318 



STATE AID 



The Bureau of Plant Industry deals chiefly with combating 

 plant diseases of all kinds a work of very great economic import- 

 ance (Fig. 57). It also deals with crop acclimatization and fiber- 

 plant investigations, sugar plant studies, cereal investigations, 

 seed testing, foreign seed and plant introduction, and with "free 

 seed distribution." The last-named function is one which the 

 farmers are asking to have discontinued. 



FIG. 57. Testing out a new spray. 



The Forest Service has charge of the utilization, protection 

 (Fig. 58) and development of the National Forests, now comprising 

 hundreds of millions of acres. The work also covers investigations 

 into methods of preserving timber, testing of woods, and educa- 

 tional work in matters of forestry. 



The Bureau of Chemistry devotes about half its energy to 

 enforcement of the Food and Drug Act (usually called the "pure 

 food law"). Chemical investigations are made for other depart- 

 ments of the government. Its work also touches the bureaus of 

 plant industry and of soils (Fig, 59). 



