THE 
 
 BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY 
 
 of the 
 
 UNITED STATES DEPART- 
 MENT OF AGRICULTURE 
 
 ORGANIZATION 
 
 ENFORCEMENT OF FOOD AND DRUGS ACT 
 
 ENFORCEMENT OF TEA ACT 
 
 RESEARCH WORK 
 
 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
 
 DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 137 
 
 Contribution from the Bureau of Chemistry 
 C. L. ALSBERG. Chief 
 
 Washington. D. C. December, 1920 
 
 
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 WASHINGTON, D. C. 
 
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 ORGANIZATJON OF THE BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 Thief: 
 
 Carl L. Alsberg. 
 Assistant Chief: 
 
 W. G. Campbell. 
 Assistant to the Chief: 
 
 F. B. Linton. 
 Administrative Assistan 
 
 S. A. Postle. 
 Librarian: 
 
 Louise Duvall. 
 Editor: 
 
 Katharine A. Smith. 
 
 i Drug Administration: 
 
 M. W. Glover, in charge. 
 
 Office of Cooperation: 
 
 T. F. Pappe, acting in charge. 
 
 Office of Development Wor\: 
 D. J. Price, in charge. 
 
 Office of Imports: 
 
 A. E. Taylor, in charge. 
 
 Tea Inspection Service: 
 G. F. Mitchell, in charge. 
 
 LABORATORIES IN WASHINGTON. 
 
 Analytical Reagent Investigations: 
 
 G. C. Spencer, acting in charge. 
 Animal Physiological Chemical: 
 
 F. C. Weber, in charge. 
 Carbohydrate: 
 
 H. S. Paine, in charge. 
 Color Certification: 
 
 W. H. Mathewson, in charge. 
 Color Investigations: 
 
 C. O. Johns, in charge. 
 Commercial Dehydration: 
 
 C. E. Mangels, in charge. 
 Drug Investigations: 
 
 L. F. Kebler, in charge. 
 Food Control: 
 
 I. K. Phelps, in charge. 
 Food Investigation: 
 
 R. W. Balcom, in charge. 
 Fruit and Vegetable Utilization: 
 
 H. C. Gore, in charge. 
 Leather and Paper: 
 
 F. P. Veitch, in charge. 
 Microbiological: 
 
 Charles Thorn, in charge. 
 
 Microchemical: 
 
 B. J. Howard, in charge. 
 Miscellaneous Division: 
 
 J. K. Haywood, in charge. 
 Cattle Food: 
 
 G. L. Bidwell, in charge. 
 Insecticide and Fungicide: 
 C. C. McDonnell, in 
 charge. 
 Oil, Fat, and Wax: 
 
 G. S. Jamieson, in charge. 
 Pharmacognosy: 
 
 A. Viehoever, in charge. 
 Pharmacological: 
 
 E. W. Schwartze, acting in 
 charge. 
 
 Phylochzmical: 
 
 F. B. Power, in charge. 
 Protein Investigations: 
 
 C. O. Johns, in charge. 
 Water and Beverage: 
 
 W. W. Skinner, in charge. 
 
 FIELD INVESTIGATIONAL LABORATORIES. 
 
 I Food Research: 
 
 H. A. McAIeer, in charge. 
 
 3 
 
 Citrus By-Products: 
 
 E. M. Chace, in charge. 
 
ORGANIZATION OF THE BUREAU. 
 
 FIELD REGULATORY SERVICE. 
 
