50 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



against 3,622 last year and 3,036 in the previous year. 

 Work on pentosans, fiber, starch, sugar and fat, and on the 

 availability of organic nitrogen, not included in the above, 

 has been done for the Association of Official A<2:ricultural 

 Chemists. In addition, 13 candidates have been examined 

 and given certificates to operate Babcock machines in cream- 

 eries and milk depots, and 2,344 pieces of glassware have 

 been tested for accuracy. 



C. Character of Chemical Work. 



(a) Water. 



This division during the past year has endeavored to 

 make sanitary analj^ses of drinking water, so far as time 

 and means would permit. Samples were received not only 

 from farmers, but from persons following various trades and 

 professions. They were practically all from wells, springs 

 and ponds, in towns not provided with a public water supply. 

 A few were of excellent quality, many of fair quality only, 

 others quite suspicious, while some were entirely unfit for 

 use. A number of samples were found to contain lead, due 

 to the use of lead pipe. Drinking water thus polluted re- 

 sults in serious cases of lead poisoning. All parties are 

 cautioned never to use lead pipe to conduct -water intended 

 for drinhing or cooking purposes. 



It has been the custom, ever since the establishment of 

 the Massachusetts Experiment Station, in 1882, to make 

 sanitary analyses of drinking water free of cost to citizens 

 of Massachusetts. Because of the increase of other lines of 

 w^ork, and the limited funds available, it has become neces- 

 sary to make a small charge for each sample of water ex- 

 amined. Acting under instructions from the Experiment 

 Station committee, the following regulations have been 

 adopted : — 



After Jan. 1, 1903, there will be a charge of thi-ee dollars for 

 each sample of water tested at this station. This charge is in- 

 tended to simply cover the cost of the chemist's time and the 

 gas and chemicals employed in the examination. Heretofore, 

 to aid in promoting the public health, sanitary aualj^ses of drink- 

 ing water have been made free of cost to citizens of Massachu- 

 setts, although the station has iu no way been required by law 



