594 ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



eluding samples of cattle and poultry foods, both foreign and do- 

 mestic, examined under the provisions of the food and drugs act, as 

 well as samples taken and examined for the solving of various eco- 

 nomic problems, such as the feeding value of forage crops and the 

 composition and value of various grains and cereals. A large num- 

 ber of samples were examined for the Bureau of Plant Industry in 

 pursuance of their study of the deterioration of corn in storage. 

 Studies of various methods of determining the constituents of cattle 

 food and grains and improvements in apparatus were made. 



Five hundred and four samples were taken in connection with the 

 pure food and drugs act; of these 89 were found to be adulterated 

 or misbranded. The distribution of the total number of samples 

 analyzed was as follows: 



Imported cattle foods and grains 2 



Domestic cattle foods and grains 502 



Miscellaneous cattle foods and grains 729 



Total 1,233 



The distribution showing cooperative work is as follows: 



War Department 93 



Agriculture Department : 



Forest Service 13 



Bureau of Plant Industry 692 



Bureau of Animal Industry 9 



Other laboratories of the Bureau of Chemistry 18 



Miscellaneous 9 



Trade Wastes Laboratory. 



This laboratory is organized for the purpose of studying the ef- 

 fects of trade wastes on agricultural products, on fruits, and on 

 cattle. Particular attention has in the past been given to the effect 

 of smelter wastes, the work being done at the request of the Depart- 

 ment of Justice and in collaboration with the Forest Service. Dur- 

 ing the past year no work along this line has been requested, so the 

 force engaged therein has been used for other pressing work of the 

 division. A great deal of miscellaneous and hygienic work has been 

 carried on by the different laboratories mentioned above. 



EXAIMINATION OF CONTRACT SUPPLIES. 



The work of the contracts laboratory during the past year has 

 been very similar to that of preceding years. The constant demand 

 for results of examinations at the earliest possible moment leaves 

 little or no time for systematic research. The greater part of the 

 work of the laboratory has been the testing of miscellaneous con- 

 tract supplies and the preparation and modification of specifications. 

 Work has been continued on the study of the properties of rubber 

 goods, with a view of drawing up specifications for this class of 

 material, but the problem is an exceedingly difficult one, and from 

 the unsatisfactory results obtained so far and the great lack of 

 agreement among rubber experts on the proper interpretation of 

 results of tests it has not as yet been deemed advisable to issue any 

 specifications. 



