226 ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 



more ignorant than ourselves, we ,can just drop a 

 one-cent post ,card in the mail box or post office 

 addressed like this: 



The Department* of Agriculture, 

 Washington, 



D. C. 

 We may ask about any crop, or about soils and till- 

 age, or about farm stock and how to raise and feed 

 them, or how to destroy insects. In a few days 

 comes a little booklet to us with all the latest knowl- 

 edge about the things we are interested in. This 

 college, or department, will even advise about farm 

 buildings, farm machinery, poultry, and many kinds 

 of wild game. If you are planning to build a hen- 

 house, you had better learn the best way, as it costs 

 nothing to find out. For some of these thousands 

 of booklets, prepared for the help of the farmer, a 

 small price of ten or fifteen cents is asked, but the 

 most of them are free. What a wonderful thing it 

 is to have a real education in farming! The Gov- 

 ernment is spending millions of dollars each year 

 to help the farmer, and thousands of intelligent 

 farmers and their boys are becoming students of 

 agriculture. 



Not only will this department help the farmer 

 and his sons with their problems, but the farmer's 

 wife and daughters can get advice about milk, but- 

 ter, and cheese, about canning fruit and how to 

 preserve food, and about many other problems of 

 the farm home. 



