444 
this country. We may congratulate our- 
selves that it has been entrusted to our past 
president, Dr. C. H. Munroe, whose tastes 
and training have so admirably fitted him 
for the delicate and difficult task submitted 
to him. But we have in the figures pre- 
pared by the Bureau of Statistics of the 
United States Treasury most significant 
data regarding the progress made during 
this closing decade of the closing century. 
From this source we learn that of products 
classified as chemicals, drugs and medicines, 
we imported during the year ending June 
30, 1890, to the value of $41,601,978, 
while for the year ending June 30, 1900, 
this value had become $52,931.055. Most 
of the materials represented in these figures 
entered into consumption in industries, 
based wholly or in part upon the applica- 
tions of chemistry. We cannot enter into 
the details of these statistics, but we may 
consider with interest and profit a few 
figures relating to some well known indus- 
tries, and which are instructive in this con- 
nection as showing the variations which 
have occurred during the decade. 
Chemicals imported in 1890 and 1900 
respectively : 
1890. 1900. 
Caustic soda................000eee $1,470,335 $158,793 
Soda ash..............c0..csereenoee 3,493, 288 665,104 
Potash, Chlorate of............... 238,840 102,337 
Soda, sf SE DoonbS0N0e0 93,076 
Lime, Chloride of................ 1,385,080 1,461,858 
(GUREREN@saccaoqnonsanc0cbo 05056000 928,935 2,138,670 
Alizarine Colors. .........-..00.00. 358, 882 771,336 
Coal tar colors and dyes........ 1,787,553 4,792,103 
Other coal tar prod.............. 397,780 
Milk, Sugar of................006 46,510 399 
(CAE CC cr ecodoossacsseddsqooqanea00n00 7,411,343 4,038,753 
Bark and extracts for tanning ..............-.seceeseenseeees 
ST jif)>-< noogoonoosesuoopccouapacdoASéood accjSogdGERcESGOEDNRCS 550000 
THEO abies nacoononcadcq000g 26000006 o5acoDadonccoQNONd HOO NcOODSRAGNS 
(CINCY Ese cn. Soa doonaticanac oncbanbacocxoeoponcooCUSbanEnADgdONEaaCCeORCO 
CellWloid).c. cse ccc cuss vavescesesecescdovesecontineccaenetencesse 
JX 1G Sinan beunnpeeeppnccoqeaned 00000) adooodooaduanaccéododonn000000 
INGE FOO Chae EA Moo. GaobbecconrocGaho .bacd0Ge 20060NCe0000000 
CoppertSalphaterofivessccmseucecsaanssvaesetteccseetestemcctin 
SCIENCE. 
[N.S. Vou. XIII. No. 325. 
The figures indicate enormous growth of 
the alkali industry in the United States dur- 
ing the decade and show that in this branch 
of industry we are entirely independent, as 
regards supplies, of foreign producers. The 
figures for glycerine show the possibilities 
of expansion of another industry, while 
the almost astounding growth of the impor- 
tations of alizarine and coal tar products 
and dyes indicates the necessity for the 
further development and utilization of our 
own sources of crude materials of like char- 
acter and the extension of that already be- 
gun. Therapid growth of the establishment 
of the by-product coke ovens reveals great 
possibilities in this direction, and it must 
be disappointing if the characteristic enter- 
prise fails to take advantage of these possi- 
bilities. 
If the importations of chemical products 
are interesting and indicate great activity 
and growth in the industry, the figures for 
the exportation of similar products are even 
more significant. Wesubmit figures for the 
years ending June 30, 1890, and June 30, 
1900, respectively, including in the table 
some data for 1876, the year of the organi- 
zation of our Society. To have predicted 
these results in the beginning of the quarter- 
century would have invited incredulity, 
but so also would predictions regarding the 
advances to be made in other lines of hu- 
man industry. The figures are worthy of 
careful study. 
Values of exports of domestic products of 
the chemical industries for the years ending 
June 30, 1876, June 30, 1890, and June 30, 
1900, respectively : 
1876. 1890. 1900. 
$223,276 $263, 754 $376, 742 
17,927 91,913 
81,401 238,391 880,049 
229,311 143,073 191,687 
39,004 174,264 
50,300 98,084 146,722 
15,597 26,211 49,566 
2,120,745 
