34 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



course appears advisable the visitor is referred to the college, 

 the experiment station, the Federal Department or the county- 

 agent in his county. 



The largest volume of information is distributed by means 

 of publications, which include not only those printed for the 

 Department, but also such as can be obtained from the Agri- 

 cultural Extension Service and the Agricultural Experiment 

 Station, and some farmers' bulletins issued by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture. All these publications are 

 supplied to persons who call at the office, but the farmers' 

 bulletins are not usually sent out by mail because onl}'- a small 

 supply is furnished to us for distribution. The demand for 

 publications is steadily increasing, although it varies somewhat 

 in different seasons of the year. Usually it is greatest in the 

 spring and in the early fall. 



During the past year the Division increased somewhat its 

 distribution of publications at agricultural fairs. In 1920 in- 

 formation booths were maintained at the Eastern States Ex- 

 position, West Springfield, and at the Brockton Fair. Some 

 publications were also distributed at the Three County Fair, 

 Northampton. In 1921 a booth was maintained at the Franklin 

 County Fair at Greenfield, and larger quantities of publications 

 were supplied for distribution at the Eastern States Exposition, 

 Northampton and Brockton. The Division also had several 

 new bulletins which were printed in time to be used at all of 

 the four fairs mentioned, and it was estimated that more than 

 a ton of publications was sent to West Springfield, and nearly 

 three-quarters of a ton to Brockton. The distribution of these 

 publications was practically complete, only a small quantity 

 being returned from any fair to which they were sent. The 

 extension of the service to Greenfield seems to have been highly 

 satisfactory to all concerned. A large proportion of the per- 

 sons attending this fair are actually engaged in farming, and 

 they were much interested in the publications offered, so that 

 a large number and variety were distributed. The space 

 furnished at Brockton was not wholly satisfactory because it 

 was too small and crowded to afford proper facilities. The 

 Director recommends that during the year 1922 arrangements 

 be made to extend the distribution of publications to at least 



