EDITORIAL. 707 



Taken together, these projects constitute the largest amount of 

 definite and systematic investigation, agricultural or otherwise, con- 

 ducted under a single organization anywhere in the world. United 

 with the similar work of the state experiment stations, they are 

 accumulating a body of knowledge relating to agriculture which 

 already constitutes by far the largest contribution to the science of 

 agriculture. In this way a broad, sure, and peniianent foundation for 

 the future agricultural prosperity of the United States is being laid. 



As perhaps a natural outgrowth of its fimctions relating to the 

 industry which is most fundamental to human life and civilization, 

 the Dej)artment has taken on an increasing amount of work outside 

 the field of agriculture. Such, for example, is a large part of the 

 meteorological work of the Weather Bureau, the inspection of drugs, 

 investigations on human nutrition, studies of household and disease- 

 causing insects, biological investigations relating to human diseases, 

 etc. Part of this has been given to the Department under a wise 

 administrative policy which seeks to make the most effective use of 

 existing governmental agencies and facilities, instead of creating new 

 ones. 



As a public agency for the dissemination of information on agri- 

 cultural subjects the work of the Department has reached vast pro- 

 portions. During the year ended June 30, 1912, it issued 2,110 publi- 

 cations, aggregating 34,078,557 copies. Many of these are technical 

 reports of scientific investigations, published in small editions, but 

 others are popular in character and are widely distributed. Over 

 nine million copies of Farmers' Bulletins are sent out annually, and 

 as they are distributed largely'' through Congressmen they go into 

 all the rural districts. The " Yearbook," a bound A^olume of about 

 seven hundred pages, has an edition of a half million copies. 



For many years past three technical periodicals have been issued — 

 the Monthly Weather Review, the Crop Reporter, and Experiment 

 Station Record. These are given wide distribution in this country 

 and to a considerable extent abroad. In addition, the Bulletin of the 

 ISIount Weather Observatory is issued in a periodical series, and the 

 Library puts out a Monthly Bulletin. 



Included in the special equipment of the Department are three 

 farms, one at Arlington, Va., of about four hundred acres, for plant 

 work; another of about fifty acres at Bethesda, Md., for use in the 

 study of animal diseases ; and a comparatively new farm at Beltsville, 

 Md., of four hundred and seventy-five acres of land, for experiments 

 in animal husbandry and dairying. 



The Department's Library contains a collection of 122,000 books 

 and pamphlets, chiefly on agriculture and related sciences, and as far 

 as known is the largest agricultural library extant. Nearly two thou- 

 67421°— No. 8—13 2 



