26 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



which has been adopted in forty-two States; was appointed Secretary 

 of A<>riculture by President Clevebmd and confirmed March G, and 

 entered upon his duties March 7, 1893." 



Development and reorganization of work. — Tlie Secretary called atten- 

 tion in his first report to the need of a closer sui^ervision of the State 

 experiment stations and better control of the Federal money appro- 

 priated for them. In response a law was passed directing an inspection 

 of the stations and their accounts of the use of Government money. This 

 was welcomed by most of the station authorities and was accomplished 

 with good results. The law gave the Secretary i)ower to prescribe the 

 form of annual statements and directed him to ascertain whether 

 expenditures conformed to the requirements of the law of 1887. 



Secretary Morton reorganized the Division of Illustrations as a sec- 

 tion of the Division of Eecords and Editing. Subsequently the latter 



became the Division of Publica- 

 tions, and the document and fold- 

 .,^ lug room was also reorganized 



and made a section of this divi- 

 sion. During this admiuistra- 

 '^ Id^ .y^l tion, also, the first special appro- 



priation was made for the print- 

 ing and distribution of Farmers' 

 Bulletins, with a provision that 

 two-thirds of the total number 

 of these bulletins printed are to 

 be distributed by Members of 

 Congress. The number of publi- 

 cations issued, which had in- 

 creased 300 per cent during Sec- 

 j.sTERUNo Morton, ^^ jj^^gj,,^ administration, 



becretary oi Agriculture. •^ ' 



1893-1897. again increased over 200 per cent 



under Mr. Morton, while the increase in the aggregate number of copies 

 printed was still greater. Considerable attention was given to enlarg- 

 ing the Department library, and the suggestion was made by Secretary 

 Morton that the Librarian of Congress should transfer to the Depart- 

 ment librar}^ one of the duplicate volnmes furnished him under the 

 copyright law whenever on agricultural subjects. 



The Division of Statistics was organized into three sections, as fol- 

 lows: Compilation and foreign statistics; answers to Congressional 

 inquiries and verification of agricultural statistics; records, files, and 

 comparison of crop reports. 



The Division of Agrostology was formed, and consular agents through- 

 out the world were requested to send to the Department seeds of new 

 forage plants whenever found. The Handbook of Grasses of the 

 United States was its first important publication. 



The Division of Soils was formed as part of the Weather Bureau. 



