7G1 



particular phrases the irdexer has seen fit to clothe his catej^ories. 

 The investigator sliould not be compelled to read the entire index to be 

 sure that he has not missed what he desires to lind. The style and 

 arranjiement of the index are also worthy of serious consideration. 

 Tliere are principles and rules of indexing which sliould be strictly 

 observed. A good index is a valuable labor-saving machine, and its 

 style and finish are worthy of as much thonght as the farmer gives to 

 tbe pattern of his mowing machine or his plow. 



ITaving been recently engaged in an attempt to complete our fdes of 

 station publications, we are more tlian ever convinced of tbe desirability 

 of some simple and uniform i^lan of numbering the current bulletins. 

 Where fractional numbers or numbers combined with letteis are intro- 

 duced, or tlie same numbers are repeated in several series, it is impos- 

 sible to tell when a complete set has been secured. If tliere are 10a and 

 H)l), and llrt, lib, lie, and llr?, and 12a, who can tell whether there will 

 be r2b and 12c f Or, if the series runs 1, 2, .3, 3 J, 4, 5^, 5i, how shall 

 we know whether there is 5f or not? A bulletin marked No. 71 is easy 

 enough to find, but vol. in, Xo. 6 (tenth series), may be untraceable, 

 especially if after a while the number of the series is omitted. 



Our attention has been called by one of the station officers to the 

 desirability of greater uniformity in the size of the pages of station 

 publications. It was recommended in the report of a special com- 

 mittee adopted by the Association of American Agricultural Colleges 

 and Experiment Stations at its Kuoxville convention (see Miscellane- 

 ous IJulletin No. 1 of this Office, p. 110) that the bulletins and rejiorts 

 "be uniform in size, 5^ by 9 inches, and not to deviate from this 

 measurement more than one quarter of an inch when trimmed." 



It is gi-atifying to observe that more attention is being given to the 

 paper and type of the station publications. The number of illustrations 

 is increasing and their quality is being inqu-oved. The imjiortance of 

 putting bulletins intended for the farmer in attractive form was strongly 

 urged at the last meeting of the Association of American Agricultural 

 Colleges and P^xperiment Stations by Professor Roberts in an address, 

 from which the following sentences are taken: 



lu tbe first place the biilletiu must be respectable because a farmer likes tbiugs 

 whicb arc respectable. The neater it is, the better the paper, and the more artistic 

 it is iu its presswork, the better he will like it. * * * To reach tbe farmers we 

 must illustrate, usiug more pictures aud less words, more lines of dillcrent angles 

 and less tigures. 



