REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 133 



Although the Library's collection of books on agriculture and 

 related subjects is probably unsurpassed in the country, the resources 

 of other libraries are also used to aid in the investigations of the 

 department, 6,397 volumes having been borrowed during the year 

 from Washington libraries and 69 from libraries in other cities. On 

 the other hand, the department Library is frequently called upon to 

 lend books to scientific institutions outside the city, especially to the 

 State agricultural colleges and experiment stations. During the year 

 615 books were thus lent. Several of the other Government offices in 

 the city also use the Library freely. 



During the year about 2,000 duplicates received by the Library, 

 for the most part official publications, were distributed to the libra- 

 ries of the State agricultural colleges and experiment stations to help 

 in completing their files. 



OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 

 RELATIONS WITH AGRICUL,TURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



The better financial conditions resulting from the increased Federal 

 funds and other resources, as well as the growing demands of a pro- 

 gressive agriculture in general, have continued during the year to 

 increase the working efficiency of the experiment stations and to widen 

 the scope of their activities. 



The appropriations provided for by the acts of Congress, which 

 were received by 56 of the stations, amounted to $1,539,000 for the 

 fiscal year ended June 30, 1911. The appropriations made by State 

 legislatures for the work of the experiment stations again amounted, 

 during the year, to over $1,000,000, and the fees received from the 

 different kinds of inspection work, together with the amounts realized 

 from the sales of farm products and secured from other local sources, 

 aggregated about $500,000. 



Progress was made during the year in widening the scope and in- 

 creasing the efficiency of extension work. To this class of work over 

 100 persons are at present devoting their entire time. The organiza- 

 tion, development, and growth of extension departments as separate 

 branches indicate that it is realized that the stations themselves must 

 remain true to the purpose for which they were established and for 

 which they are maintained, namely, scientific investigations of the 

 problems relating to agriculture. 



One of the important features of the stations' work has related to 

 dry farming, with a bearing not only upon the crops and methods of 

 culture adapted to regions of deficient rainfall, but also upon the 

 complex relations of water to the growth and health of plants, the 

 nature of drought resistance, and the means of producing plants re- 

 sistant to adverse climatic conditions. The California Station, among 



