320 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



CHARACTER OP THE DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS. 



In this connection, it may be well to review brieily the nature of the 

 publications of this Department in order to determine to what extent, if 

 at all, efforts sliould be directed to diminishing their number or restrict- 

 ing their size. Unquestionably, the figures giving the total number 

 of copies of all publications issued by this Department are enormous, 

 in spite of which, however, it is very doubtful whether the Secretary 

 could judiciously restrict their number or their size, except, perhaps, 

 in the matter of illustrations. It must be borne in mind that the duty 

 of the Department to diffuse the information it acquires is imposed 

 upon it by law just as imperatively as its acquisition. It may reason- 

 ably be alleged that the existence in the Department of any informa- 

 tion which either is or may be of value to agriculture imj)oses on the 

 Secretary the duty of making it public. The time Avas, undoubtedly, 

 when a very large number of the publications issued were printed in 

 editions far too large, with a result that notwithstanding an injudi- 

 ciously lavish distribution, enormous numbers of copies were left on 

 hand. For manj^ j^ears, however, the efforts of this Division have 

 been directed to restrict the size of the editions of the several publi- 

 cations issued. To this end the proposed distribution is agreed upon 

 before publication and the number issued is made just sufficient to 

 cover it and leave a few^ hundred copies of the work for miscellaneous 

 demands. When necessity arises for a further supply, additional 

 coi^ies can be promptly i^rinted from the plates which the Public 

 Printer keeps on hand for a considerable time after publication, and 

 this policy explains the large proportion of reprints, amounting last 

 year to 317, representing 12,500 pages of printed matter. Under this 

 system the editions of our publications, excluding, of course, the 

 Yearbook, Farmers' Bulletins, and other publications which may be 

 ordered by Congress, run from 1,000 to 5,000 copies, very rarely 

 exceeding and usually much less than the latter figure, where ten 

 years ago editions of from 10,000 to 15,000 cojjies were very common. 



CONTINUED POPULARITY OF FARMERS' BULLETINS. 



In numbers printed, the Farmers' Bulletins exceed all other publica- 

 tions, aggregating last year over 6,000,000 copies, and they no doubt 

 have been very freely distributed, over -4, 000, 000 copies having been sent 

 out by Senators, Representatives, and Delegates in Congress. On the 

 whole, however, this may be said to be in the line of economy, as 

 these bulletins are greatly restricted as to size; no plate illustrations 

 are allowed in them, they are issued in the cheapest form, without 

 cover, the cost rarely averaging over a cent and a half each, and thej^ 

 supply the popular demand, not only proving more satisfactory to the 

 recipients, but saving the distribution of a large number of more 

 expensive publications. While the Farmers' Bulletins thus represent 

 as to the numbers printed and distributed more than one-half of the 

 printing of this Department, they form a comparatively insignificant 

 part of the editorial work and a very small part of the total expense. 

 The 23 Farmers' Bulletins which passed through this Division last 

 year, for instance, aggregated a little over 700 pages of matter, or 

 about 4 per cent of the total amount of new matter edited in the 

 Division. In the matter of expense, the total appropriation for the 

 preparation and printing of Farmers' Bulletins was but $107,500, or 

 about one-seventh of the total amount expended for the printing of 

 Department publications. 



