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11

2 Character of Routine Work

The work of the acting Curator consists in obtaining and selecting material for exhibition, classifying and arranging it for the cases, collecting information about textile industries generally, and applying such information to the preparation of labels for the [[strikethrough]] collections [[/strikethrough]] specimens. During the year work of this kind has been greatly facilitated by the means afforded [[strikethrough]] by the [[/strikethrough]] for visiting mills in the East as collector for the New Orleans Exposition. Through the courtesy of Treasurers and superintendents of several of the largest mills, the writer was enabled to spend much time in studying the processes of spinning & weaving, with great advantage to the work in the museum. At the same time, photographs were taken [[strikethrough]] from [[/strikethrough]] of machinery in use, which are of great value in illustrating the processes as they are described on the labels in the museum.

For special courtesies of this nature the museum is indebted to Mr. H Saltonstall, Treasurer of the Pacific Mills, Mr. W. Whitman, Treasurer of the Arlington Mills, Mr. C. Fairbanks, Treasurer of the Bigelow Carpet Company, and to various other firms and individuals whose mills were visited with interest and benefit.

An important part of the curator's duty is to make microscopical [[strikethrough]]obse[[/strikethrough]] investigations of fibres of all kinds, with reference to their value for various purposes, and particularly as to their adaptability to textile purposes. It has been impossible to conduct any systematic work of this kind during the past year [[strikeout]] passed [[/strikeout]] owing to the want of time, and the microscope has only been used occasionally for the purpose of identify-