REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. CIII 



instead of two-thirds of all copies printed are available for Congres- 

 sional use, and to satisfy both the Congressional and the Departmental 

 requirements will necessitate an issue of Farmers' Bulletins aggregating 

 a number of copies almost equal to the entire output of all publications 

 of the past year. It has been necessary, to meet this greatly increased 

 demand on our resources, to lease a building in the vicinity of the 

 Department to be exclusively devoted to the storage and shipment of 

 Farmers' Bulletins. This makes the fourth building occupied, in 

 whole or in part, by the Division of Publications. 



RELATIVE COST OF EDITORIAL WORK. 



It is proper to call attention to the fact that in proportion to the 

 total output of publications and the amount expended for actual 

 printing, the expenses of editing, illustrating, and distributing the 

 publications, and of the clerical work involved in the disposal of the 

 immense mass of correspondence devolving upon this Division, as the 

 result of the nearly 300,000 applications for publications received 

 during the year, amount to very much less proportionately than was 

 the case ten years ago. In fact, at no time since the Division was 

 organized has the cost of editing, illustrating, distributing, and of the 

 clerical work been so small in proportion to the actual cost of printing 

 and the number of publications distributed. 



THE YEARBOOK. 



The Yearbook of the Department continues to be in great demand. 

 It is difficult to keep it within the limits of a convenient book, owing 

 to the immense variety of subjects covered by the work of the Depart- 

 ment, which should be represented in it; also owing to the mass of 

 important information, statistical and otherwise, which finds a place 

 in the Appendix, and which, as far as I know, is not available else- 

 where. Under these circumstances the propriety of issuing the Year- 

 book in two volumes, the first to consist of independent articles con- 

 tributed by the various bureaus, divisions and offices, and the second 

 of the Appendix, presents itself as worthy of consideration. 



The Department is subjected to great inconvenience by the smallness 

 of the number of copies of the Yearbook placed at the disposal of the 

 Secretary, and a more liberal allowance is urgently needed to supply 

 the demands for this publication. When the total number of copies 

 of the Yearbook issued was but 300,000, and when the work of the 

 Department was not one-fourth of what it now is, 30,000 copies were 

 allowed the head of the Department, then Commissioner of Agricul- 

 ture. To-day, with 500,000 copies issued yearly, the same number, 

 30,000 copies, is placed at the disposal of the Secretary. Fifty thou- 

 sand copies, at least, are required for the needs of the Department. 



