No. 123.] REPORT OF COMMISSIONER. 45 



fice with a systematic arrangement and good lighting, the 

 change being so complete as to transform the appearance of 

 the office in every respect. 



Advisory Board. 



The Advisory Board has been of very material assistance 

 to the Commissioner with advice and counsel on agricultural 

 matters during the past year. They have considered carefully 

 the various plans put forth, particularly in the light of their 

 application to the average farmer and the average farming 

 conditions of the State. 



The provision of the Legislature in the consolidation act for 

 an Advisory Board consisting of at least three farmers is prov- 

 ing to be a wise one. 



Trespass Signs. 



The cloth trespass signs which the Department is required 

 by law to furnish to applicants had become so expensive that 

 the free distribution of these signs was no longer advisable. 

 The privilege of obtaining the signs had also been abused by 

 some owners of real estate who had secured several lots by 

 making application through different persons. The Legislature 

 was therefore requested to provide for the sale of these signs 

 at not less than cost and an act passed accordingly. During 

 the year about two thousand signs were sold under this law 

 and at the end of the year the Department's supply was ex- 

 hausted. The cost of the signs to the Department was prac- 

 tically 20 cents each so that the signs were sold at that 

 price. The cost of signs is very largely in the heavy cotton 

 cloth on which they are printed, and as the price of cotton de- 

 clines the charge for the signs can be correspondingly decreased. 



Legislation of the Year. 



The Department did not propose a large number of bills 

 for the consideration of the General Court, partly because its 

 organization was not established in time to consider much 

 legislation and partly because it is not the policy of the De- 

 partment to advocate a large volume of legislation on agricul- 

 tural subjects. The bill to provide for the collection of certain 

 agricultural statistics, particularly those of areas to be planted, 



