DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY. 101 



the year, and the reports of these investigations have been confiden- 

 tially submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture. The value of the 

 data which have been obtained in this way, however, is so great as to 

 warrant the belief that their publication would be advisable. The 

 scope of this investigation has been very broad, including wines 

 and beers, dairy products, especially cheeses, salad oils, delicatessen 

 of all kinds, preserved fruits, jellies, jams and marmalades, and. in 

 fact, nearly every article of food imported. These data would be so 

 valuable to the food chemists of this country and to food experts in 

 general, if published, that I am led to recommend their collection 

 into a form proper for publication as a bulletin of the Bureau of 

 Chemistry. 



INVESTIGATION OF FOODS INTENDED FOR EXPORT. 



Congress has authorized the Secretaiy of Agriculture, through the 

 Division of Chemistry, to inspect food products intended for export 

 to foreign countries where chemical and physical tests are required 

 of foods offered for sale. Unfortunately, Congress gave no appro- 

 priation for carrying this work into effect, and therefore it has not 

 been possible to institute the control contemplated by the act. Full 

 preparation, however, has been made for the inception and prose- 

 cution of this work whenever the funds are forthcoming, and as a 

 preliminary step a careful study of the foreign laws regulating the 

 sale of foods has been made. The results of this investigation were 

 published as Bulletin No. 61 of the Division of Chemistry. Export- 

 ers of foods interested in knowing to what tests their exports will be 

 subjected in foreign countries can ascertain them by applying to the 

 Secretary of Agriculture for a copy of the bulletin mentioned. 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WINES, CIDERS, AND OTHER FERMENTED 



BEVERAGES. 



Work has been continued during the year, in collaboration with the 

 viticultural associations of the country, in a study of the composition 

 of American wines. This work was particularly opportune in conse- 

 quence of the exhibition of a large number of standard American 

 wines at the World's Fair in Paris. Not only were our own wine 

 makers gratified, but the wine growers of Europe were somewhat 

 astonished at the fine showing made by our wines in Paris. More 

 than 90 per cent of all the samples exhibited received awards. When 

 it is remembered that only about 40 per cent of the objects exhibited 

 received recognition, this high number for our own wines is extremely 

 flattering. Among the awards was a large percentage of gold and 

 silver medals, and, in one instance, an American wine was marked 

 the highest possible number below that which would have entitled it 

 to the grand prize, viz, 18 on a scale of 20. Had it not been that the 

 particular wine in question bore as parts of its label names indicative 

 of foreign origin it is probable that it would have received the grand 

 prize. 



Not only the American still wines, but, what is more surprising, the 

 American sparkling wines received very high awards. When it is 

 borne in mind that the jury was composed almost exclusively of for- 

 eigners, having only two American representatives, and that there was 

 a certain trade prejudice against American wines, this high rating 

 becomes the more noteworthy. 



In connection with this study a special agent of the Department was 



