REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 35 



to see that the meat and meat food products intended for the Army 

 and Navy contain no harmful substances. 



To insure a safe and sanitary milk supply for the Army canton- 

 ments and naval stations, the dairy specialists of the Department 

 have investigated the local situations and have made suggestions 

 for improvements. The inspection of large quantities of butter 

 for the Navy also has been supervised by the experts of the Dairy 

 Division. 



All supplies of vegetables purchased and loaded on the naval 

 supply ships have been and are being inspected by representatives 

 of the Bureau of Markets. The importance of this work is indi- 

 cated by the fact that it was necessary recently to reject 500,000 

 pounds of diseased potatoes. 



MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES. 



The Office of Home Economics has studied emergency rations for 

 the Army and Navy, as well as general questions relating to rationing 

 for the Coast Guard Service. The Bureau of Chemistry has done con- 

 siderable work for the military and naval services in preparing speci- 

 fications for foods and in analyzing and investigating the products 

 offered to them. It is also assisting these agencies in the standardiza- 

 tion of their food supplies. In addition, the Bureau is conducting 

 research investigations on the antiseptic qualities of some important 

 compounds, which may be very useful to the Army and Navy Medical 

 Corps. 



The Bureau of Entomology has placed its experts in entomology, 

 as well as all information on camp sanitation in its possession, at 

 the disposal of the Medical Corps. The Bureau of Soils has 

 cooperated effectively with the War Department in investigational 

 work relating to fixed nitrogen and sulphuric acid. Experts of the 

 Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering have been detailed to 

 assist the War Department in road building at the 16 cantonments, 

 and valuable data have been placed by this Office at the disposal of 

 the military authorities. 



FOREST-PRODUCTS INVESTIGATIONS. 



The emergency work in the field of forest products has assumed 

 large proportions. The entrance of the United States into the war 

 presented a host of new problems requiring solution. Standards and 



