Amei'ican wines were collected by the Bureau of Chemistry two years 

 ago and published in Bulletin No. 59. Some of the results there given 

 are relatively recent, but the majority of them were obtained a num- 

 ber of 5'ears ago, some as early as 18G1. 



A eomi)arison of the latest results obtained with those included in 

 Bulletin No. 59 indicates that marked improvements have been made 

 in the methods of fermentation employed in the United States. The 

 percentages of volatile acid and sugar are much lower, while the per- 

 centage of glycerol is much higher in the recent examinations than in 

 the earlier ones. Perhaps we are not warranted in saying that the 

 industry on the whole has been improved to the extent indicated bj' 

 such a comparison, but the number of samples examined was sufficient 

 to warrant making the statement somewhat general. It is highly 

 desirable that this work be extended. 



