38 THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 



machinery and under the supervision of experts, will be 

 made tests, for instance, of samples of foreign woods for the 

 purpose of ascertaining their availability for certain uses. 

 The scientific laboratories of botany and zoology and 

 those of technology in connection with the museums are 

 doing excellent work in the study of economic samples. 



A department, fully as invaluable to the American 

 manufacturer as any of the others, is that in which are 

 displayed samples of foreign manufacturers. This display 

 consists of a complete collection of manufactured articles 

 which certain countries, notably those of Spanish America, 

 Australia, South Africa, etc., do not produce themselves and 

 which they must necessarily purchase elsewhere. An 

 inspection of this department will show an American 

 manufacturer just what these countries buy and where 

 they buy. 



A Bureau of Information is maintained whose object is 

 to make a special study of foreign commerce, compile all 

 data relative thereto, and make it available to the manu- 

 facturer or consumer in as concise and definite a form as 

 possible. The bureau is located on the third floor, and a 

 force of men and women is actively engaged in compiling 

 the data, arranging indexes and getting things in shape.* 



A libraryt is maintained in connection with the Bureau 

 of Information, where business directories, trade and com- 

 mercial publications, books of reference, etc., from all parts 

 of the world are kept constantly on file. The library 

 is receiving between 400 and 500 of the best trade publi- 

 cations from England, France, Germany and the United 

 States, over fifty of them coming from London alone. 



* See Ledger, February 19, 1896. 



t Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2, 1896. 



