EEPORT OF XATIOXAL MUSEUM, 1920. 131 



Philippme woods, aii(] in attornptinc" to identity s[)ecinu'ns*fr(»in his 

 own collection. 



Prof. Alfred F. Baikor. Professor of Textile Industries iit Leeds 

 T'niAersity. EngLuid, during his visit to the United States last sum- 

 )uer to study the American ayooI industry, made a special trip to 

 AA'asliington to look o^■er the work being- done in this division. 

 Through the U. S. Consul at Bradford. England, Professor Barker 

 furnished the Xational JMuseum, several years ago, with a fine series 

 of specimens illustrating the manufacture of various wool textiles. 



Numerous visitors made inquiry at the curator's office in search of 

 special information suggested by the exhibits, and made particular 

 use of the technical Ijooks in the sectional library. The curator fur- 

 nished special information on industrial raw materials and the 

 identification of specimens, from time to time during the year, to 

 the Commercial Museum, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania: Salvage 

 Board, Department of Ordnance, War Department : Shipping- 

 Board ; Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of 

 Commerce: Bureaus of Chemistry and Plant Industry. Department 

 of Agriculture. The identification of specimens of fibers and fabrics, 

 gums, resins, seeds, and woods for numerous individuals, both in 

 and out of the Government service, has been a regular part of the 

 AYork of this division. The curator has also furnished the identifica- 

 tion of the cottons and cotton seeds introduced by the Office of For- 

 eign Seed and Plant Introduction and Distribution, Department of 

 Agriculture; and for inquirers outside of the Government service he 

 has supplied information on the following subjects: 



Pure dye silks, manufacture of glucose, use of snow crystals and 

 aboriginal fabrics as motifs in design, methods of Avax resist dyeing 

 for batik work, status of the wool market, the importance of color 

 in manufacturing industries, uses of ivory and the raw commercial 

 products of Africa. 



Bibliographical compilations were supplied on the following sub- 

 jects: Glue manufacture, physical effects of the use of tobacco, his- 

 tory' of rubber and vulcanization, wax resist dj-eing, sewing and 

 costume design, and hand-loom weaving. 



The assi.stant curator, section of wood technology, furnished in- 

 formation to outsiders on the following subjects : Suitability of cer- 

 tain South American woods for cabinet making, production of alcohol 

 from wood Avaste, rope knots and splices, the " big trees " of Australia, 

 process of extraction of tannin from hemlock bark, tree flora of the 

 West Indies, and uses of the cabbage palmetto. He also determined 

 the identification of a inunber of wood specimens. 



The curator was invited to ikdiver a lecture before the Poyal Cana- 

 dian Institute of Toronto, Ontario, on February 2i, lO'JO. This in- 

 vitation was accepted and a lecture on '' The Production and iSIanu- 



