REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 



Unitkd States Departjient of Agriculture. 



Bureau of Chemistry. 

 Washington, D. C ., September 16, 1922. 



Sir : I submit herewith the report of the Avork of the Bureau of 

 Chemistr}' for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1922, and recommend 

 that it be piinted in the usual manner. 

 ResiDectfully, 



W. G. Campbell, Acting Chi>ef. 

 Hon. Henry C. Wallace. 



Seci'etary of Agricultuy'e. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The activities of the Bureau of Chemistry may be classified for 

 easy consideration into three broad groups which, although fairly 

 well defined, are so closely correlated in some instances that 

 there is no distinct line of demarcation, but rather a merging or 

 supplementing of the activities in the one group by those in the 

 other two. These three groups may be designated (1) research in 

 agricultural ciiemistrv: (2) the npplicatiou of chemistry to produc- 

 tion and the utilization of agricultural products— that is, agricul- 

 tural chemical technology; (3) the enforcement of certain regulatory 

 statutes which frec^uently either gives form to the results obtained 

 in the other two groups or influences the activities of those groups 

 b}- revealing problems Avhich it is their function to solve. 



The fiscal year 1922 has been one of stock taking and realignment 

 of certain activities, especially in Groups 1 and 2, one of those occa- 

 sional but exceedingly important readjustment periods which come 

 in the life of every healthy, progressive organization when the evi- 

 dence obtained from preliminary work in a particular field indicates 

 the probability of obtaining immediate worth-while results so 

 clearly as to dictate an administrative policy of concentration of 

 effort and even a brigading of otherwise independent units to accom- 

 plish the desired results. HoAvever. where funds are limited this 

 must of necessity curtail activities in some already established lines 

 of work or postpone active consideration of contemplated, and per- 

 haps equally as important, lines of work. 



In Group 3 the fiscal year 1922 marked the complete installation of 

 a system for handling the Avork in connection with the enforcement 

 (if the Federal food and drugs act on a project basis. Avhich enables 

 all units of the organization to Avork in unison toward a common end 

 with the minimum expenditure of time and funds. 



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