436 ANNUAL, REPORT OP THE Off. Doc. 



COL. WOODWARD: Mr. Chairman, it occurred to me to suggest 

 — I am not ready yet to put it in the form of a motion — that possibly 

 a number of the papers that have been read here are valuable for 

 reference, in connection with the development of our soil. Of 

 course, Mr. Sexton and others who have made this request for the 

 publication of papers here, are probably particularly interested in 

 certain subjects; there may be other papers that referrred to the 

 development of our soil, and it occurred to me, following out the 

 suggestion of the gentleman from Lehigh county, Mr. Fenstemaker, 

 that excerpts might be made from the papers read here on this 

 occasion, and published in the future Department bulletins. 



The criticism of the Secretary is very proper; he cannot be com- 

 pelled to do everything. It has occurred to me that if he would 

 take this thought and develop it, and employ some experts to look 

 over these papers upon the development of the soil, and publish 

 a bulletin of that sort, gathered up from the material presented 

 here at this meeting, it would prove a very valuable addition to our 

 literature upon this subject. I heard the paper of Dr. Thayer yes- 

 terday, and was delighted with it, and I am glad to second that 

 motion and to make this suggestion. I do not desire to present it 

 as a motion. I think it would be valuable if we can gather the bits 

 of valuable information and publish them as a bulletin in that direc- 

 tion, as an expression of the Board of Agriculture that would be a 

 valuable addition to our literature upon that subject; and while 

 there is an abundance of it, the expression of the practical expe- 

 rience of the farmers that constitute the Board of Agriculture 

 would have its weight with the farmers of the Commonwealth. 



MR. SEXTON: Mr. Chairman, the trouble with us as a Board 

 of Agriculture is, we have not in the past had the work of the Board 

 brought before the general public, and before the farmers of the 

 State. We go home and they say, ''What did you do up there at 

 your annual meeting?" Our farmers know very little about what is 

 done until the year after when the Department can get out the Re- 

 port of the Department of Agriculture, and they wonder why we 

 have any meeting at all. I think it would be a good plan to publish, 

 so far as w^e possibly can, the valuable information presented here. 

 I know that the Secretary is encumbered with lots of work, but 

 so far as we can put the work before the farmers of the State, and 

 let them know what we have been doing, I think it is very desirable. 



The SECRETARY: It is the purpose of the Secretary to have pub- 

 lished, as a bulletin of the Department, the entire proceedings of 

 this meeting. It will be published first of all as a bulletin and that 

 will be followed by the incorporation of this bulletin in our annual 

 report. Everything that has taken place at this meeting will be 

 published just as quickly as we can have the manuscript prepared 

 and get it into the hands of the State Printer. We can give you 

 about as many as you will care for. 



The Chief Executive of the Commonwealth is exceedingly anxious 

 that the expenses shall be kept down to as reasonable a point 

 as possible so far as is consistent with the good of the Common- 

 wealth, so he desires that there shall be no re-publication ex- 

 cept in cases where it is necessary and requests the heads of 

 departments not to make more than one publication of one docu- 



