Evening star., 1937-01-06

GONE Of you have possibly basket
- of strawberries among your Sc
lections, even though 1t is the VIM
ter season. Florida began shipping
berries several weeks ago, and ship
ments from there will continue to
increase for the next two months.
Later crops come from Louisiana and
other areas north Of Florida. The
Bureau of Plant Industry has been
particularly interested in recent years
in breeding strawberry varieties OF
better quality for eating fresh, for
canning. preserving and using in other
ways. Seven such varieties have been
introduced. They are now being grown
commercially in sufficient quantity so
that some of them will find their way
to your Spring market basket.
THAT carton OF Government graded
eggs; the U. S. prime stamped on your
roast OF beef; the grade B on your
canned peaches; the 90 score Of your
pound Of butter, and numerous other
indications Of grading on foods you
have bought during the year represent
an improvement in selling methods
brought about by the grading work OF
the Bureau Of Agriculture Economics
This Is the bureau that told us this
Fall about the record crops Of onions.
grapefruit, peanuts and turkeys. so
that we have known these would be
good food buys from the price stand
point.
Lets look at that roast Of beef
again. In addition to the quality grade
mark, there is little round purple
stamp on 1t that says, U. S. inspected
and passed. This means that inspec-
tors from the Bureau OF Animal Indus-
try saw to it that your cut came from .
healthy animal. The meat inspection
work has been going on for years, but
the report for this year Is that there
have been far fewer animals than
usual condemned for bovine tuber-
culosis. Meat studies by the bureau
eventually affect your market basket.
too.
ID ESEARCH of the Bureau of Dairy
Industry has made some c0ntribu-
tions to your grocery order. That
piece Of cheddar cheese Is only one Of
the three cheese types the scientists
have improved. Domestic Swiss cheese
and the mild, soft Bel Paese cheese
have been 1896 projects. The texture
OF ice creams: the use Of whey: and
the packaging Of dried milk powder
are some other recent food studies Of
the bureau.
"Chemists Of the department en-
gagged in food research are the ones
who anticipate the commercial de-
velopments that bring new products
to the grocer's shelves. Canned grape
fruit juice and orange Juice have been
greatly improved in flavor by scien-
fists Of the Bureau Of Chemistry and
Soils Many other citrus by-products
such as marmalade, CONNECTIONS, and
beverages have been tested as uses for
fruits that 1t is Improbable to market
as such. Studies Of frozen pack fruits
and vegetables are designed to make
possible carrying them over from sea-
sons Of plenty to seasons Of scarcity
in as near the fresh state as possible
In other words. . year-rOund supply.
mo discussion Of the daily foods
would be complete without reference
to that protector Of the consumers
interests-the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration. Every packaged food
In your market basket doubtless has
q statement on 1t giving net weight OF
contents; and every label statement
describing the contents must be in
truthful terms, or sooner or later the
manufacturer Of the product will run
afoul of the law.
80. among the hundreds Of food
materials and manufactured foods
that 60 into your market basket there
are few that are not improved by
scientists at some time or other, many
that are better for work done in the
year Just ended"