58 THE BUREAU OF SCIENCE 



fertilizing, irrigating, and cultivating need further study. The 

 various problems in cane culture can be solved only by trial with 

 careful chemical analysis of the soil and chemical analysis of the 

 cane to determine the purity, fiber, and tonnage. 



Restriction of useless routine work. — I called attention to the 

 desirability of eliminating useless routine work on page 14 of 

 my annual report for the year ending June 30, 1913, and also in 

 response to a question of the committee appointed on July 10, 

 1913, by his Excellency, the Governor-General, "What provisions 

 of law, regulations, or requirements of other bureaus cause you 

 unnecessary expense?" 



The following will illustrate what might be done in this line. 

 The amoebae which multiply in surface water are incapable of 

 living as parasites in the intestines of man, and consequently are 

 not concerned in the production of dysentery. It follows that 

 the mere presence or absence of amoebae has little sanitary signi- 

 ficance, and the examination should be omitted where practicable. 

 The purity of a paint does not fix its value as a protective coating, 

 the percentage of chlorine does not establish the potability of 

 water, and the bacteria count of water several hours in transit 

 to the laboratory, unless packed on ice, has no value. Many re- 

 quests for routine work are founded on a false impression of the 

 value of the specified test. We are expected from the examina- 

 tion of individual samples and from the results obtained to draw 

 conclusions which would be justified only after extended inves- 

 tigation and without which the analyses have no significance. 

 On the other hand, requests for elaborate investigations are some- 

 times received when simple tests would suffice if the problems 

 were made clear. Frequently the problem is of momentary in- 

 terest and relatively little value and requires time and energy 

 which should be available for more important results. My en- 

 deavors to discourage requests for analyses and examinations of 

 doubtful value have not always been successful. With our 

 reduced staff, unimportant routine work should not be done. 



Tables showing the routine work performed and supplies 

 manufactured and disposed of during the half year from July 1 

 to December 31, 1913, and during the calendar year 1914, by the 

 Bureau of Science, and a financial statement showing the appro- 

 priation and how it was expended are attached hereto. 



Alvin J. Cox, 

 Director, Bureau of Science. 



To the Honorable, 



The Secretary of the Interior. 



