104 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.43 



vention and suppression in the National Forests of the Pacific Coast 

 and Rocky Mountains. The bulk of the appropriation is, as usual, 

 to be used in the administration, protection, and development of 

 the National Forests, which it is of interest to note returned in 

 receipts for the fiscal year 1919 $4,358,414.86. There were decreases 

 from $45(),()()0 to $40U,()()0 in the funds for forest improvement work, 

 from $145,640 to $120,640 for tree planting on the National Forests, 

 from $107,000 to $87,000 for land classification and entry surveys, 

 and from $78,728 to $50,000 for silvicultural investigations. The 

 last-named of these reductions will necessitate the closing of three 

 of the four forest experiment stations in the western National For- 

 ests, and the abandonment of most of the maintenance and reproduc- 

 tion studies now under way in the East and South. On the other 

 hand, the item for forest products investigations was enlarged from 

 $173,260 to $223,260, thus allowing further development of box 

 tests and studies of the drying of woods, treatments to prevent losses 

 by decay and fire, reduction of waste in lumber manufacture, and 

 increased efficiency in pulp and paper making. 



The Bureau of Chemistry received $1,333,591, a net decrease of 

 $57,980. The appropriation for enforcing the Federal Food and 

 Drug Act was reduced $30,000, although, in the words of the Secre- 

 tary Meredith, " even w^ith the present appropriation, the Depart- 

 ment has been able to maintain the enforcement of that important 

 law only with great difficulty and through the practice of the most 

 rigid economy. With the reduced amount provided for next year 

 and constantly increasing costs of operation, it will be necessary to 

 cut down the force to such a point that the food and drugs consumed 

 by the j^eople of this country can not be safeguarded with the usual 

 measure of thoroughness." 



A new paragraph transfers to the Department the enforcement of 

 the Federal Tea-Importation Act with an appropriation of $40,000. 

 This law, which antedates the Food and Drugs Act, is designed to 

 prevent the importation of impure and unwholesome tea and has been 

 under the jurisdiction of the Treasury Department. The transfer 

 thus unifies the Federal inspection of imported foods. 



A reduction of $31,020, or over thirty per cent, was made in the 

 bureau's allotment for studies of coloring materials. The appro- 

 priations for poultry and fish investigations were combined, with a 

 net decrease of $10,000. An increase of $3,000 was granted for 

 studies of sirup manufacture, and authorit}^ was given to use $7,500 

 in experiments in the production of sirups, sugar, starch, dextrins, 

 and other products from the sweet potato. 



There is an increase from $191,235 to $542,215 for the Bureau of 

 Soils. Of this, $192,900, a net increase of $67,400, is for the comple- 



