HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 263 
are technical bulletins, and do not go out to the farmers, except this 
i in regard to the sugar cane. We have had an issue of 15,000 of 
them. 
Mr. Scort. Is this road material bulletin of practical value to a man 
who is not skilled in chemistry ? 
Mr. Wixry. No; it is more for the engineer and builder. It is 
valuable in this respect. Anyone can read this and see what is neces- 
sary, but it would not teach him how to test. Tt would show him 
what is necessary in road materials and what characteristics they 
should have. 
Now, I have not begun to go over the whole line of our work, but 
I have dwelt merely upon that which is new and that for which we 
have asked for increases. Of course you always talk very nicely to 
me when I come up here, but when I go out you cut my estimates 
down nearly every year. I do not want you to do that again. I saw 
with approval that you voted $250,000 for the extermination of the 
boll weevil, and it is right for you to appropriate money for the cure 
of diseases of cattle and other things which you have appropriated 
for; but now I want to ask you to do something for man; I only ask 
$50,000 for the great human race, and do not cut that down. 
Mr. Scorr. You have been doing something for man in the past 
year, I think, and we would like to hear about these experiments in 
the matter of food preservatives. 
Mr. Witry. That is an old story, Mr. Chairman, but if you would 
like a few words about that I will be glad to go into it. 
The CHarrman. Yes; we would like to hear it. 
Mr. Witey. Last year we spent seven months feeding borax to a 
set of willing victims, and I can tell you now some of the things we 
have discovered. 
The Cuarrman. Some of the results? 
Mr. Wier. Yes; I can tell you some of the results, although I have 
promised the Secretary of Agriculture that I shall not divulge the 
results of our experiments in advance of the publication of those 
results, which will shortly take place. 
The Cuairman. Then, if you do not wish this to go into the record 
it will not be reported. 
Mr. Winey. | think it had better not go into the record. 
(Doctor Wiley explained to the committee some of the results of 
the experiments referred to.) 
Mr. WILky (continuing). Another thing to note is-that the cost of 
supplies is very much greater than in preceding years. Take plati- 
num, which is one of the most indispensable things in our work. Ten 
years ago it cost 87 cents a gram; to-day it is 77 cents a gram. 
The Cuarrman. Is it in a trust? 
Mr. Witry. No. The platinum really is a trust, because it all 
comes from the Ural Mountains, in Russia; but the expansion of 
chemical work and the use of platinum in the arts has brought the 
price up. 
Mr. Lame. We have none here, have we? 
Mr. Witey. Of course we have a very good supply, but it is wear- 
ing out. 
Mr. Lams. I mean none is discovered here? 
Mr. Wier. No, only a very little, not enough to amount to any- 
thing. It all comes from the Ural Mountains. Since we started this 
