No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 9 



regard for the ascertained farts of liygiene, it is possible to avoid 

 most of the danger from hog cholera. With this foe under control, 

 the keeper of swine, with judicious management, has little to fear 

 from other diseases. The market for hogs is so good that Penn- 

 sylvania farmers should arrange to derive more benefit from it. 



WORK DONE BY THE DEPARTMENT. 



I shall not take up space in this report to dwell at length upon the 

 work done by the respective Divisions of the Department, each of 

 which has an official head whose report will be given to the public 

 either with the Annual Department Keport or in bulletin form. 

 Owing to the existence of an Act of Assembly prohibiting more than 

 one publication of a public document, the custom that prevailed in 

 the past of publishing these Division reports as bulletins and also as 

 a part of the Annual Department Report, has been discontinued. 

 Where, as is the case with the Dairy and Food Dureau, many persons 

 who are not directly interested in Agriculture and who have but 

 little interest in the Department Report are anxious to get the 

 Commissioner's report, it may be tliought best to have such report 

 published in bulletin form. The report of the State Veterinarian 

 also is sought for by all the Veterinarians of the State as well as 

 by the keepers of abattoirs and dealers in meat supplies, persons 

 who care little for the Department Report, and as a measure of 

 economy in their distribution, it may be considered best that these 

 reports shall be published in bulletin form, and if they should not 

 appear in the Annual Department Report, persons wishing for 

 specific information relating to the work of these two Divisions are 

 referred to the Department bulletins spoken of, which will be issued 

 if it is finally determined not to publish these two Division reports 

 with the Annual Department Report. 



Full information concerning the work of the Division of Farmers' 

 Institutes and that of Economic Zoology will be found under the 

 proper heads in the following pages. 



It may not be ^amiss to say that the work of the four Divisions 

 during- the year has been characterized by persistent activity and 

 fruitful of good results, meeting the hearty approval of the Head of 

 the Department. The Farmers' Institute work under the proficient 

 management of Director A. L. ilartin is uniformly increasing in 

 public favor. Farmers are realizing the importance of the instruc- 

 tion given at these meetings more and more every year, so that the 

 demand for more institutes is constantly becoming greater. I would 

 therefore recommend that the appropriation for this work be largely 

 increased. 



The work of the Division of Economic Zoology has been carried 

 forward during the year with the energy and diligence that are dis- 

 tinguishing characteristics of Prof. H. A. Surface, Chief of the Divi- 

 sion. As reports have been received of the devastation of growing 

 crops by insect foes, information has been sent out giving instruc- 

 tion for the use of known remedies, and in eases where reports have 

 come to the Department indicating that some new or unknown in- 

 sect-pest has made its appearance, competent assistants have been 

 sent out to make investigation. In many instances the investiga- 

 tions have been continued in the laboratory connected with this Divi- 

 sion, the policy being not only to apply knowledge that has been 



