"The high price attained by linseed oil during the past two years of over a dollar a gallon, together with the unusual scarcity of this valuable oil, has led many investigators into the field of research, with a view of discovering some mixture of other oils to partly replace linseed oil. Many valuable contributions to oil technology have resulted, but the makers and users of paints have wisely demanded specific and authoritative information as to the practical value of proposed mixtures before adopting them. The Institute of Industrial Research, at the request of the Paint Manufacturers' Association of the United States, has recently started a series of practical paint vehicle tests designed to decide the question at issue. "Forty-eight white-pine panels have been placed upon a test frame on the grounds of the new laboratory building of the Institute, at Washington, D. C. They are painted with a standard white pigment formula reduced with a different oil formula for every panel. White-pine panels were selected for the test on account of the good painting surface which this type of lumber presents; the grade selected was free from knots or pitch pockets--defects which often ruin a paint test. Each panel was constructed of four tongued-and-grooved planed boards, 22 inches long, 1 inch thick, and 9 inches wide. The boards were leaded together and capped at the sides with weather strips, making the finished panels about 2 feet wide and 3 feet high. The fence upon which the panels were placed was constructed of 4-inch squared yellow pine with open framework, allowing the panels a resting place upon which they were finally secured with sherardized screws. "Before erecting the panels, they were carefully painted in a paint laboratory especially fitted out for the tests. The work was done during the months of April and May, the temperature averaging from 60 degrees to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This precaution was taken in order that the paint in each case might become thoroughly dry and hard before exposure, so that there would be no accumulation of dust or effect from exposure during the drying period. The actual painting of each panel was done personally by Mr. Charles Macnichol, master painter, of Washington, D. C., who has had a wide experience in the practical application and testing of paints. [Illustration: View of Panels on Washington Test Fence]