74 EEPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM^ 1915. 



of genuine furs with the common cheap kinds ; and the development 

 and enlargement of the collection of vegetable products along lines 

 to represent important industrial processes, such as flour milling, 

 starch and glucose manufacture, soap and candle making, painting 

 and varnish making, hard rubber, elastic goods and tires, sugar 

 refining, etc. * 



It was not until near the close of the year that an opportunity was 

 presented for organized activities in the matter of commercial woods, 

 their utilization and the means to that end. The subject was first 

 recognized in the Museum classification about 30 j^ears ago, under the 

 designation of forestry, but no permanent results followed though 

 small accessions were received from time to time. The greater part 

 of these acquisitions unfortunately proved valueless since they were 

 not collected in accordance with any plan, and most of the specimens 

 were without labels. There have been frequent calls upon the 

 Museum in recent years for the formation of such a collection, which 

 shall be thoroughly comprehensive and practical, and it was on this 

 basis that a section of wood technology was established in June, with 

 an assistant curator directly in charge, under the supervision of the 

 curator of textiles. 



Mineral technology. — The activities of this division, the objects of 

 which were discussed in the last report, have extended through only 

 two years, but the results already obtained have entirely exceeded 

 expectations. The main purpose of the division being educational, 

 its collections will be chiefly on exhibition, and to this jourpose have 

 been allotted four halls in the southwestern part of the older Mu- 

 seum building. While this area is recognized as inadequate for a full 

 and proper exposition of the industries to be represented, the plans 

 for the immediate future contemplate its division in due proportion 

 between them, and the use of all of it. It is not designed to dupli- 

 cate in any respect the collections of natural mineral resources, which 

 are already provided for in the department of geology, but to illus- 

 trate the industries in which the more important of these mineral 

 products figure. Minerals as such will, therefore, be entirely sub- 

 ordinated to the demonstration of their extraction from the ground, 

 of the processes leading to their utilization, and of the finished 

 products. 



Such a collection cannot be assembled hastily, since in bulk it will 

 consist mainly of models which must be constructed, though greatly 

 reduced in scale, with a faithful attention to details, whether it be 

 a mine or a manufacturing establishment that is represented. The 

 organization of a division with these objects in view has not only met 

 with favorable commendation from the mining interests, but has 

 equally received their aid and cooperation to such an extent that the 

 success of the project is only a question of the time required for 



