( I 







ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



increase of over 200 per cent in the number of new pu])lications, only 

 three additional editors have been provided iu tiio past 10 years. 



I Not including press notices which were mimeographed. 



The editor and assistant chief of the division and seven assistant 

 editors comprise the staiT. The editing of 100,000 j^aj^es of manu- 

 script, criticism of 5,000 illustrations, proofreading oi 10,000 galleys, 

 and readuig and correcting 28, i 87 first and second page proofs, the 

 handling of many thousand pieces of job work for tne department's 

 forms, blanks, and numerous circular letters, orders, etc., is a large 

 undertaking. In ad(htion to all this, a large volume of miscellaneous 

 work has passed through the division. All has been promptly and 

 efficiently performed, and the work has been kept up to date. 



^rhe cost of printing the department's documents nas reached such 

 large figures, and even yet not large enough to permit of prhiting 

 copies to supply the demand, that every means possible is adopted 

 to secure the greatest volume of printing with the lunds appropriated, 

 and to this end nothing is more effective than the work of the editors 

 in examining the manuscripts, condensing statements, eliminating 

 redundancies, reducing the number of illustrations, and in fixing the 

 form, size, and style of the finished publication. The work is facili- 

 tated and made more effective by the cordial assistance offered by the 

 various bureaus, divisions, and ofiices with whom frequent confer- 

 ences are held during the progress of the work. 



The expense incurred as the result of alterations in the proof during 

 the year aggregated $7,395.70. This amount is much smaller than 

 ever before, but it could and should be still further reduced. Prac- 

 tically no alterations would be necessary if more accurate copy were 

 submitted. The cost of "rush" work, that is to say, printing upon 

 which 20 per cent extra was authorized in order to insure immediate 

 delivery, amounted to $1,077.06. A considerable amount of this 

 could be saved if blanks were ordered before the supply is exhausted. 



During the year the nolicy was inaugurated of prmting full-page 

 plate illustrations on botn sides of the paper. This results in reducing 

 the size and weight of the bulletin, and effects a considerable saving 

 in the printing ^^dthout detracting from the quahty of the work. This 

 course was pursued Nvith regard to the Yearbook, with a saving of 

 about $8,000. 



The follo^ving tables, presenting a complete statement of the publi- 

 cations issued by the department, will, by the great bulk of printed 

 matter sho\\ai, give a good idea of the lai-ge amount of work demanded 

 of the division's force. 