 Eastern Food and Drug Inspection District (W. R. M. Wharton, 
 chief), with food and drug inspection stations in — 
 
 Baltimore: 
 
 D. M. Walsh, chief. 
 Boston: 
 
 G. H. Adams, chief. 
 Buffalo: 
 
 H. H. Wagner, chief. 
 New York: 
 
 H. W. Redfield, chief. 
 
 Philadelphia: 
 
 A. Stengel, chief. 
 
 San Juan: 
 
 W. J. McGee, chief. 
 
 Savannah: 
 
 J. O. Clarke, chief. 
 
 Central Food and Drug Inspection District (R. E. Doolittle, chief), 
 with food and drug inspection stations in — 
 
 New Orleans: 
 
 Chicago: 
 
 G. W. Hoover, chief. 
 Cincinnati: 
 
 L. B. Forst, chief. 
 Minneapolis: 
 
 H. H. Walters, chief. 
 
 R. S. Hollingshead, chief. 
 
 St. Louis: 
 
 E. R. Smith, chief. 
 
 Western Food and Drug Inspection District (R. W. Hilts, chief), with 
 food and drug inspection stations in — 
 
 Denver: 
 
 G. J. Morton, chief. 
 San Francisco: 
 
 W. Vincent, chief. 
 
 Seattle: 
 
 A. W. Hansen, chief. 
 
THE FEDERAL 
 BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 GROWTH. 
 
 The Bureau of Chemistry of the United States Depart- 
 ment of Agriculture has grown from a small division, or- 
 ganized in 1 862, with a staff of four or five men, to a 
 bureau employing more than 300 chemists, bacteriologists, 
 microscopists, engineers, and inspectors, granted an annual 
 appropriation of over $1 ,250,000 for the enforcement of 
 the Food and Drugs Act and the Tea Act and for re- 
 search work of practical value to the country. 
 
 FUNCTION. 
 
 The function of the Bureau of Chemistry is twofold. 
 In the first place it enforces the provisions of the Food and 
 Drugs Act, popularly known as the " Pure Food Law," 
 passed in 1 906, and of the Tea Act. At the same time 
 it conducts investigations arising in connection with its 
 regulatory or law-enforcement work, and continues to 
 serve the purpose for which it was originally established, 
 the study of chemical problems pertaining to agriculture, 
 as well as those of the industries utilizing agricultural 
 products. 
 
 ORGANIZATION. 
 
 At the head of the organization are the Chief and the 
 Assistant Chief of the Bureau, who are responsible for 
 the administration of the Food and Drugs Act and the 
 Tea Act, and exercise general supervision over the re- 
 search work. Twenty-four laboratories and three offices 
 in Washington develop facts upon which the decisions 
 and policies of the Bureau are based, recommend methods 
 for attacking regulatory problems, and conduct scientific 
 investigations. 
 
6 FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 For administrative purposes in the enforcement of the 
 Food and Drugs Act, the country has been divided (fig. 2) 
 into three inspection districts — the Eastern, with head- 
 quarters in New York, the Central, with headquar- 
 ters in Chicago, and the Western, with headquarters 
 in San Francisco. These districts are further sub- 
 divided into inspection territories, with a station, pro- 
 vided with a force of chemists and inspectors, at an 
 important trade center and port of entry within each 
 territory, as shown in the map (fig. 2). While the 
 work of the stations is for the most part regulatory, some 
 time is devoted to the solution of research problems which 
 come to the attention of the chemists in the course of their 
 enforcement of the law. 
 
 REGULATORY WORK. 
 
 By far the greater part of the activities and funds of the 
 Bureau are devoted to the enforcement of the Food and 
 Drugs Act. This act forbids the importation, the ship- 
 ment in interstate or foreign commerce, or the manu- 
 facture and sale in any Territory or the District of Columbia 
 of adulterated or misbranded foods or drugs. 1 Thus it 
 serves to protect the public health from injurious foods 
 and the public pocketbook from falsely or fraudulently 
 labeled foods and drugs, and to promote fair trade by 
 guarding the honest manufacturer against unfair com- 
 petition with misbranded or spurious articles sold under 
 the guise of higher-priced commodities. 
 
 DOMESTIC FOODS. 
 
