REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF EXHIBITS. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Office of Exhibits, 

 Washington, D. C, October 12, 1923. 

 Sir: I submit herewith the report of the work of the Office of 

 Exhibits for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1923. 

 Respectfully, 



Joseph W. Hiscox, 

 In Charge of Exhibits. 

 Hon. Henry C. Wallace, 



Secretary oj Agriculture. 



The work of the Office of Exhibits increased greatly during the 

 past fiscal year. It is estimated that a total of 8,836,000 persons^ 

 or 26 per cent more than last year, viewed these exhibits at 114 

 fairs, conventions, and farmers' meetings at State colleges and other 

 places where exhibits were shown. During the first half of the year 

 the plan is to display our exhibits at State fairs. During the last 

 six months of the fiscal year the exhibits are shown at special con- 

 ventions and at miscellaneous meetings. 



Associations which have had our exhibits invariably come back 

 with a request for an exhibit the following year. One reason for 

 this is that every effort has been made to make the exhibit material 

 more attractive and to impart more information. Improved methods 

 of handling the material and the cooperation of tne bureaus have 

 made possible a big improvement in our exhibits as a whole. 



In the type of material sent on the circuits this year for general 

 agricultural fairs there has been little change from last year. The 

 circuits have had the benefit of material prepared for the 1921 

 National Dairy Show and International Livestock Exposition. In 

 addition to the circuit work and the material sent to the western 

 districts, many exhibits have been prepared for special occasions^ 

 such as the National Canners' Convention, the Pigeon and Pet Stock 

 Show at Baltimore, and the Home and City Beautiful Exposition at 

 Atlantic City. 



An exhibit is a department affair. Suppose, for example, a 

 State fair wants to emphasize some special subject this year, such 

 as dairying. This material should represent not only information 

 from the Dairy Division, but from the whole Bureau of Animal 

 Industry and from other bureaus. Before plans are considered, 

 suggestions are obtained from different bureaus. Specialists confer 

 as to information they may have available which would be of valiie 

 to persons interested in dairying. After the Office of Exhibits has 

 correlated the suggestions from tlie Bureau of Public Roads concern- 

 ing the ventilation of the dairy barn those from the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry on breeding, from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 on the best forage crops, and from the Bureau of Agricultural Eco- 

 nomics on the best milk-marketing methods, our staff undertakes 

 to illustrate the ideas in an attractive and convincing way. The 

 process is the same for all exhibits. 



The Office of Exhibits collects ideas, and presents them in an 

 attractive way. The ideas are illustrated by everything from the 



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