72 
Pathological Collections, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
The failure to provide an herbarium assistant in the Cryp- 
togamic Herbarium in 1923 was a serious handicap. Very little 
progress was made in mounting and arranging the Bubak collec- 
tion which was noted in the report for last year, so that this 
valuable herbarium has not yet been made available for ready 
examination and comparison of specimens. Further, it was not 
possible to prepare duplicates of our collection for exchange with 
other institutions or individuals, except that a few specimens of 
smuts were sent to Mr. George L. Zundel, Washington State 
Agricultural College. It is very important that provision be made 
for an assistant at as early a date as possible so that the Cryp- 
togamic Herbarium may be given proper care. Provision should 
also be made for additional steel cases for holding the collection 
as the present ones are overcrowded, to the detriment of the 
specimens. 
Respectfully submitted, 
GEORGE M. Reep, 
Curator of Plant Pathology. 
REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN FOR 1923 
Dr. C. Stuart GaGer, Director. 
Str: I have the honor to submit herewith my report as librarian 
for the year ending December 31, 1923. 
In an analysis of the work of the past year, it is gratifying to 
report definite progress in various phases of the work. How- 
ever, this progress, in the form of a larger current serial file, to 
mention one instance only, increases the amount of routine work 
so that with no more assistance in the department, work of an- 
other sort necessarily lags. While our figures for accessions, 
current serials received, and bindery work exceed those of 1922, 
the cataloguing of a recent large purchase has not been completed. 
Accessions 
The 1923 accessions are 1,219 vols., 629 pamphlets and 10,434 
parts of publications as compared with 988 vols., 556 pamphlets 
and 6,033 parts for 1922. 
