o 



84 RURAL MICHIGAN 



Apiaries were abolished and their functix)ns be- 

 stowed on the Department. It also takes over the 

 duties of the Department of State in the collection 

 and publication of statistics and other information 

 relating to agriculture. The control of all lands and 

 other property vested in the State for the purpose 

 of holding agricultural fairs devolved on this new 

 department. x\n annual state fair at Detroit was 

 authorized, which was placed immediately under 

 the direction of a Board of Managers of State 

 Fairs of twenty memliers, appointed by the governor 

 and senate. The income should constitute a per- 

 petual revolving fund to defray Fair expenses. The 

 Michigan Agricultural Fair Commission was at the 

 same time abolished. (See Fig. 7.) 



It M'as made the duty of the State Department of 

 Agriculture "to foster and promote in every possible 

 way the agricultural interests of the State of Miclii- 

 gan; to cooperate with agricultural agencies in the 

 different counties of the state and of the federal gov- 

 ernment; to foster direct trading between the pro- 

 ducer and the consumer; and to prevent, and assist 

 in preventing, by all available means authot-ized by 

 law, the sale of unimproved land and lands not suit- 

 able for agricultural development within the state 

 by fraud, misrepresentation or deceit and the pub- 

 lication of false or misleading statements or adver- 

 tising matter designed to affect such sales." 



The creation of this new department is in line 

 with the suggestion of the United States Secretary 

 of Agriculture in 1919, who urged the establishment 



