900 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 311. 



examined for the discovery of a method 

 whereby it may be detected when sold un- 

 der another name. Very little of it seems 

 to be sold in the United States, whether 

 under its own name or any other name. 

 Active cooperation has been had with other 

 bodies, notably the Pure Food Congress, in 

 an effort to secure legislation on the subject 

 of food adulterations. National legislation 

 on the subject is urged as essential to sup- 

 plement and make efBcient the work done 

 in the several States. The sugar-beet work 

 has been prosecuted with vigor and intelli- 

 gence. Foreign food products introduced 

 into this country have been the subject of 

 careful study. The results are confidential 

 and are used for the information of the 

 authorities of this country controlling im- 

 ported food products. Cooperation of the 

 chief chemist has been invited in several 

 other directions and always cheerfully ex- 

 tended. So, also, there has been coop- 

 eration with the other divisions of the De- 

 partment where chemical work has been 

 necessary. 



DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY. 



Most satisfactory reports are received 

 from California as the result of the entomo- 

 logical work in the introduction of the insect 

 which fertilizes the Smyrna fig. la one 

 locality more than six tons of Smyrna figs 

 have been produced. The result will be to 

 make America a grand competitor in the 

 fig trade of the world's markets. An im- 

 portant parasite has been introduced to 

 prey upon the olive scale, so injurious to 

 the olive growers of California. From 

 Natal a fungous disease has been intro- 

 duced by which injurious swarms of locusts 

 have been destroyed. Efforts have been 

 made to introduce European parasites of 

 the gypsy moth. 



DIVISION OF BOTANY. 



The results of seed testing are declared 

 to be satisfactory and to have greatly im- 



proved the quality of the seed distribution 

 by Congress, Further improvement, how- 

 ever, is necessary in purity of stock or 

 trueness to name. As the new seeds and 

 plants introduced from foreign countries 

 demonstrate their adaptability, they will 

 become available for Congressional distri- 

 bution. Experts of the Division had been 

 studying plants poisonous to stock in Mon- 

 tana, and a report on the subject will be 

 soon forthcoming. Valuable experiments 

 will be conducted upon the ground set aside 

 for the use of the Department on the Poto- 

 mac Flats at Washington. Especial atten- 

 tion is called to experiments with American 

 clover seed, which have shown that the 

 American seeds are decidedly more valu- 

 able than the European. 



SECTION OF SEED AND PLANT INTRODUCTION. 



Seed and plant introduction receives ex- 

 tensive notice, special stress being laid upon 

 the importations of cereals, including the 

 macaroni wheats of Southern Europe, of 

 grasses and forage plants and of vegetables 

 which have already demonstrated their 

 value. The Kiushu rice introduced from 

 Japan has already added 1,000,000 bushels 

 annually to the Louisiana rice crop. The 

 successful introduction of date trees in 

 Arizona is another valuable achievement. 

 In concluding this subject Secretary Wilson 

 cites the introduction of wheats from Eus- 

 sia, Hungary and Austria, greatly exceed- 

 ing in yield our present varieties, and 

 points out that if, as the result of these in- 

 troductions, the wheat yield of the United 

 States should be increased by but one 

 bushel per acre, this would mean at the 

 farm price for wheat in 1899, an addition of 

 $26,000,000 to the income of our farmers. 



DIVISION OF VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND 

 PATHOLOGY. 



This work is now divided into five im- 

 portant branches, namely, plant pathology, 