 In the law, the term "food" is not confined to those 
 products which are commonly recognized as food for 
 mankind, but includes also beverages (such as soft drinks 
 and mineral water), confectionery, condiments, feeds for 
 horses, cattle, and poultry, and substances like baking 
 powder which enter into the preparation of foods. Nor 
 
 1 The lex t o( the Food and Drugs Ac t, and the rules and regulations (or its enforce- 
 ment.are printed in Circular 21 . Office of the Secretary, U. S. Departmentot Agri- 
 culture. 
 
FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 7 
 
 does the law restrict the application of the term "adul- 
 terated" to foods containing an added poisonous or 
 deleterious substance, such as milk preserved with formal- 
 dehyde, which might prove harmful to the consumer. 
 Within the law, "adulterated" has a far wider signifi- 
 cance, being applied as well to the following kinds of 
 foodstuffs: (1) Those which are made wholly or in part 
 from filthy or decomposed material, as in the case of 
 catsup made from rotten tomatoes, or milk containing an 
 excessive number of bacteria; (2) those which have been 
 cheapened by the substitution in whole or in part of some 
 less valuable material or one possessing no food value 
 whatsoever, such as an article sold as coffee in which the 
 coffee has been replaced wholly or partially by chicory, 
 or cottonseed meal containing an excessive amount 
 of cottonseed hulls; (3) those of an inferior grade made 
 to simulate goods of better quality, for example, acetic 
 acid which has been colored to look like cider vinegar; 
 and (4) those from which certain valuable component 
 parts have been removed, as skim milk offered for sale 
 as whole milk. 
 
 Under the Federal Food and Drugs Act many cases are 
 brought against manufacturers and shippers who violate 
 the misbranding clauses of the law. Misbranding of food, 
 which may be defined as the use of an untruthful or mis- 
 leading label, includes the sin of omission as well as the 
 sin of commission. Labeling a bottle of cottonseed oil 
 "Olive Oil" is a typical sin of commission, while the 
 manufacturer who fails to declare the weight of food in 
 package form is guilty of the sin of omission. Shading 
 from one of these types of violation to the other are many 
 forms of misbranding. 
 
 Often labels are worded in strict accordance with the 
 facts, but have the type so arranged or pictorial represen- 
 tations so employed that the purchaser receives an 
 entirely erroneous impression as to the contents of the 
 package. Deceptive labeling of this kind is considered 
 to be in violation of the act. 
 
8 FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 Another all too common deception against the con- 
 suming public is food of short weight sold in package 
 form. Prints of butter weighing from 14 to 15 ounces, 
 but bearing no statement to indicate that they fall short of 
 one pound, are representative of this type of fraud. The 
 Bureau protects the purchaser against such practices by 
 enforcing that section of the law which provides that a 
 food shall be judged misbranded, "if in package form, 
 the quantity of the contents be not plainly and con- 
 spicuously marked on the outside of the package in terms 
 of weight, measure, or numerical count." 
 
 DOMESTIC DRUGS. 
 
 To secure the desired effect, it is imperative that all 
 drugs used or prescribed by a physician shall be what he 
 has every right to expect them to be, judging by their 
 labels. If they are under or over the accepted standards, 
 the Food and Drugs Act demands that their labels shall 
 so specify. 
 
 In addition, the Food and Drugs Act covers medicines 
 that are advertised and sold directly to the general public, 
 the so-called "patent medicines.' Under the law the 
 presence in a preparation, and the amount in which they 
 occur, of certain dangerous or habit-forming substances, 
 enumerated in the act, must be made known upon the label. 
 With this information at hand, the purchaser, of course, 
 may exercise his own discretion in administering the 
 product. 
 
 It is the duty of the Bureau of Chemistry also to see that 
 labels on "patent medicines" hold out to the public no 
 promise of benefit that is not fully justified by the compo- 
 sition of the preparation. As a standard for the determi- 
 nation of such questions, the Bureau has adopted the 
 general consensus of opinion among the medical profes- 
 sion as to the usefulness and limitations of the various 
 drugs. The labeling of medicinal preparations is judged 
 not by the presence or absence of such terms as "remedy,' 
 ''cure," and "treatment," but by the names of diseases and 
 the impression conveyed by the wording to the average 
 purchaser. 
 
FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 IMPORTED FOODS AND DRUGS. 
 
 Many food products, medicinal herbs, which for one 
 reason or another can not be grown profitably in this 
 country, and "patent medicines" are constantly being 
 offered for importation into the United States. These are 
 denied entry if they fail to conform to the general require- 
 ments of the Food and Drugs Act, are not in accord with 
 the laws of the country of origin, or are otherwise dangerous 
 to the health of the people of the United States. When 
 circumstances warrant, relabeling or reconditioning of the 
 goods may be allowed. If thereby a product meeting the 
 requirements of the act is obtained, the goods are then per- 
 mitted entry. The field stations maintained by the Bureau 
 at certain ports of entry, as New York, Boston, New 
 Orleans, and San Francisco (fig. 2), examine and analyze 
 samples of shipments offered for entry into the United 
 States which are suspected of being in violation of the 
 Food and Drugs Act. 
 
 PROCEDURE. 
 
 Anyone found guilty, after trial in the Federal courts, of 
 violating the provisions of the Food and Drugs Act, or 
 who pleads guilty to such an offense, is subject to a fine, 
 and, under certain circumstances, to imprisonment. 
 The evidence necessary to prove a producer or ship- 
 per guilty is gathered and presented at the trial by the 
 Bureau of Chemistry, through the Department of 
 Justice. Sometimes the cooperation of State and city 
 health, food, drug, and feeding stuffs officials is enlisted. 
 Figure 1 shows each essential step in the development of 
 a case as it progresses through the organization units of 
 the Bureau of Chemistry and the Office of the Solicitor of 
 the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Jus- 
 tice, and the courts. 
 
 An inspector of the Bureau (1) collects samples of a 
 product suspected of being in violation of the act, and for- 
 wards them to the proper station for analysis. At the 
 station an analysis is made (2) the results of which are sent 
 by the station chief, with his recommendation as to the 
 
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FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 1 1 
 
 proper action to be adopted, to his district chief (3). If 
 the district chief approves the stations recommendation 
 (4), he instructs the station (5) to cite the manufacturer or 
 shipper of the product in question to a hearing at the sta- 
 tion headquarters, and at the same time submits a state- 
 ment of the action taken to the chief of the Bureau in 
 Washington. On the date set, the person cited reports for 
 an oral hearing (6), or presents in writing his statement as 
 to why the Government should not take further action. 
 
 After the hearing, the station chief prepares a summary 
 of the findings which he forwards to the district chief, to- 
 gether with his recommendation as to the proper action to 
 be taken (7). The district chief may indorse the recom- 
 mendation as it stands or modify it (8), after which he 
 sends all the papers in the case, accompanied by a state- 
 ment of what he considers appropriate action, to the chief 
 of the Bureau. The chief or assistant chief of the Bureau 
 may then decide upon the next step, or may refer the 
 matter (10) to the laboratory or office in Washington 
 specializing in the product involved. If the specialist 
 agrees with the recommendation of the district chief that 
 prosecution proceedings should be instituted, the case is 
 transmitted to the chief or assistant chief of the Bureau, 
 with an indorsement of the recommendation for prose- 
 cution. 
 
 The case is then considered in the office of the chief and 
 assistant chief (1 1), after which, if these officials concur 
 in the recommendation made, it is sent to the Solicitor of 
 the Department of Agriculture (12) to be examined as to 
 its legal aspects. The Solicitor decides (13) who is liable 
 in connection with the alleged violation, and determines 
 whether or not the evidence at hand is sufficient to support 
 prosecution. If he disagrees with the recommendation of 
 the Bureau, he returns the papers to the Bureau for further 
 consideration. If, however, he concurs in the Bureau's 
 recommendation for prosecution ( 1 4), by authority of the 
 Secretary of Agriculture, he prepares the papers necessary 
 to be transmitted to the Department of Justice (15), where 
 the case is next sent (16) for final transmittal to the district 
 attorney who will try the case. 
 
