670 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 87 



In discussing the results it is also pointed out that me percentage of canned 

 goods which would be normally infected with spores of B. botulinus would 

 probably be small. 



The practical conclusion drawn by the author is that " the botulinus toxin 

 is easily destroyed by heating, and all danger of botulism will be removed from 

 home-canned products if the food is always boiled before it is eaten or even 

 tasted. Under no circumstances should home-canned vegetables which have been 

 prepared by the cold-pack method be served as salad unless they have been 

 cooked after their removal from the container, and, until it is established what 

 fruits are suitable for the formation of the toxin, it will be safer to reheat all 

 fruits which have been prepared by this method, even though there may be no 

 apparent evidence that the food has spoiled." 



Canned food safe (V. 8. Drpt. Agr., WeeJdy News Letter, 5 (1917), No. 16, 

 p. 6). — The following statement prepared by bacteriologists of the Bureau of 

 Chemistry and the States Relations Service has been issued : 



" There is no danger that the type of food poisoning known as ' botulism ' 

 will result from eating fruits or vegetables which have been canned by any of 

 the methods recommended by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, provided such 

 directions have been followed carefully. It is possible that in a number of in- 

 stances the directions were not strictly followed and that spoilage has occurred. 

 Of course, extreme care should be taken to ascertain before eating canned goods 

 of any kind whether they are in good condition, and if they have spoiled they 

 should not be consumed. 



" In case of any doubt as to whether the contents of a particular can have 

 spoiled, the safest plan is to throw it away, although all danger of botulism 

 may be avoided by boiling the contents of the can for a few minutes, since the 

 Bacillus botulinus and the toxin or poison which It produces are killed by such 

 treatment. No canned fond of any kind which shows any signs of spoilage 

 should ever be eaten. In the cold-pack method of canning given out by the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, only fresh vegetables are recommended for canning, 

 and sterilization is accomplished by the following processes: Cleansing, blanch- 

 ing, cold dipping, packing Id clean hot jars, adding boiling water, sealing imme- 

 diately, and then sterilizing the sealed jars at a minimum temperature of 212° F. 

 for one to four hours, according to the character of the material. Since the 

 spores of B. botulinus are killed by heating for one hour at 175° F. (according 

 to Jordan's Bacteriology and other recognized textbooks) there is no reason to 

 believe that the botulinus organism will survive such treatment." 



Food supplies in war time, R. H. Rew {London: Oxford University Press, 

 1914' PP- 19).— A digest of data regarding the quantities of food available. 



Utilization of food ([Columbus], Ohio: Agr. I)iv. Ohio Branch Council Nat. 

 Defense, [1917], pp. 44)- — This publication Is prepared by the home economics 

 department of the Ohio State University. Suggestions and recipes are given 

 for the preparation of fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, salt fish, and cereals. 



High cost of living {Washington: Govt., 1917, pp. 119). — This Is a report of 

 the minutes of a conference of the Federal Trade Commission with delegates 

 appointed by the governors of the several States to confer regarding food and 

 fuel supplies and prices. 



Report on the increased cost of living' for an unskilled laborer's family 

 in New York City {New York: City, 1917, pp. S2). — This publication reports 

 the results of comparative studies made In February. 1915. and February, 1917, 

 by the Bureau of Personal Service of the Board of Estimate and Apportion- 

 ment, as to the cost of living for the family of an unskilled laborer, which 

 consisted of two adults and three children aged 6, 10, and 13 years. 



