306 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



The proceedings of another good roads convention, likewise held in 

 New York- State, are to be found in Bulletin No. 22. It was the 

 third annual good roads convention of the boards of supervisors of 

 the State of New York, held at Albany, January 28 and 29, 1902. 

 The special feature of the meeting, embodied in this bulletin, was the 

 information concerning the progress that New York has made toward 

 State aid in road improvement. The State appropriation for this work 

 has been increased from $50,000 in 1898 to $750,000 in 1901. 



Another publication completed this year is circular No. 36, contain- 

 ing a list, so far as known, of all National, State, and local road asso- 

 ciations and kindred organizations in the United States. The wide- 

 spread and ever-increasing interest in highway improvement is indi- 

 cated by the number of these organizations. When this Oflice was 

 established, in 1893, there was only one National organization and 

 three or four local associations; now there are over 100 organizations, 

 and these include six distinctly National road associations. 



Farmers' Bulletin No. 136, entitled "Earth Roads," was also pre- 

 pared in this Office and published during the year. It contains a num- 

 ber of practical suggestions on the improvement of earth roads, and 

 is illustrated by engravings showing the methods of construction and 

 maintenance of such roads. Over 100,000 copies have already been 

 distributed, and the demand for it is as great as ever. The influence 

 of this publication to those interested or engaged in road work is 

 shown by the manj^ favorable comments that have been received from 

 prominent men throughout the country. W. W. Crosby, road engi- 

 neer of Baltimore County, Md., said in acknowledging the receipt of 

 a copy of the bulletin : 



It is an exceedingly valuable paper, and I shoiild like yonr permission to make 

 liberal use of it in a circnlar I am preparing on the principles of constriiction and 

 maintenance of roads for distribution among road commissioners of Baltimore 

 County. The principles brought out therein can not be too firmly impressed on 

 the public mind. 



Lansing H. Beach, ex-Engineer Commissioner of Washington, D. C, 

 says of the bulletin : 



I have read it with much interest, and believe that you have done good mis- 

 sionary work in stating what you have done and having it published in this form. 

 It ought to do a great deal of good and do away with some of that widely preva- 

 lent notion that a road has to be a mud hole unless it can be macadamized at a 

 cost of several thousand dollars per mile. 



Stuj^vesant Fish, president of the Illinois Central Railroad Com- 

 pany, also writes of the bulletin: "This ought to be sent out to every 

 roadmaster throughout the country." 



The following bulletins are in course of preparation : 



Bulletin No. 23. Road Conventions in the Southern States and Object-Lesson 

 Roads Constructed under the Supervision of the OfiBce of Public Road Inquiries, 

 with the cooperation of the Southern Railway, during the fall and winter of 

 1901-1902. 



Bulletin No. 24. Proceedings of the North Carolina Good Roads Convention, 

 held at Raleigh. N. C, February 12 and 13. 1902. 



Bulletin No. 25, Proceedings of the Jefferson Memorial and Interstate Good 

 Roads Convention, held at Charlottesville, Va., April 2, 3, and 4, 1902. 



WORK OF SPECIAL AGENTS OF THE OFFICE. 



Prof. J. A. Holmes, of North Carolina, and James W. Abbott, of 

 Colorado, were reappointed special agents of the Southern and Western 

 divisions, respectively, and summaries of their work for the fiscal year 

 ended June 30, 1902, are submitted. 



