secured for the parties requesting the test and from the manufacturer of the blankets, and interesting results have been secured. Preliminary work has been started on the problem of utilizing lowgrade cotton, and the variables in cloth have been studied.

As just mentioned in connection with the work on textiles, the paper laboratories have likewise been placed in first-class condition during the year. Some new machinery has been added and the successful operation of the constant-temperature humidity room has added greatly to the facility with which certain kinds of tests can be carried out. A stain has been developed by which it is possible. to differentiate between sulphite and sulphate pulp in paper, as the two classes of fibers show different colors when treated with this stain and then viewed under a miscroscope. Considerable time was devoted to an attempt to produce a satisfactory paper for making electrical condensers. A paper sufficiently free from magnetic particles was run off on the Bureau's paper machine, but the thickness was greater than is desirable. However, it is thought that by making some alterations in the machine, a satisfactory paper can be produced. Tests to determine the sizing quality of paper have been studied with a view to their improvement, and it is thought that an electrical conductivity method will prove satisfactory. A circular on paper testing (Circular No. 107) was issued during the year in response to many requests.

General problems of lubrication and the use of different instruments for determining the properties of oils and similar substances have been studied as heretofore. A paper on the MacMichael viscosimeter was published by the Bureau of Mines, the experimental work having been done in cooperation with that bureau. The new Saybolt viscosimeter was described in a report of one of the committees of the American Society for Testing Materials. The subject of plastic flow has been thoroughly investigated, and has included cooperative work with the Bureau of Home Economics of the Department of Agriculture. Routine tests were made on 661 samples of oils for Government departments and on 51 samples for private parties.

In connection with the study of lime, gypsum, and sand-lime brick considerable progress has been made. The fellowship established by the Gypsum Industries Association has been continued, and another was established by the National Lime Association. Visits have been paid when possible to manufacturers' plants and their problems studied. The effect produced by the addition of hydrated lime to concrete has been investigated, and further work on the causes of the popping of lime plaster will be carried out in cooperation with the National Association of Plastering Contractors, the International Plasterers' Union, and the National Lime Association. The instru

ment designed by the Bureau to measure the plasticity of hydrated lime has received the official sanction of the National Lime Association.

Means for causing the quick setting of lime plaster have been investigated, and the Bureau is working on a standard consistency of sanded gypsum plasters. Standard requirements for fineness of calcined gypsum are also being investigated. Heretofore calcined gypsum has not been sufficiently plastic to be entirely satisfactory as a plastering material. This difficulty has been overcome in the past by the addition of other substances. However, through the efforts of the Bureau a method of controlling the manufacturing process has been discovered, by means of which it is possible to produce gypsum which is sufficiently plastic for all purposes. The great value of this discovery can be easily appreciated. The patent covering this process has been dedicated to the public, and many plants are installing equipment for manufacturing the new product.

METALLURGY.

The metallurgical work of the Bureau is concerned with research in the field of products metallurgy as distinguished from process metallurgy, this last having to do with the extraction of metals from their ores, work which is carried on by other bureaus of the Government.

Many important investigations have been conducted during the year and in several cases the work has yielded valuable results. New etching methods have been developed for the metallographic examination of nonferrous alloys, and the studies of etching various kinds of steel have been continued. A reagent consisting of an aqueous solution of ammonium persulphate has been found to reveal most of the structural features of iron and steel, which are ordinarily only revealed by deep etching, and has the advantage of not spoiling the specimen for further examination.

The investigation of the structural changes which accompany the tempering of hardened steels is about one-half completed, but more than 400 additional specimens must be examined to finish the work. An investigation similar to that carried out on lead is now being conducted on the embrittlement of other soft metals, and a study is being made of the corrosion of chromium steel. The investigation of the distribution of phosphorus in low-carbon steels has been completed and the results are being collected for publication.

Six research associates and assistants in metallurgy have been stationed at the Bureau during the year and have done valuable work for the industries and organizations which they represent, the results of their investigations being, of course, equally available and valuable to the Bureau. This work has included the quantita

tive determination of the amount of iron in brass, a study of the Sherardizing process, researches in monel metal, a study of nickel, an investigation of deoxidizers and slags, and a study of red shortness of iron.