12 
 
 FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 The district attorney ( I 7) files the information or presents 
 the case to the grand jury for indictment of the producer 
 or shipper, and conducts the necessary legal proceed- 
 ings ( 1 8). The court hears the case ( 1 9), with or without 
 a jury, and renders judgment (20), imposing a sentence 
 where the verdict is "guilty.'' Members of the Bureau of 
 Chemistry often are summoned to serve as witnesses at 
 such trials. After the termination of the case in court, a 
 notice of judgment, giving the essential facts, is prepared 
 
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 Fig. 2. — Food and drug inspectio 
 
FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 13 
 
 by the Solicitor (21 ), and later published by the Bureau. 
 This terminates the case, and the records are closed (22). 
 Two forms of legal action may be instituted in the cor- 
 rection of violations of the Food and Drugs Act involving 
 the shipment of domestic products. Sometimes a criminal 
 prosecution is brought against the alleged offender. 
 Again, goods which are being shipped contrary to the 
 provisions of the law are seized under order of the court 
 and removed from the channels of trade until a decision 
 
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14 FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 as to what disposition should be made of them has been 
 reached by the court. The Bureau officials base their 
 decisions as to the type of action to be instituted upon the 
 conditions connected with each case. 
 
 The procedure in connection with the enforcement of 
 that section of the law relating to foods and drugs offered 
 for importation into this country does not involve court 
 action. The officials of the Division of Customs, of the 
 Treasury Department, cooperate in this phase of the 
 Bureau's regulatory work. 
 
 All foreign merchants are required to certify to certain 
 facts concerning the foods and drugs which they desire to 
 ship, before the proper United States consular officials. 
 These certificates are attached to the invoices of the 
 various products, and the Bureau of Chemistry inspectors 
 are allowed to scrutinize all invoices of foods and drugs 
 coming into this country. If an examination of the in- 
 voices and their accompanying certificates indicates that 
 an article does not comply with the terms of the law, 
 samples of it are taken for analysis, the entire shipment 
 being held until the results of the examination are known. 
 When goods are found to be in violation of the act, the 
 importer is so informed, and an opportunity is given him 
 to present to the Government his evidence as to why his 
 product should not be denied entry. If the results of the 
 hearing fail to convince the Bureau that the goods are 
 in compliance with the law, a report is submitted to 
 the collector of customs at the port of entry, who 
 then refuses to admit the product in question into this 
 country. If the importer is not satisfied with the action 
 of the Bureau he may appeal to the Secretary of Agri- 
 culture. When, however, the case proves to be one 
 of misbranding only, the articles usually may be brought 
 in after the labels have been corrected. Another ex- 
 ception is made in the case of importers who, through 
 no fault of their own, receive shipments of foods or drugs 
 which are adulterated or misbranded, but not grossly. It 
 is customary to release such goods after they have been 
 relabeled, sorted, and cleaned, or denatured, provided an 
 
FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 15 
 
 article which fulfills the requirements of the law can thus 
 be obtained. This privilege, of course, is not extended to 
 persons who have abused it in the past or have requested 
 it repeatedly. 
 
 COOPERATION WITH STATES AND CITIES. 
 
