AGIUCULTURAL APrilOI'lUATlON BlU^ 1024. 



i;n 



Mr. A.NDKUSON. How fill' have y«»u ;;<»t with tlu* sufl-pork \y'<^- ' 

 Ilavo you ^ot uiiywlu'n' yet '. 



Mi. Sukkis. Wr liavc Ihhmi finikin^ very sul>.staiititil progress. 

 Thf work Ims Ik'om carricil on in runiUMlion with Id cspcriinrnt 

 stnlions, also in <-otnu>(tioii witii llic Institiilc of Aincncan Mcut 

 Packer's. With icfcrerico to results ohtainiMl wo have nuuii' very 

 suhstautial progress this year. I <lo not state that we have solved 

 a!iv one phase of the soft pork prohleni hut 1 helieve what Work wo 

 have tlone will iiave ^one a loni; way m ihrowin;^ I'K''* <"' ^'"' iuatl«!r 

 when the data is finally worked up. In other words, feed represents 

 one of the causes of soft pork; and hoj;s which once hecoine soft 

 harden with <;reat dilliculty. At th(> live stock i'xperirnent farm, at 

 New Ihcria, La., it w'asfoun<l that the feeding of rice products and nio- 

 livsses. and at the Coastal Plains vStation, at AIcNeill, Miss., the feeding 

 of sweet potato l)y-[)roducts had hardenin<^ elFects on soft hoj^s, and 

 that feeds like peanuts and soy heans produce pork soft in character. 



The other item of .SO, ;>()() is for makinj^ slitrhl improvements in the 

 abattoir and laboratory. That is the abattoir and laboratory where 

 this work is done. 



Mr. A.NDKUSON. Where is it done ^ 



Mr. SiiKKTS. At Beltsville, Md. That is, the slaughtering work is 

 done there. The hogs are shipped periodically to this station, three 

 or more at a time out of each test lot, for shiugliter and general 

 analyses. The lal)oratory was woi built originally for this work, 

 merely being converted for this purpose. It is too small for liandling 

 the work satisfactorily. For instance, if we have a large hog wo 

 can not hang it up in the abattoir to cool without first cutting of? 

 its head. \Vhenever one is recjuired to handle two pieces, for instance, 

 the hog and its head, weighing them, to determine the shrinkage 

 after cooling, it increases the work and at the same time increases the 

 possibility of error. What we want to do is to elevate the ceilings 

 of the cooling rooms about a foot or IS inches so that they will 

 accommodate the largest hog that is likely to be killeil in connec- 

 with this work. 



There have been no modifications of the abattoir or repair work 

 done on this laboratory within the last six years. 



Mr. Axdb:rson. Where do these hogs come from I 



Mr. Sheets. They come from the cooperating experiment stations. 

 The states that are cooperating in this work at this time are Ala- 

 bama, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, 

 Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. 



Mr. Anderson. Go ahead. 



Mr. Sheets. That covers the three principal items for which we are 

 asking increases. 



Mr. Buchanan. The three increases \ 



Mr. Sheets. Yes, sir. 



CLARK COUNTY EXPERLMENTAL STATION, IDAHO. 



Mr. Anderson. Where is this slieep ranch you have? It i< some- 

 where in Idaho \ 



Mr. Sheets. At Dubois, Idaho — a special sheep ranch. The 

 United States Sheep Experiment Station at Dubois nas an area of 



