DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 69 



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE FARM HOME READING 



CIRCLE. 



To the President: 



During the past year the college has exercised about the same influence 

 over the farming methods of the state as in years gone by as far as this 

 branch of the service is concerned. The work has not been at all satis- 

 factory as there is entirely M'anting a personal influence. 



For this reason I offer the following somewhat radical suggestion based 

 upon the personal experience of the Secretary of the Circle: I recommend 

 that an appropriation not to exceed $200.00 be made to the Secretary of 

 the Farm Home Reading Circle to pay for postage, paper and mimeograph- 

 ing- 



I recommend farther that the Secretary be authorized to edit a systematic 



series of articles on soils, plant life, farm crops, and feeding domestic ani- 

 mals. 



I recommend farther that these articles be sent to one paper in each 

 county for publication. 



I base these recommendations on the results of an experience during 

 the past winter. I solicited the cooperation of certain county papers in 

 an investigation of the value of local papers as channels through which 

 information could be furnished farmers and their families. I paid the 

 postage and all expenses as well. A series of articles was furnished. The 

 subject chosen was one supposed to be the driest and most difficult of suc- 

 cessful handling. Forty-five papers published the series. Reports coming 

 to me indicate that as a result of the work, many thousand readers gained 

 a much clearer knowledge of the soil than they had had or than they had 

 other opportunity to secure. Unfortunately, comparatively few young 

 people answered the questions sent out, and I have no means of knowing 

 how exact the knowledge derived froni reading the articles really was. In 

 view of the success of this preliminary test, I recommend that the matter 

 be tried in the Farm Home Reading Circle, in cooperation with selected 

 newspapers in each county in the state. 



Respectfully submitted, 



C. D. SMITH, 

 ^Secretary of Farm Home Reading Circle. 

 Agricultural College, Mich., June 30, 1905. 



REPORT OF STATE INSPECTOR OF NURSERIES AND ORCHARDS. 



Hon. C. J. Monroe, President State Board of Agriculture: 



Sir— The work performed by the state inspector and his deputies has 

 been upon a larger scale than in other seasons especially so far as the orchard 

 inspection is concerned. Most of the work of inspecting nurseries was, as 

 in previous years, done during the months of August, September and Oc- 

 tober. A comparatively small amount of nursery stock, however, was 



