286 



ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Tlie assistant in charge of manuscripts, of the Office of the Secre- 

 tary, frequently called upon the committee on examination of manu- 

 scripts, which acts in an advisory capacity, for advice on matters of 

 policy and classification. 



The work of this section is shown by the tabulated statement of 

 the bulletins, circular^, blanks, other job work, etc., issued during 

 the year, all of which passed through the division. The manuscripts 

 of all publications were handled under the direction of the editor and 

 assistant chief in charge of the section, and during part of the year 

 were prepared for printing by his assistant editors before being 

 forwarded by him for printing. 



The following statement shows the niunber of new publications 

 and reprints issued during the year, and for comparison those issued 

 during the last 10 years: 



The miscellaneous printing, such as blanks, circulars of inquiiy, 

 blank books, and job work generally, was handled as usual in this 

 section. 



The new publications issued comprised 32,049 printed pages, and 

 there were 5,033 illustrations. 



INDEXING SECTION. 



The introduction of a method of handlmg the index cards by which 

 indexes of bound volumes will be made by assembling cards already 

 on hand was the principal advance made in this section during the 

 year. This will make it possible, it is hoped, to assemble promptly 

 the indexes for the bound volumes of Fanners' and department 

 bulletins. 



The routine of the work, depending largely upon what has been 

 done by the scientific and other bureaus in the way of publications, 

 this year has been much the same as for the three or four years 

 preceding. 



Indexing hearings and parts of the Congressional Record in which 

 the Secretary and others in the department are mterested has 

 occupied a considerable part of the time of the indexers. 



There has not been a satisfactory increase in the demand for the 

 information from the card indexes during the year, though recogni- 

 tion of their value has continued especially from those in the depart- 

 ment who have previously found how to get information from tnem. 

 Also there has been some increase in their use by the public. 



It is desirable to make the existence of the indexes so well known 

 that anyone who wishes to know what has been published by the 

 department on any subject will turn at once to them and secure the 

 desired information. Many new employees have entered the depart- 

 ment since the establislnnent of tliis service and hundreds do not 

 know of the existence of this key to the department publications. 



The number of cards written this year was 60,774, against 60,290 

 last year; the nmnber of pages indexed was 28,176, against 24,201 

 last year. This is an increase made possible by added experience 



