No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 213 



The 1915 session of the General Assembly passed laws regulating 

 the sale of paint, putty and turpentine and lime, the enforcement of 

 which liaving been delegated to the Secretary of Agriculture necessi- 

 tated making arrangements for the proper laboratory equipment to 

 analyze samples and carry out the provisions of the.se acts. As 

 additional laboratory space could not be furnished in the Capitol 

 where the Department chemical laboratories had been established 

 for a number of years, the Board of Public Grounds and Buildings 

 remodeled a building in the Capitol I'ark Extension area for labora- 

 tories and offices for the Bureau of Chemistry. Considerable time, 

 therefore, was given to making plans and provisions for equipping 

 the laboratories, to properly carry on the various lines of work. 

 Early in isoveniber arrangements were made to move the equipment 

 and install the same in the new quarters and by December the appa- 

 ratus and office equipment had been installed and placed in work- 

 ing condition. There were a number of weeks during this period 

 when it was impossible to do any chemical work and accordingly 

 the collection of samples by the Special Agents was discontinued 

 for a short time, the Special Agents and Assistant Chemists assist- 

 ing in moving and installing the apparatus and getting ready for 

 continuing the work in the present quarters. In addition to the 

 offices, we now have a laboratory especially equipped for the analy- 

 sis of paints, oils, turpentines and putties and laboratories for the 

 analysis of feeding stutfs, lime, seeds and additional space for any 

 other work which may be given to the Bureau to do. It was neces- 

 sary to install additional equipment for the analysis of paints and 

 lime and preparations have been made for carrying out the pro- 

 visions of these new laws and to do as much work as is possible with 

 the funds which have been provided. The enforcement of the law 

 regulating the sale of paints made it necessary for a number of con- 

 ferences to be held with paint manufacturers with respect to label- 

 ing. As a result of a conference held during November a ruling was 

 agreed upon by the Department officials and representatives of the 

 Paint Manufacturers Association, to the effect that all painting ma- 

 terials which had been reduced by the addition of "extenders" 

 sliDuld be labeled "Compound." Circular letters were issued to the 

 trade giving this ruling and requesting labels to be submitted for 

 examination. Many of these labels have already been received and 

 placed on tile and from what work has thus far been accomplished, 

 it appears that the manufacturers are co-operating with the De- 

 partment in carrying out the provisions of the paint law. 



The work of moving and preparing for additional duties has not 

 seriously interfered with the ordinary routine of the Bureau, and 

 as the average number of samples of feeding stuffs, linseed oil and 

 seeds have been analyzed and the inspection work carried on in as 

 thorough a maimer as was possible with the funds available for this 

 work. The amount of money, .|3,000, appropriated for the enforce- 

 ment of the paint law^ is entirely too small to properly carry on 

 this work and should be materially increased, if the inspection of 

 paints throughout the State is to be properly carried on. The 

 amount of money appropriated for the feeding stuffs work for the 

 fiscal two year period was .f20.000 instead of §80,000, the amount 

 of the previous period. This reduction in the appropriation for en- 



