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REPORT OF THE HONORARY CURATOR OF 
THE ECONOMIC COLLECTION 
Dr. N. L. Britron, Direcror-1n-CHIEF. 
Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report for 
the year 1908. 
Five hundred specimens have been added to the economic 
collection during the year, a number of which are of particu- 
lar interest and value. 
Messrs. Merck & Co. have contributed a collection of 120 
plant products which represent the sources of most of the 
plant principles previously donated by them. A description 
of this donation was printed in the August number of the 
JournaL. The entire collection in now exhibited in one set 
of cases, the several proximate principles being grouped 
about the crude substances from which they are respectively 
derived. This exhibit constitutes one of the most highly in- 
structive features of this museum. 
It is a very interesting fact that the same year that marks 
the complete installation of this important study-collection of 
products of living plants should bring to us a nearly complete 
collection of varnish resins, most of them fossils. This is the 
gift of Mr. A. P. Bjerregaard, of Mineola, N. Y., and com- 
prises 212 specimens. Not only is nearly every variety of 
varnish-resin included, but most of them are represented by 
an extended series of specimens. 
The economic collections made for us by Messrs. Weiss & 
Schmidt, on the upper Rio Negro, referred to in my last re- 
port, numbering fifty museum-specimens, with the accom- 
panying herbarium material, have been received. We have 
not as yet been able to study these specimens, and cannot 
now report upon their economic value. 
A lecture was delivered in our spring course on ‘* Adulter- 
ants in Foods and Drugs.” A collection of such adulterated 
articles has been commenced, some 30 specimens of powdered 
drugs having been obtained. Special efforts will be made to 
