No. 123.] DIVISION OF INFORMATION. 35 



two additional fairs, such as the Ilousatonic Fair at Great 

 Barrington, in Berkshire County, and the New England Fair 

 at Worcester. The distribution of publications at fairs not 

 only renders good service to visitors who are in search of in- 

 formation, but also gives valuable publicity to the work of the 

 Department. 



Information on agricultural questions and facts about the 

 agricultural situation have been supplied to the newspapers of 

 the State and to farm publications in the same manner as in 

 the preceding year. The other divisions have been canvassed 

 for items of interest, and have supplied material for special 

 articles on important occurrences. 



The Division has been called upon from time to time to 

 supply a speaker for agricultural meetings, and in response to 

 such calls the Director has delivered six addresses and three 

 illustrated lectures. These addresses and lectures were deliv- 

 ered in several different localities, including Mattapoisett and 

 Halifax in Plymouth County, Dedham and Canton in Norfolk 

 County, and Ashburnham in Worcester County. 



Collection of Information. 



The research and investigation work performed by the Di- 

 vision has been directed largely to securing material to com- 

 plete the book on " Farming Conditions and Opportunities 

 in Massachusetts" which was projected last year. Detailed 

 studies have been made of available data on climate, soils, 

 markets and other important subjects, and the Director has 

 traveled over a large part of the area of the State in order to 

 to get a first-hand view of physical conditions and the types 

 of farming characteristic of the several counties. In the course 

 of the study on climate, detailed tabulations have been worked 

 out to show the length of the season in different parts of the 

 State and the variations of rainfall at nearly sixty different 

 places. Sets of questions were prepared and sent out to leading 

 live-stock raisers, vegetable growers, poultry men, etc., through- 

 out the State, Some very good replies were received, but in 

 general the material was not of sufficient value to justify 

 further inquiries along the same line. 



