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42 - REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE, 
in order that their work may be constantly under supervision, in its 
every detail, by those of our scientists who wish to illustrate their | 
thought, their discoveries, or their work. 
A single illustration, covering but a small part of a page, will often — a 
bring a subject clearly before the mind of man, where many pages 
of text and of figures would fall far short of making the vital point 
easily comprehended. The illustrations prepared by the Depart- 
ment appear in its various reports, and so far they are of incaleu- | 
lable value. But they contain information oftentimes which should 
be more widely disseminated than is possible through those reports. 
I therefore urgently recommend that the Public Printer be given 
authority and means to furnish to the agricultural press of this coun- — 
try, at the mere cost of the labor and material, electrotypes of such 
of the illustrations of this Department as may seem to the respective 
editors interesting and valuable to their readers. 
It seems to me entirely proper that such action should be taken, 
as it would result in a wide and also prompt dissemination of in- 
formation, now almost entirely confined to our editions, and hence | 
their value is confined to a necessarily limited circulation. 
Our printing fund is small. Five thousand copies is usually the 
utmost limit of an edition of a special report. The supply falls far 
short of the demand in very many cases. Surely the plan I recom- 
mend would be the equivalent of a large edition; it would popularize 
the Department more and more, it would familiarize the people with 
what we aim to do, it would stimulate thought, it would promote the 
habit of “closer observation; and, in short, it would greatly benefit 
those who receive little tribute at best in proportion to the part they 
assume in the progress, prosperity, and welfare of the country. 
LABORATORY. 
I renew my recommendation for the erection on the grounds of 
the Department of a laboratory, apart from the main building, and 
suitably equipped for the great number of scientific experiments an- 
nually conducted here, and for the purpose of entering into other 
fields which need investigation and can not be entered for want of 
facilities. TThe need of this building is most imperative; the Depart- 
ment’s force and duties grow from year to year, but no adequate pro- 
vision is made for the necessary space to keep pace with this natural. 
and healthy development. 
The business of the Department has now to be transacted, for the 
most part, in a small, illy-ventilated, inconvenient building, which 
is little else than a fire-trap, in which public papers and valuable 
records and property are intrusted. In the basement of such a build- 
ing is the chemical laboratory of this Department, damp, inconven- 
ient for the purpose, dark, and unhealthy, and in the attie of the 
building is located the only laboratory for the investigation of animal 
—— 
