94 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



gram for the oils prepared in Alaska and from 110 to 2,400 interna- 

 tional vitamin A units per gram for the oils in the group from Wash- 

 ington State College. The vitamin D potency of the oils in both 

 groups ranged from 40 to 120 international vitamin D units per gram. 

 This average was somewhat lower than the vitamin potency reported 

 for salmon oils previously tested and reported in previous annual 

 reports of this Division. 



As described previously in this report, the Bureau's technologists, 

 during 1935, began a cooperative study of halibut-liver oils at the 

 request of the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils and the Food and Drug 

 Administration of the United States Department of Agriculture. 

 Chemists of both of these Bureaus are working with our technologists, 

 and the purpose is to standardize the production and testing of halibut- 

 liver oil so that authentic samples may be available for control work 

 in administering the food and drug laws. 



Therefore, our nutrition laboratory determined the content of vita- 

 mins A and D in eight samples of halibut-liver oil experimentally pre- 

 pared by our Seattle laboratory in connection with this cooperative 

 project. It is expected that it will be necessary to assay about 20 

 halibut-liver oil samples to complete the study. Incomplete tests on 

 the first eight halibut-liver oil samples show considerable variation in 

 vitamin A content with the highest sample running about 90,000 inter- 

 national vitamin A units per gram and other samples ranging down 

 to less than 30,000 units. Vitamin D potencies of these oils ranged 

 from 2,000 to 3,000 international units per gram. 



The investigation of the chemical and physical properties and vita- 

 min potency of haddock-liver oil begun in 1934 was completed during 

 the past year. The results of this study were published in Fisheries' 

 Investigational Report No. 27, entitled "Chemical and Physical Prop- 

 erties of Haddock-liver Oil and Its Vitamin Content." In brief, this 

 study indicated that the U. S. P. requirements should be changed as 

 to haddock-liver oil if this oil is to be included in cod-liver oil along 

 with the liver oils from other members of the family Gadidae. 



MENHADEN OIL FOR POULTRY FEEDING 



In cooperation with the chemistry department of the University of 

 Maryland, an investigation was undertaken to determine the possi- 

 bility of using menhaden fish oil in poultry feeding. Menhaden fish 

 oil is produced by one of our large domestic fishery industries in fac- 

 tories along our Atlantic coast. Several samples of menhaden oils 

 from various factories were tested for vitamin D content on white 

 rats and also on baby chicks. These oils, although not especially 

 prepared to preserve their vitamin potency, were with few exceptions 

 equal to cod-liver oil in vitamin D content and, therefore, are of great 

 value in poultry nutrition. Such oil now goes into the soap kettle 

 and into other industrial uses. A report on these tests entitled 

 "Menhaden Oils as an Antirachitic Supplement for Poultry", by W. C. 

 Supplee and Charles F. Lee, has been published as Bulletin No. 389 

 of the University of Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station. 



MENHADEN FISH MEAL IN CATTLE FEEDING 



In a cooperative arrangement with the Bureau, the dairy depart- 

 ment of the Maryland State Agricultural Experiment Station began, 



