No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 79 



subsequent replies, stating the results of sucli careful personal corre- 

 spondence, show that the efforts are justified. When a man's crops 

 are threatened by an outbreak of some pest it may mean the loss of 

 several hundred dollars to him to fail to receive promptly the de- 

 tailed information necessary for success. It is true that we have 

 printed circulars bearing on most of the subjects of the inquiries 

 which we receive, but there are always individual or personal con- 

 ditions that must be met by correspondence in addition to the in- 

 formation that can be given by the sending of printed circulars. It 

 is the personal element of our correspondence that keeps us freshly 

 in touch with the public, and keeps the office from dwindling into a 

 mere routine of answering letters by sending back printed circulars. 

 During the past year six thousand one hundred and forty-five 

 (6145) letters were written that were of such importance as to justify 

 keeping a record of them by copies in the records of the oflQce. While 

 most of these were on topics pertaining to pest suppression, fruit 

 production, spraying, orchard management, etc., there were many 

 other topics discussed, and practically no subject of importance to 

 the farmer but that came to us for more or less comment or help. 

 We have long made it a practice either to reply directly to an in- 

 quirer, or tell him where he can get the assistance he needs. As 

 many inquiries are not of such character as to be answered from the 

 office of the Economic Zoologist, even though they be along familiar 

 topics, reference must be made to persons on institutions from which 

 replies can be given, such as the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 the U. S. Pomologist, the State Experiment Station, the Departments 

 of the State College, the different Departments of the State Govern- 

 ment, the different Bureaus of the Department of Agriculture, and 

 even various State Experiment Stations making investigations along 

 the particular line of which such inquiry is sometimes made. 



PUBLICATIONS 



The Zoological Press Letter, to the newspapers of Pennsylvania, 

 and to all agricultural and horticultural publications that request 

 them, has been issued regularly throughout the year to the extent of 

 one tliousand copies weekly. Each issue of this Weekly Press Letter 

 contains articles, each of about one-third column in length, and 

 treating some subject of timely interest or importance. It has been 

 the means of reaching the public in a most effective, immediate and 

 economical manner. For example, when we commenced to see evi- 

 dence of an outbreak of the army worm we prepared a Weekly News 

 Letter upon this subject, and reached practically all the newspapers 

 of Pennsylvania, thus many of them had the articles on this subject 

 in print even before the army worm made its appearance on the 

 lawns of their readers, or but a day or two thereafter. The economy 

 of efficiency of this prompt service was generally recognized through- 

 out the State, not only in the suppression of this pest, but also of 

 others. 



Another example of its timeliness and efficiency is in our recom- 

 mendation to use red cedar trees grown in this State for Christmas 

 trees instead of cutting the pine and spruce trees. This is because 

 the disease of the apple, commonly known as cedar rust, is spreading 

 in orchards especially in the southern part of the State; and, in fact, 

 is becoming quite serious in some orchards. It is known that it 

 6 



