Dr. McMurtrie traveled to the Paris Exposition in 1878 as representative of the Department of Agriculture. He became a special agent of the Department in 1879, collecting information regarding agricultural technology. The following year, he served as a representative for the commissioner of agriculture at an international exhibit in Philadelphia for sheep, wool, and wool products. Published in 1880, his "Report on the culture of the sugar beet and the manufacture of sugar therefrom in France and the United States" helped to launch the sugar beet industry in the United States.