DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS. 773 



INDEXING. 



The most encouraging feature of the index work during the past 

 year h^ been an increase in the demand for information only to be 

 obtained from the two indexes maintained here. The growth of 

 interest in this work has gone forward steadily in proportion as the 

 existence of the indexes has become known to the other divisions 

 of this department and to persons outside who are interested in 

 agriculture. It has seemed ver}^ difficult to gain the attention of 

 those who would naturally be expected to use this means of saving 

 labor in the investigation of agricultural subjects, but as fast as 

 persons really become acquainted with the indexes they make use 

 of them. It is only a question of time in the development of better 

 methods of research when every investigator must depend upon 

 indexes such as these for the rapid prosecution of liis work. 



During the past year it has been possible to maintain the index 

 for books available for distribution and make it steadily useful by 

 sending our publications to persons asking for a general line of 

 information, and by referring them to books of the desired kind in 

 the hands of the superintendent of documents for sale. 



For the two indexes during the year the total number of cards 

 written was 62,584, and the letters to appUcants for general informa- 

 tion in the agricultural field, nearly all of wliicli have been answered 

 by use of the two indexes, have numbered 6,411. 



The work on books indexed this year has been very much the same 

 as heretofore. Indexes have been made as required of the Yearbook, 

 of the annual reports, and of various other jjublications, including 

 indexes for three volumes of Farmers' Bulletins of twenty-five each. 



The order of June 21, 1911, under which the indexing for the 

 several bureaus and divisions of the department was to have been 

 done here has been practically ineffective. Differences between this 

 division and other branches of the ser\'ice as to how an index should 

 be made have developed and the result has been that the indexing 

 for most of the bureaus has continued ^^^thin their own offices. 



In addition to the work that recurs from year to year there have been 

 two imj)ortant features: The compilation of a supplement of Bulle- 

 tin 6, of this division, which shall represent all the publications of 

 the department from the year 1902, up to which date the books in 

 Bulletin 6 reach, to whatever period may be determined upon as 

 most satisfactory for the limit in this proposed supplement. There 

 is now maintained a card list of titles which fdls up the gap since 

 the close of the work on Bulletin 6, but the details of information 

 supplied by this list are not so complete, and the general pubhc, of 

 course, can not make use of such a card list at all; so that the issuance 

 of the supplement ^\^I1 be of benefit to all inquirers in this field. 

 Another unusual ])iece of work is the compilation of the five-year 

 index for the Yearbooks. This is nearing completion. 



The care of the complete sets of books for the vault has occupied 

 considerable time during the year. The unsatisfactory storage of this 

 vault set and the possibility of valunl)le books being lost still continues. 



.Vs heretofore, considerable work in examining papers for the Civil 

 Service Commission was done. 



The reading of the Congressional Record and the supplying of 

 public d(H'iimonts to other branches of llie dcpjutment nave been 

 continued, and the dem.uid for help of this kind from all directions 



