XXVI REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 



investio-ations of the Division of Chemistrv have shown to ))e rig-idlv 

 correct, has been approved l\v the international committee appointed 

 to determine unifoi-m methods of sugar analysis. This committee, at 

 its meeting- in Paris in July, 1900, recommended that in all countries 

 polariscopes employed should be graduated for the temperature at 

 which they are to be used. This is an unqualified approval by the 

 highest international authority of the methods of sugar analysis estab- 

 lished as correct by the investigations of the Division of Chemistrv of 

 this Department. 



COOPERATION WITH THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES OF THE GOVERNMENT. 



During the past year, at the request of the chairman of the Senate 

 Committee on Manufactures, 1 directed the chief of the Division of 

 Chemistry to cooperate in every possible way with this committee in 

 the investigation which it was making in regard to the adulteration of 

 foods. The results of these investigations have been published in the 

 report of the committee alread}^ submitted to the Senate of the United 

 States. 



COOPERATION WITH THE DIVISIONS OF THIS DEPARTMENT. 



The cooperative work with the several branches of the Department of 

 Agriculture has been continued in several directions. 



For the Bureau of Animal Industry a study of dairy products, espe- 

 cially of butters of different origin, has been conducted. Particular 

 attention has been paid to the detection of so-called ''process" butter 

 and its chemical and physical peculiarities. A stud}^ of the composi- 

 tion of foreign cheeses has also been made, both from the point of 

 view of adulteration and of food value. 



In connection with the Division of Soils, collaborative work on soil 

 analysis has been conducted, and working room for one of the chemists 

 of that Division has been provided. 



The Division of Entomology has assisted the Division of Chemistry 

 in collecting samples of insecticides, and a number of analyses have 

 been made at the request of the Entomologist. 



Determinations of the water content of indian corn and other 

 cereals have been made at the request of the Division of Botany. In 

 turn, the vitality tests of the beet seeds distributed to various parts of 

 the country, and also of the seeds used in connection with the soil 

 experiments of the Division of Chemistry, were made in the seed 

 laboratoiy of the Division of Botany. 



Rooms have been provided the Division of Forestry for clerical and 

 other work, and preliminary arrangements have been made for exten- 

 sive chemical investigations of trees and bark. 



I directed the Division of Chemistry to make an investigation of the 

 methods of testing road materials for the Office of Public Road Inquiries 



