652 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



boll weevil, various new, so-called remedies have appeared on the 

 market. The board has attempted to collect all of these, with the 

 idea of submitting them to analysis and test. This is a tremendous 

 undertaking, and it will probably take several years' work before 

 this situation is cleaned up and worthless preparations driven off the 

 market. In fact, this work can not be carried to completion with our 

 present funds, but must be pursued on a small scale until further 

 funds can be obtained from Congress. 



There have been a number of preparations encountered during the 

 year which are represented to be effective against chicken lice and 

 mites when fed to chickens with their food or water. Tests that 

 have been completed so far have shown the ineffectiveness of these 

 preparations, and the board has recommended action against the 

 manufacturers. 



The campaign inaugurated in 1919 and involving the inspection 

 of the domestic supply of calcium arsenate used for cotton-boll wee- 

 vil control was continued during the fiscal year 1923, and it was found 

 that the composition of this article was growing more constant and 

 satisfactory from the point of view of control and lack of burning 

 qualities. However, enough of the offgrade material continues on 

 the market to demand our attention. 



One of the outstanding new features of our control work during 

 the past year was the investigation of large shipments of calcium 

 arsenate sent in from abroad. Up to the present year no calcium ar- 

 senate had been imported, but this year some large shipments came 

 from Germany and England. Investigation showed that some of the 

 shipments were satisfactory, while others consisted of a very poor 

 grade of calcium arsenate that was irregular in composition and 

 contained enough water-soluble arsenic to cause the product to be 

 seriously injurious to cotton. Unsatisfactory shipments of calcium 

 arsenate were, of course, excluded from the country. 



The campaign designed to improve the quality and labeling of 

 Bordeaux mixture and Bordeaux-lead arsenate was continued during 

 the fiscal year 1923 and the labels for most of these preparations 

 brought in entire conformity with law. Work was continued on 

 new brands of these preparations appearing on the market and on 

 old brands in those cases in which it will be probably necessary to 

 take action against the manufacturers under the provisions of the 

 law to bring about satisfactory corrections of their labels. 



The campaign against so-called pine-oil disinfectants and coal-tar 

 dips and disinfectants adulterated with mineral oil started in 1921, 

 was continued during the fiscal year 1923, with the result that this 

 form of adulteration has been greatly reduced. This campaign will 

 be continued from year to year. 



The campaign against adulterated and misbranded disinfectants 

 of various kinds has been continued throughout the year. Special 

 attention has been given to pine-oil disinfectants sold for general 

 disinfecting purposes, whereas tests had shown that the material was 

 not effective except against a limited class of germs, paradicliloro- 

 benzene powders and blocks, erroneously sold as disinfectants, and 

 many new disinfectants which have appeared on the market. A 

 great improvement has been brought about, but not such an improve- 

 ment as to warrant the abandonment of the campaign. 



