REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1925 111 



the object rather than the object itself. In fact in the Divisions of 

 Mineral and Mechanical Technology the work of installing new 

 collections this year required but very little time of the staff. This 

 permitted the aid and the preparator to devote most of their time 

 to repairing exhibition material, improving the arrangement of ex- 

 hibits and constructing new exhibition material. Working models, 

 of which the divisons have quite a number, require considerable at- 

 tention but, in spite of such attention, breakdowns occasionally 

 occur, and when they do all other work must be stopped to make 

 the necessary repairs. Various parts of the large working model 

 illustrating the salt industry, in the Division of Mineral Technology, 

 began to show signs of impending failure, after continuous opera- 

 tion for approximately five years. To avoid a complete breakdown 

 the model was entirely renovated. Similarly, a model of an early 

 locomotive in the Division of Mechanical Technology was altered 

 to make it hand- operative. A working model of a compound cylin- 

 der for a locomotive was repaired and put in working order, it 

 having been completely worn out through constant use by visitors. 

 Several new models were made in the division's shop for addition 

 to the educational series on mechanical powers in the Division of 

 Mechanical Technology, and under the direction of the assistant 

 curator, a beginning was made toward a better exhibition of the 

 materials relating to the railway industry. 



The collections under the care of the curator of textiles, which, 

 besides textiles, include medicine, wood technology, organic chemis- 

 try and foods, require constant vigilance from the nature of many 

 of the specimens. All perishable material like wools and foodstuffs 

 are regularly fumigated and the preserving fluid on fresh ana- 

 tomical specimens is periodically renewed. The textile fabric stor- 

 age space was rearranged. The cataloguing of new specimens has 

 been kept up to date, and the installation of new material has been 

 made as soon after its receipt as possible. The examination and 

 indexing of new textile terms and other special information con- 

 tained in the large number of trade papers and periodicals received 

 by the sectional libraries of textiles, woods, medicine, and foods, 

 have continued to ocupy the time of the preparators when not 

 engaged in other duties. 



Thirty-six installations of new exhibit material or rearrangements 

 of exhibits which were already on view were made in the textile 

 halls during the year, and an entirely new arrangement was made 

 in the east south range, which permitted all of the food exhibits 

 to be grouped together on one side of the main aisle. 



Nineteen installations or rearrangements of exhibits included in the 

 sections of organic chemistry and foods were made, the most note- 



