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2.

work. All the textile fibres in the Department of Agriculture Museum were placed in my charge during January, and from this collection some valuable specimens have been selected and placed on exhibition. Mr. George W. Bond, of Boston, has selected a large collection of native and foreign wools, from samples belonging to the U.S.Customs Department, which have been prepared for exhibition; but they are not yet to be seen in the museum, as the cases for mounting them are not ready. This collection is probably already the best of the kind to be found in any museum, and when all the wools belonging to the museum are mounted, and incorporated with it, the display of wools will be, if not quite complete, at least very large and valuable. [[scribble]]

Owing to the restricted floor-space in the museum that has been assigned to this department, it has been impossible to make the display of specimens as instructive and attractive as it might be. By far the greater part of the collection, and some of the most interesting specimens, have been sent to the exposition at New Orleans, where this department of the museum was well represented. A detailed account, however, of the specimens there shown would not be of interest in this report, and the subject may be passed over with the statement that there were sent to New Orleans 290 unit boxes to represent the textiles department of the museum, and the display is said to have been very attractive. [[two vertical lines]]

The collection of foods, which is also under my charge, has received but little attention thus far during the year, as other matters have required so much of my time. The number of additions has been small, but some of them of [[end page]]