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REPORT OF THE CURATOR OF THE ECONOMIC 



COLLECTIONS. 

 To the Director-in-Chief. 



Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith my report as 

 Curator of the Economic Collections for the year 1900. 



The year has been a successful one in this, as in the other 

 departments of the Garden, both as to the development of 

 the collections and the public interest which has been mani- 

 fested in them. 



Since the presentation of my last report, nearly one-half 

 of our cases have been installed, and most of these are now 

 comfortably filled with exhibits. Detailed lists of these ex- 

 hibits have been regularly published in our Journal under 

 the title "Lists of Accessions." Further information upon 

 this subject has been incorporated in two articles published 

 in our Journal as follows: "The Economic Museum," Vol. 

 1, No. 8, August; "Exhibits in the Economic Museum," 

 No. 9, September. Copies of these two articles are filed, to- 

 gether with this report. Reprints of the same have been 

 extensively and successfully utilized in affording informa- 

 tion to those who have been invited to contribute exhibits. 



Most of the collections received during the past year rep- 

 resent donations, though extensive series have been received 

 in exchange from the Philadelphia Museums and Field 

 Columbian Museum of Chicago. The materials represent a 

 wide variety as to class. The different classes have been 

 separated into special cases or groups of cases, so that a 

 rough classification exists in the museum. This classifica- 

 tion, however, is still to be regarded as temporary. A final 

 and satisfactory one is not practicable until a larger portion 

 of the principal bulk shall have been secured, and deposited 

 in the cases. A great improvement, facilitating inspection 

 by the public, has been made by placing large signs upon 

 the tops of the cases, indicating the general nature of their 

 contents, such as "Sugars," " Starches," " Fixed Oils," 



