Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-02
Teaches Agriculture by Mail.

BESIDES DelUS many OtueE VA
value and Importance. the Department OF
Agriculture is one of the greatest educa-
tional institutions, as well as one OF the
largest publication houses, In the world.
1t has q faculty Of several hundred skilled
and experienced scientists-and many Of
them have genuine genius-engaged In the
instruction Of a large corps OF young men.
graduates OF the universities and agri-
cultural schools of this country, and pre-
pairing them to become professors in SINH
lar institutions, to carry on original re-
search work in the agricultural sciences
and to direct the affairs Of the large agri-
cultural estates.
Several years ago Secretary Wilson ar
ranged to receive in the department a
small class of agricultural scientists to
do postgraduate work, and on his rec
ommendation Congress appropriated suffi-
cient money to pay them salaries suffi-
cient for their support. That class has
grown annually until now 1t is as large
the postgraduate classes in many of
the great universities, and Secretary VIII
son intends to increase Its members and
usefulness as rapidly as he can.
Besides this, the great faculty in the
department Is conducting the work of ed
ucation directly with the farmers through
the experiment stations and the publica-
tons of bulletins on multitude of sub
jects concerning which the farmers OF the
United States are interested. The depart
ment has become great correspondence
school. Thousands and thousands Of let
about every possible subject that refers
to agriculture. from the beet sugar in
dustry to the determination of mice. and
the best way to cultivate window gar
dens. Every inquiry that comes is an
swered promptly and fully, except in
cases where 1t Is necessary to make in
vestigations or to obtain information.
Some of the best original work by the
scientific corps has been suggested by
farmers who have run up against some
new proposition, or bumped into some
thing they do not understand. Either they
have encountered difficulties they cannot
overcome or detected diseases among
plants or animals which are unknown to
them or their neighbors.
How Things Are Done.
AS soon as an inquiry is received at the
department it is referred to the appro-
pirate division and placed in the hands of
the man who has had the widest expert
ence, and has the greatest knowledge con-
corning that particular matter. He pre-
pares his report and makes any investiga-
tions that may be necessary. Sometimes
it involves the labor of months to answer
single inquiry satisfactorily. When the
information has been obtained the farmer
who wrote the letter receives a full re-
portant the result of the inquiry Is print
ed for the information of other farmers
whom it may concern.
1 do not know of any publishing house
in the world, unless 1t be the government
printing office, that distributes so much
printed matter as the Department Of Agri-
culture. George William Hill. editor and
chief of the division of publications, has
recently made report in which he shows
that 16S75,516 copies of 1,552 separate
publications, were distributed during the
year 1908. which was an increase Of 12S,-
6C6 copies from the previous year. These
publications comprise 5S.o printed pages.
Included in the total are 1928, 437 docu-
ments actually distributed by senators
and representatives in Congress.
Mr.. Hill says the demand for farmers
bulletins continues to increase, particular
ly from educational institutions. and about
100000 copies are published annually
He says the department can make excel
lent use of a much larger number.
The people of the United States are en-
titled to the information which these bull
letins contain, and any policy which tends
to Indefinitely hold them out of circula-
ton is manifestly detrimental to the pub
lie interest.