 Under the provisions of the Food and Drugs Act, the 
 Bureau of Chemistry can exercise supervision only over 
 foods and drugs entering interstate or foreign commerce, 
 or made, sold, or offered for sale in the District of Co- 
 lumbia or the Territories of the United States. It has 
 no power over those products which are made and sold 
 within the confines of a single State. Most of the States, 
 however, have food and drug laws similar in many re- 
 spects to the Federal act, and designed to afford the same 
 protection to the several States as the Federal act does 
 to the nation at large. It is most desirable that the State 
 and Federal officials charged with the enforcement of 
 public health laws work together in harmony. To that 
 end, the office of cooperation in the Bureau of Chemistry 
 keeps the State food, drug, and feeding stuffs officials 
 informed on matters pertaining to the administration of 
 food and drug laws, both State and Federal, and pro- 
 vides a practical and effective system of cooperation 
 among such officials. In this way the Bureau keeps in 
 touch with 50 departments, including those in practically 
 every State of the Union, the District of Columbia, 
 Hawaii, Porto Rico, and the Philippine Islands. It 
 provides them with information on matters of general 
 interest relating to the administration of the Federal 
 Food and Drugs Act, and secures their opinions on im- 
 portant questions under consideration by the Bureau in 
 connection with the enforcement of the law. 
 
 FACTORY INSPECTION. 
 
 An increasingly important part of the Bureau of Chem- 
 istry's regulatory work is its factory inspection. So far 
 as its limited force of inspectors will permit, the Bureau 
 endeavors to conduct a systematic investigation of plants 
 
16 FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 where foods and drugs shipped in interstate commerce 
 are made. As a result of such work, it frequently becomes 
 possible for the Government, through its technical staff, 
 to offer various manufacturers constructive advice which 
 
 Fig. 3 — Food and drug inspector examining butter. 
 
 will enable them to remedy defects in their processes, 
 thus improving the quality of their output and the effi- 
 ciency of their operations, as well as bringing their goods 
 into compliance with the law. 
 
 TEA INSPECTION. 
 
 In 1920, the Tea Inspection Service, formerly part of 
 the United States Treasury Department, was transferred 
 to the Department of Agriculture, upon the joint recom- 
 mendation of the Secretary of the Treasury and the 
 Secretary of Agriculture. As no duty is imposed on tea, 
 and as the Bureau of Chemistry, under the Food and 
 Drugs Act, is charged with the examination of all 
 
FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 17 
 
 imported foods and drugs, it was thought that the tea 
 inspection work was more closely related to the Depart- 
 ment of Agriculture than to the Treasury Department. 
 
 Tea is subject to the provisions of both the Food and 
 Drugs Act and the Tea Inspection Act. While the 
 Food and Drugs Act covers only adulteration or mis- 
 branding, the Tea Act provides for a physical standard 
 of quality as well as purity. 
 
 The act to prevent the importation of impure or un- 
 wholesome tea, commonly known as the Tea Act, which 
 was passed by Congress in 1 897, and later amended, 
 provides that the Secretary of Agriculture shall appoint 
 each year a board of seven tea experts who shall select 
 standards for tea. Such standards are distributed among 
 the officials enforcing the law, and may be bought at 
 cost by the tea trade and others interested. 
 
 It is the duty of the Supervising Tea Examiner, stationed 
 in Washington, with the assistance of seven tea examiners 
 and their assistants, stationed in various ports of entry, to 
 see to it that no tea which falls below the standards 
 fixed by the Secretary is permitted entry into the United 
 States. 
 
 The importer of any tea which is rejected is given 30 
 days in which to appeal his case to the United States 
 Board of Tea Appeals, composed of three employees of 
 the Department of Agriculture, stationed in the city of 
 New York. If the tea is rejected for quality, the Board 
 of Tea Appeals summons witnesses from the trade, while 
 if it is rejected for impurities the chemist's report, upon 
 which the rejection was originally based, usually is 
 accepted. No appeal may be made from the decision 
 of the Board of Tea Appeals. 
 
 The law allows the importer six months in which to 
 remove his rejected tea from this country. If not outside 
 the limits of the United States by that time, it must be 
 destroyed. 
 
 Tea waste, tea sittings, tea sweepings, and low-grade 
 tea may be brought into the United States if they are to 
 be used solely for technical manufacturing purposes. 
 
18 FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 The importer of such products, however, must give bond 
 to the collector of customs that their identity will be 
 destroyed in the process of manufacture. 
 
