EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM^ 1913. 83 



carpets, cordage, and machine-made laces. Many samples of hand- 

 some Japanese figured silks were also shown. Placed tentatively in 

 the west south range were exhibits of raw silks, raffia, and pine needle 

 fiber, manufactured ramie, ingrain carpets, and paper fabrics. Of 

 animal products, 15 cases were filled with specimens illustrating the 

 utiUzation and manufacture of ivory, bone, horn, tortoise-shell, 

 whalebone, feathers, hair, bristles, gut, sponges, shells, and leather. 

 Of the collection of foods no definite disposition had been made 

 except to fumigate and further safeguard for reference the very 

 valuable series of food materials of the American Indians, which were 

 collected during important ethnological investigations and which it 

 would now be impossible to replace. 



During last year marked progress was made in the acquisition of 

 textile material, in the extension of the exhibition collections, and in 

 the general work of the division. All of the producers who were 

 approached, recognizing the importance of the scheme proposed in its 

 bearing on this varied and extensive industry which comes into such 

 intimate and personal relation with the people, gave it their unquaH- 

 fied approval, with such cordial assurance of support as to insure the 

 reahzation of the Museum's plans in this direction. The exhibitions 

 of the division will center in the south hall of the older building, where 

 the installations of the year were mainly placed. Thence they will 

 extend into the east-south range and the southeast court, and occupy 

 such of the adjacent galleries as they may require. 



The total number of accessions during the year in the line of 

 textiles was 33, of which the more important, all generously pre- 

 sented except as otherwise noted, were as follows: A collection of silk 

 fabrics, etc., from Messrs. Cheney Brothers, of South Manchester, 

 Conn., consists of piece-dyed, yarn-dyed, printed, jacquard, and pile 

 goods, samples of raw and thrown silk, and specimens illustrating 

 processes in the manufacture of spun silk yarn. The series showing 

 the utilization of silk wastes in the manufacture of spun silk yarns 

 is of special interest as this branch of the industry is but little known 

 by the general public. The samples of dress silks comprise the 

 finest quahties of satins, foulards, taffetas, ottomans, bengalines, 

 chiffons, voiles, crapes, etc., while the drapery silks include broch^s, 

 armures, satin damasks, fine reproductions of antique brocades, 

 reproductions of Venetian velvets, etc. The National Silk Dyeing 

 Company, of Paterson, N. J., contributed a collection of silk fabrics 

 and yarns which has been arranged to show the application of color 

 to silk and illustrate skein and piece dyeing and surface and warp 

 printing of silks. It includes skeins of thrown silk arranged in a 

 carefully graduated series of 150 shades. The Bureau of Entomology 

 of the Department of Agriculture deposited a series of silk cocoons 

 and raw silk, and a few models of appliances used in rearing silk- 