CERAMICS.

The ceramic industries are of basic importance to the country, and in spite of the fact that many of them are long established they have received comparatively little expert scientific attention. The investigations of the Bureau are therefore of more than ordinary importance, and have been gladly received by the industry in general. During the past year the investigation of "fish scaling" of metal enamels has been continued, and it has been found that this trouble is due to a difference in the coefficient of expansion of the enamel and the metal on which it is placed. Wet processes of enameling small articles, such as stove fittings, have been studied, and it is believed that this work will suggest means for improving the process. Some work has been carried out on white enamels for copper, which will form the basis for a paper on this subject. The study of the relation of the composition of enamels to solubility in acids has been completed, and an investigation is in progress on the replacement of tin oxide in enamels for sheet steel.

A study has been completed on high-fire porcelain glazes, which are important for making chemical porcelain ware, spark plugs, and pyrometer tubes. The crazing of pottery has been investigated, and it has been shown that probable variations occurring from time to time in the silica content of the clays used are sufficient to account for the occasional recurrences of crazing. A paper is in course of preparation on the solubility of feldspar frits, and an important investigation is nearing completion on the properties of domestic ball clays as compared with those of English origin. This work will enable American manufacturers to tell with greater certainty what results are to be expected from domestic clays.

In cooperation with the National Terra Cotta Society progress has been made on problems relating to the use of architectural terra cotta.

The transverse strength of fire clay under severe conditions of temperature and load has been thoroughly investigated, and it has been shown that above 1,300° C. the transverse strength is a negligible. quantity from the standpoint of design. American bond clays for glass pots have been investigated in comparison with the Gross Almerode clay, and it has been shown that each kind possesses certain advantages for this purpose. Different combinations of clays and "grogs" have received attention, as well as special material for refractory tubes.

Steady progress has been made in connection with optical glass. About 30,000 pounds of experimental melts have been made, including several different kinds of glass. Improvements have been made in the methods of molding and annealing the lens blanks, prisms, etc. More than 1,500 pounds of optical glass in the form of lenses and prisms have been delivered to the Navy Department during the year. This has included the production of lens disks 15 inches in diameter. An investigation has been made of the manufacture of colored glass for special uses in optical instruments and some promising results have been obtained.

Specifications are in course of preparation covering other kinds of glass articles, such as tableware and sheet glass, and in this work the Bureau is receiving the cooperation of other Government departments and the industries.

Appendix E.-ABSTRACT OF REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES.

(HUGH M. SMITH, Commissioner.)

RELATIONS WITH THE FISHERY INDUSTRIES.

The American fishery industries have been confronted with one of the most serious situations in their history. A post-war decline in consumption of fish at home and abroad, following a war-time expansion of operations, necessitated a heavy curtailment in production and a marked reduction in producers' prices, while the costs of labor, materials, and transportation were still advancing. Retrenchment has been particularly noteworthy in the salmon and sardine industries and in the New England bank fisheries. Appeals to the Department for assistance in overcoming adverse conditions, in effecting economies of operation, and in improving methods of capture, merchandising, and transportation have exceeded all previous demands.

The helpful efforts of the Department in this field have included aid in increasing the consumption of staple fishery products of which there was an oversupply, such as fresh haddock, canned pink and chum salmons, and various kinds of frozen fish; initiation of a series of surveys of certain primary markets, to supply data for the guidance and use of the trade in extending the demand for fish; aid to producers in promptly obtaining and transporting materials, such as salt and barrels, required for immediate use when fish are running; practical advice for increasing the utilization of by-products of the fisheries, especially meal, fertilizer, oil, leather, fish scales, and shark fins; demonstration of new methods and the dissemination of information looking to improvement in methods of the fisheries, including preservation of fish nets, and the salting, precooling, and freezing of fish in brine; recommendations for improvement in the methods of handling fresh fish on vessels, at docks, and in transit to secure better quality and prevent waste; and the effectuation of extended trials of sea planes as adjuncts of the fisheries, fully demonstrating the utility of air craft in locating schools of fish.

Advancement in some phases of the fishing industry has been slower than in other comparable industries, and a noteworthy part