 RESEARCH WORK. 
 
 FOOD AND DRUG ANALYSIS. 
 
 To ascertain accurately when a food or drug is adul- 
 terated or misbranded, it is, of course, necessary to have 
 suitable standards for comparison. Before the analyst 
 can pass intelligently upon the samples submitted to him 
 for examination, he must know the true composition of 
 the articles which they purport to be. Consequently, 
 a large part of the scientific force of the Bureau of Chem- 
 istry is engaged in the investigation of many natural 
 products. Based upon the results thus obtained, the 
 Department formulates definite standards for the guid- 
 ance of the food and drug officials of the country and the 
 manufacturers. 
 
 To illustrate, it was found that spices were being 
 grossly adulterated and misbranded, and that it was 
 difficult to determine when to prosecute cases involving 
 such products. Accordingly, all the spices in common 
 use have been studied physically, chemically, and micro- 
 scopically. Using the results of this study as a foundation, 
 fair standards for spices have been determined and pub- 
 lished to serve as a basis for action in the enforcement of 
 the law. 
 
 Such standards are published in Office of the Secre- 
 tary Circular 1 36. New and tentative standards and 
 informal opinions are made public through the Service 
 and Regulatory Announcements of the Bureau. 
 
 INVESTIGATION OF COMMERCIAL METHODS. 
 
 To supplement this first type of research work, inves- 
 tigations are undertaken to perfect various processes used 
 in the preparation of foods and drugs and to devise 
 methods for the utilization of by-products hitherto 
 wasted. 
 
FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 19 
 
 Much has been accomplished along this line in con- 
 nection with the preparation of poultry and eggs for the 
 market and their handling during storage and transpor- 
 tation. The results obtained have fully justified the 
 Bureau's belief that some changes in methods and a care- 
 ful attention to detail would add to the producer's profits, 
 at the same time augmenting the country's food supply. 
 
 Extended studies also have been conducted to deter- 
 mine how certain fish, such as the sardine, might be 
 packed to best advantage, and the by-products of the 
 canneries salvaged. 
 
 Of great economic importance to the American fruit 
 grower is the Bureau's project for working out ways to 
 manufacture salable articles from the cull grapefruit, 
 oranges, and lemons which too often constitute a 
 total loss. To bring this about, methods are being de- 
 vised whereby such culls may be converted into bev- 
 erages, jam, marmalade, etc., for which a ready market 
 exists. 
 
 INVESTIGATIONS IN AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY. 
 
 Along with the research work which is done in con- 
 nection with the enforcement of the Food and Drugs 
 Act go the investigations in the realm of agricultural 
 chemistry that constituted the sole original function of the 
 Bureau. The needs of the farmer still occupy an im- 
 portant place in this branch of the Federal service. 
 
 For example, the chemistry of plant growth is con- 
 sidered for the purpose of determining the effect of 
 recognized plant food constituents and of the inorganic 
 elements applied at different stages of the growth, as well 
 as the effect of light, on the composition and physical 
 characteristics of plants. The changes taking place 
 during the growing period as the result of any particular 
 treatment are investigated also. 
 
 The tanning of leather in its various aspects is studied, 
 that the farmer may receive satisfactory instructions for 
 preparing hides and for selecting with discrimination 
 and intelligently caring for the leather which he uses for 
 
20 
 
 FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 21 
 
 boots, harness, or belting. Instructions for the cheap and 
 effective waterproofing and mildewproofing of fabrics for 
 wagon covers, stack covers, tents, and tarpaulins have 
 been published. 
 
 Under way also is a scheme for showing the farmer 
 how he may utilize as stock food cull potatoes and other 
 waste products of his land. It is thought that certain 
 plants not now so employed may prove valuable as stock 
 food. A study of the proteins which they contain is 
 being made to see whether this can be done. 
 
