EDITORIAL. 805 



gardens and grounds. The total appropriation for the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry represents an increase of 861,900 over the combined appro- 

 priations for the previous j^ear of the divisions associated in it. A new 

 feature of the botanical investigations is the study of useful plants of 

 the tropica] territory of the United States, together with plants likely 

 to be of value for introduction into those sections. Furthermore, inves- 

 tigations are to be made on " the varieties of wheat and other cereals 

 grown in the United States and suitable for introduction, in order to 

 standardize the naming of varieties as a basis for experimental work of 

 the State experiment stations and as an assistance in commercial grad- 

 ing;" and in cooperation with the Bureau of Chemistry the cause of 

 deterioration of export grain, particularh" in oceanic transit, is to be 

 investigated, together with means of preventing such loss. Special 

 mention is made in the appropriations for this bureau of the employ- 

 ment of scientific aids, a class of emploj'ees drawn from the Agricultural 

 Colleges, which has previously been arranged for in the Department. 



The Bureau of Forestry receives $185,440, an increase of 1105,440 

 over the previous year. The appropriation for the Bureau of Soils is 

 8109,140, which is an increase of §77,840. This is to enable an exten- 

 sion of the tobacco investigations, which remain in charge of this 

 bureau, and the investigation and mapping of soils in the United States. 

 The Bureau of Chemistry receives 835,800, and in addition to its other 

 duties is charged with the investigation of food preservatives and col- 

 oring matters ' ' to determine their relation to digestion and to health 

 and to establish the principles which should guide their use." 



The Weather Bureau receives increased appropriation for general 

 maintenance, and 846,000 for the erection and equipment of buildings 

 in six different places, and for laying a cable between the mainland and 

 Tatoosh Island, Washington, making the total appropriation 81,148,320. 

 The maintenance fund of the Bureau of Animal Industry is increased 

 850,000, and the inspection work is extended to include dairy prod- 

 ucts intended for exportation to foreign countries. Such products, 

 the same as meats, may be marked, stamped, or labeled, so as to secure 

 their identity and indicate their purity, qualitv, and grade. This is 

 an entireh" new provision, which it is hoped will tend to place Ameri- 

 can dairy products on a better footing in foreign markets. An appro- 

 priation of 825,000 is made, in addition to one of 850,000 last year, for 

 animal quarantine stations, giving a total for the bureau of 81,154,030. 



The appropriations for agricultural experiment stations has reached 

 the sum of 8789,000, including 833,000 for the Office of Experiment 

 Stations, as heretofore, and 812,000 each for stations in Alaska, 

 Hawaii, and Porto Rico. The Hawaii station will be located near 

 Honolulu on a Government reservation originally set apart by the 

 provisional government for the use of an experiment station. It is 

 intended to make the work there supplementary to that of the experi- 



