486 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Laboratory methods employed in the offices of Federal Grain vSiiper- 

 vision have been improved and standardized and additional labora- 

 tory equipment, including improved analysis tables and grain probes, 

 has been installed. 



During the fiscal year 1918, a total of 6,433 wheat and corn samples 

 received from the 35 offices of Federal Grain Supervision were re- 

 viewed at Washington, D. C, to determine the accuracy of analysis, 

 classification, and grading by licensed inspectors. Where correc- 

 tions were necessary they were made and the samples were returned 

 to the office from w^ich received. 



Eighty sets of types of corn were prepared, showing various de- 

 grees of damage and of color, 240 sets of types of wheat showing 

 various degrees of damage, color, and texture, and 40 sets, each con- 

 taining 49 varieties of wheat. These sets were distributed among 

 the various field offices and have been found very useful in pro- 

 moting uniformity of classification. 



ADMINISTRATION OF THE UNITED STATES WAREHOUSE ACT. 



During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1918, much progress was 

 made in the investigations necessary as a preliminary to the admin- 

 istration of the United States warehouse act. Conditions governing 

 the storage of cotton, tobacco, and grains were studied and lists ot 

 warehouses available for the . storage of such products were com- 

 piled. Much information has been obtained regarding storage 

 capacities and construction of warehouses, and the business methods, 

 insurance rates, charges, and forms of warehouse receipts employed 

 by warehouse managers and operators. These investigations were 

 conducted in connection with those mentioned under "Cotton Ware- 

 housing Investigations." 



Kules and regulations have been made to govern the procedure of 

 cotton warehouses licensed imder the warehouse act, and the neces- 

 sary forms of application for licenses have been distributed on request. 

 Numerous inquiries regarding the act have been received from 

 warehousemen and others and it is expected that licenses will be 

 issued in the immediate future. Tentative regulations also have 

 been prepared covering the operation of tobacco and grain ware- 

 houses and considerable progress has been made with investigations 

 preliminary to the establishment of tobacco standards. Investiga- 

 tional work with reference to the storage of wool also has been 

 commenced. 



The administration of the warehouse act is supervised by Messrs. 

 D. S. Murph and R. L. Nixon. 



ENFORCEMENT OF THE UNITED STATES STANDARD CONTAINER ACT. 



The enforcement of the United States standard container act, 

 which became effective November 1, 1917, is supervised by Messrs. 

 W. M. Scott and C. T. More, assisted by Mr. F. P. Downing. The 

 requirements of this act have been such as to reduce considerably 

 the diversity of fruit and vegetable containers formerly used, and 

 have brought about the standardization of several important shipping 

 packages, including climax baskets, berry boxes, repacking tills, and 

 four-basket peach and tomato baskets, and the six-basket carrier titls. 

 Except in a few cases where manufacturers and shippers were over- 