 As soon as it became evident that fires and explosions 
 in thrashers and in grain elevators and mills might be 
 due to the accumulation, under certain conditions, of 
 grain dusts, the Bureau launched its grain-dust-explosion- 
 prevention campaign for the benefit of the farmer, the 
 thrasher, and the miller. The causes of such fires and 
 explosions have been studied and the results made public. 
 Preventive devices have been perfected and tested, and 
 owners and operators of thrashing machines, mills, and 
 grain elevators told how to install devices and adopt 
 simple precautionary measures which should go a long 
 way toward safeguarding their property. 
 
 COLLABORATION WITH OTHER DEPART- 
 MENTS. 
 
 Because of the Bureau s fitness, in the matter of both 
 personnel and equipment, for conducting chemical, 
 microscopical, and microbiological examinations, many 
 of the other Government departments and bureaus have 
 acquired the habit of turning over to it certain parts of 
 various problems coming within their jurisdiction. 
 
 For example, the Post Office Department submits 
 for analysis samples of drugs, cosmetics, depilatories, 
 "fat producers," "fat reducers," food suspected of con- 
 taining poisons, and other material going through the 
 United States mails which is believed to be fraudulent or 
 harmful. The Treasury Department enlists the aid of 
 the Bureau of Chemistry in devising currency paper 
 which is difficult to counterfeit and at the same time is as 
 
22 FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 serviceable as possible. Many samples of foodstuffs 
 and other supplies for the Army are submitted by the 
 office of the Quartermaster General of the Department 
 of War for analysis by the Bureau. 
 
 Added to these duties are the working out of new 
 analytical methods and the perfecting of old ones, upon 
 which the Bureau is constantly engaged. These results 
 are published from time to time, that they may be of 
 service to commercial and Government chemists alike. 
 
 COLOR INVESTIGATIONS. 
 
 Color research work was begun many years ago 
 in the Bureau of Chemistry, for the reason that various 
 types of dye materials are agricultural products and also 
 because the largest users of dyes are the industries utilizing 
 raw agricultural materials. Moreover, the Bureau has 
 been called upon to study very extensively the artificial 
 (coal-tar) dyes, on account of their wide use to color 
 food products. 
 
 When, therefore, shortly after the outbreak of the 
 recent Great War, Congress thought it advisable for the 
 Government to assist in the development of a domestic 
 dye industry, the experience thus gained by the Bureau 
 of Chemistry made it particularly well equipped to 
 undertake the work. 
 
 The color laboratory considers chiefly the fundamental 
 principles that underlie the mechanism of the reactions 
 which enter into the production of dyes, and determines 
 the chemical and physical constants of the materials 
 used in the industry. The factory chemist rarely has 
 time to devote to this type of work, and, when he is in a 
 position to carry it on, keeps secret the results which he 
 obtains. The findings of the Government, on the other 
 hand, are made public as rapidly as possible, for the 
 advancement of the entire American dye industry. 
 
FEDERAL BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 23 
 
 OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT WORK. 
 
 The practical application in the industries and in the 
 arts of the results of scientific research is quite apart from 
 the actual carrying out of an investigation. That the 
 industrial world may have the full benefit of all such 
 results obtained in the Bureau of Chemistry, an office 
 has been established to serve as the connecting link be- 
 tween the Government and the manufacturer or other 
 interested person. This office, known as the Office of 
 Development Work, assumes charge of the results of any 
 given fundamental project of the Bureau as soon as it 
 reaches the stage where it gives promise of being ready 
 for industrial development. The Office of Develop- 
 ment Work, of course, handles only discoveries made in 
 the Bureau of Chemistry. 
 
 PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 Reports of the results of the Bureau's work are issued 
 from time to time. Some take the form of Department 
 of Agriculture bulletins or circulars, a list of which may 
 be had on application to the Bureau, while others, 
 which, it is believed, will be of interest chiefly to some 
 particular class of readers or to a certain industry, ap- 
 pear in the scientific and trade journals of the country. 
 
 WASHINGTON . GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1920 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
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