470 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



with staple length of Ih, If, and If inches and Sea Island cotton of 

 1^, If, and If inches. Standards will be established to cover Amer- 

 ican Upland cotton with staple length from | of an inch to 1^ inches. 

 These standards will be ready for use in connection with the 1919 crop. 



COTTON TESTING. 



On account of the scarcity of linen and the consequent necessity 

 for producing airplane fabric from cotton, the regular work of this 

 project, whicli is directed by Mr. Fred Taylor, was suspended during 

 the fiscal year 1918. Conferences were held between representatives 

 of the Bureau of Standards, of the Department of Commerce, the 

 Bureaus of Plant Industry and Markets, of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, and the Signal Corps of the War Department, and in August, 

 1917, tests were instituted to determine the possibility of using 

 American Egyptian, Sea Island, and regular Egyptian cotton of the 

 Sakellaridis variety for this purpose. The most important factors to 

 be considered were tensile strength, tearing strength, and elasticity. 



At the suggestion of the Signal Corps, two fabrics of entirely 

 different construction were first made the subject of experiment. 

 Various weaves were tested, such as the "basket," "broken twill," 

 and "straight twill." 



Tests have been made to determine the "twist per inch," to be 

 used in single and double-ply 3'arns in order to produce maximum 

 strength with minimum stretch, and the results of this bureau's 

 recommendations have been incorporated in the specifications now 

 being used by the Signal Corps. Tests were made to determine the 

 effect of mercerizing on the strength and elasticity of cotton goods, 

 and experiments were made to determine the kinds of fabrics satis- 

 factory for airplane manufacture, which could be produced in the 

 least time and at the least expense. 



At the request of the Signal Corps, a new line of investigation is 

 being undertaken to determine the best methods of constructing 

 balloon fabrics. No definite conclusions have yet been reached in 

 all of this work on account of the fact that the requirements for 

 airplane fabric change constantly. 



GRAIN STANDARDIZATION. 



When the Federal grades for wheat became effective, most of the 

 energy of those formerly engaged in formulating grain standards 

 was absorbed in assisting with the large amount of regulatory work 

 necessary to put into effect the provisions of the United States grain 

 standards act. The nucleus of a staff to perform investigational 

 work of this kind was kept intact, however, and these activities have 

 now been reorganized for active prosecution. The standards already 

 established are studied constantly to determine the necessity for 

 modifications, and such investigations are made as may be necessary 

 to establish standards for other grains, and to study problems of 

 handling, storage, dockage determination, and milling and baking 

 values. This work is under the direction of Dr. J. W. T. Duvel. 



As a result of study regarding the adaptability of the present corn 

 standards to commercial conditions, they have l)oen slightly changed. 

 The adaptability of the wheat standards also has been studied closely. 



