The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-09-16
Standards Are
Poultry Need
Necessity Arises Because
Large Consuming Centers
Are Widely Separated.


of Agriculture.l
Standard grades of poultry products
understood and applicable in all parts
of the country are needed in the
United States, asserted Rob r. Slo-
cum of the United States Department
of Agriculture, before the Worlds
Poultry congress at Ottawa, Canada.
This necessity arises because of i'm
portant areas of production and the
largest consuming centers are widely
separated. The United States De-
partment OF Agriculture has studied
this problem In its relation to eggs
and has promulgated set of stand
ards of quality applicable to individ-
ual eggs, the quality factors being the
condition of shell, yelk, germ and size
and condition Of air cell.
Standards as Basis.
With these standards as basis, said
Mr.. Slocum, the department formu-
lated three sets of egg grades: Buy
ing grades, wholesale grades, and re-
tail grades for use at country buying
pOlutS, AL WAOlC0diG .NhuhhNA6y ann AA
retail channels of trade. A study of
standards and grades for live and
dressed poultry has been started with
view to issuing them in the near
future in tentative form.
For maintaining standard uniform
quality in different markets and for
settling disputes concerning grades,
the department has established in
spection facilities. permissive, not
compulsory. These inspections are of
two kinds: Shipping point and ter
minal market inspection. When ship
ments are ready for movement, the
inspection enables the shipper to de-
scribe the quality to prospective pur-
chasers. After arrival at the mar
ket, inspection is used to settle dis
putes to determine the grade and con-
dition Of the commodity. s's't''"' r
Live poultry Inspections are being
supervised in one market, New York
city, with an annual requirement of
10000 cars, an approximate value of
S6OOOO,0O0, practically all of which are
now inspected by supervisor and
IL licensed inspectors. Egg inspec-
lions are made in New York city, Chi
cago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and
Petaluma, Calf, and three points in
Missouri.
Three Distinct Arrangements.
There are three distinct arrange
ments under which inspection serv-
ices are operated: Straight federal
inspection, federal-state inspection,
and joint inspection. Under each ar
rangement, the appointment of super
visors and inspectors, and the kind of
certificate issued conform to conditions
Of type of inspection.
Financing the inspection service
also conforms to the arrangement un-
der which tits operated In federalins
| spection, fees collected are paid into
the United States treasury and are
not available for further inspection
until reappropriated by congress. In
federal-state inspection the fees col
lected by the state are placed in
revolving fund from which salaries OF
inspectors and other expenses are paid.
In joint inspections, the fees collected
by the cooperating agency are used
for salaries of inspectors and other
expenses, including payment into the
United States treasury of an amount
equal to that expended by the depart
ment.
Less than three years ago egg in
spection was begun by the bureau of
agricultural economies and that of live
poultry only last November, yet in
December, 1926, $40 egg inspections,
involving over $1,000 cases of eggs
were made, while during the same
month LII cars Of live poultry were
inspected and S,S14 baskets of live
poultry received by express.
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