REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 



123 



in cases of imperfect nutrition. Those desiring to study tlie tlierapeutic 

 action of kumys should consult the monographs of Biel,* Stahlberg,t 

 Landowski,! Tymowski.§ 



Xotes on samples of kmnys anahjzed 'by tJie Division of Chemistry. 



EEPOKT O THEX OTTAWA EXPERIMENTS. 



I submit herewith a report of tlie experiments made by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture in the manufacture of sugar from sorghum at 

 Ottawa, Kansas, during the season of 1885. 



It may be of interest to jou to know wliat had been done in the mat- 

 ter before you took office. The appropriation bill for the Department 

 of Agriculture for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1884, approved June 

 5, 1884, contained an item of 850,000 for "necessary expenses in con- 

 ducting experiments, including experiments in the manufacture of sugar 

 from sorghum and other vegetable plants." About the end of June, 

 1884, the Commi.ssioner of Agriculture informed me that he had deter- 

 mined to try the process of diffusion on sorghum cane in Kansas during 

 the season of 1884. At that time (the appropriations could not be used 

 until July 1) 1 represented to the Commissioner that it would be im- 

 possible to buUd and erect an apparatus by September 1, the time 

 when the manufacturing season would open. I suggested that the 

 whole subject be carefully investigated, trials made with different forms 

 of cane-slicers, and apparatus prepared for the season of 1885. This 

 view did not meet with the approval of the Commissioner, who ex- 

 pressed a desire to comply as speedily as possible with the wish of 

 Congress to have the experiments made. Accordingly, at his request, 

 representatives of two manufacturing firms, viz, the Colwell Iron 

 Com])any, of New York, and the Pusey & Jones Company, of "Wilming- 

 ton, Del., came to Washington and conferred with him in respect to the 

 matter. The Colwell Company refused to undertake the work at all, 

 and the Pusey & Jones Company agreed to try it and deliver the ap- 

 paratus by September 15, provided the order was given prior to July 

 10. In spite of the fact that the company did not undertake to finish 

 the battery until after the manufacturing season would have begun, 

 and that two or three months at least would have been required for the 

 shipment and erection of the apparatus, the order was given July 14, 

 1884, to go ahead with the construction of the apparatus. The Com- 

 missioner requested me to aid the contractors as much as possible in 

 securing an outfit suitable for the purpose, but no time was afforded to 

 elaborate plans, since work had to be commenced at once in order that 

 the api)aratus be ready at the time specified. 1 had little hope of suc- 



* Untersuchnngen iiber den Kumys nnd den Stoffweclisel vriihrend der Kumyskur. 

 t Kumys, seine physiologisclie und therapeutische Wu'kung. St. Petersburg. 

 i Du kumys et de son rdle tlidrapeutique. 

 ( Zur physio] ogischen und therapeutisclien Bedeutung des Kumys. Miinchen. 



