December 20, 1901.] 



SCIENCE. 



957 



past two years. The field work, including 

 preparation of reports, transportation and 

 supplies, has cost an average of $3.26 per 

 square mile, or about 51 cents per hundred 

 acres. A part of the expense has been paid by 

 state organizations, and effective coopera- 

 tion has been had with the stations. The 

 demands for soil survey in various parts of 

 the country continue to be received in ex- 

 cess of the ability of the Bureau to comply. 

 The Secretary enumerates sundry impor- 

 tant results in the work of the survey, but 

 dwells especially upon what has been 

 achieved in connection with tobacco. Es- 

 pecially successful have been the experi- 

 ments made by the Bureau in the growing 

 of a fine type of Sumatra leaf on certain 

 soils in the Connecticut Valley. During 

 the past year nearly 43 acres have been 

 grown under the direct control of the De- 

 partment experts. An interesting feature 

 of the experiment is that the bulk of the 

 cost, estimated at $20,000, has been invested 

 by the farmers themselves, and it is grati- 

 fying to record that their enterprise has 

 been rewarded far beyond their expecta- 

 tions. The recommendations of the De- 

 partment have also been followed in the 

 methods of curing tobacco in Pennsylvania, 

 with the result of effecting a saving from 

 the ravages of the black rot, exceeding one- 

 half million dollars. Urgent demands for 

 assistance in the tobacco industry have 

 reached the Department from Kew York, 

 Wisconsin, Texas and Florida. Eeferring 

 to the reclamation of alkali lands, to which 

 attention has frequently been called in the 

 reports of the soil survey, the Secretary 

 says that he is more and more convinced 

 that to carry the lesson home to the indi- 

 vidual it will be necessary for the Depart- 

 ment itself to undertake a practical demon- 

 stration of the efficiency of drainage. The 

 necessity of a special study of climatology 

 in connection with the soil work is pointed 

 out. " The time has come," says the Secre- 



tary, " when the work should be taken up 

 on a scale commensurate with the extension 

 of at least two or three crop interests. It 

 is certain that the immediate benefit to the 

 farmers will amply repay expenditure." 



WORK OF THE BUREAU OP CHEMISTRY. 



In this Bureau investigations into the 

 composition, nutritive value and adultera- 

 tion of food products have been continued. 

 This work during the year was devoted 

 particularly to the study of preserved meats, 

 the composition and nutritive value of the 

 preserved article being compared with the 

 original, and the preservatives, if any were 

 employed, determined. Food products im- 

 ported into this country, and suspected of 

 adulteration or of containing injurious con- 

 stituents, have also been examined. The 

 Secretary is authorized to inspect, through 

 the Bureau of Chemistry, American food 

 products intended for export. Unfortu- 

 nately, Congress has not provided appropri- 

 ations adequate to the proper execution of 

 this law. The Secretary adds that it is 

 important that our food products going 

 abroad be pure and wholesome, and that 

 we should protect our exporters against 

 discrimination in foreign countries. 



In connection with the Bureau of For- 

 estry, the chemist is taking up the work of 

 forest chemistry, and is studying forest 

 trees in their relation to the soil and the 

 products they yield. Among the chemical 

 industries immediately dependent on forest 

 productions are the tanning industry, manu- 

 facture of wood pulp, production of wood 

 spirit, charcoal and other products. The 

 sugar laboratory of the Bureau continues to 

 study all the chemical problems relating to 

 the production of sugar-producing plants 

 and the manufacture of sugar. The chief 

 part of this work is devoted to the study of 

 sugar beets. The work that the Bureau of 

 Chemistry is doing for other departments 

 of the Government is considerable and con- 



