1896.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 159 



2. General Work in the Laboratory of the Division 

 or Chemistry. 



The work in the chemical laboratory of the united stations 

 has been divided by a recent vote of the board of trustees 

 between the newly created division of " Foods and Feeding" 

 and the "Division of Chemistry." The separate operation 

 of the two divisions dates from July 1, 1895. The analyses 

 of feeds stuffs, dairy products and well waters made before 

 that date are incorporated in the annual report of Dr. J. B. 

 Lindsey, who by vote of the trustees has been placed in 

 charge of the new division of foods and feeding, which in- 

 cludes in its scope the examination of these substances. 



Aside from the supervision of the inspection of commer- 

 cial fertilizers, the results of which are discussed in a few 

 preceding pages, my attention has been divided between 

 the direction of a series of experiments in the field and 

 vegetation house, introduced some years ago for the purpose 

 of studying the economy of various systems of manuring 

 and raising field and garden crops, and an extensive cor- 

 respondence with farmers and others, asking for information 

 regarding a variety of subjects of interest to them. The 

 description of the former constitutes the first part of this 

 report. The results of the examination of many manurial 

 substances sent on for that purpose in connection with the 

 latter, whenever of general interest, have been published 

 during the past year in the bulletins of the station. They 

 are also recorded in connection with the tabular compilation 

 of analyses of manurial substances which accompanies this 

 report. 



The constantly increasing variety of waste products of 

 many branches of industry within our State and elsewhere 

 which have proved of manurial value, has received for years 

 a serious attention. Both producers and consumers have 

 been materially benefited by this work, which aims to make 

 known the particular fitness of each for manurial purposes, 

 and thereby furnishes a basis for the determination of its 

 commercial value. As a change in the current modes of 

 manufacture of the parent industry is at any time liable to 



