REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 43 



tions were laid for the two great agricultural agencies, the land- 

 grant colleges and the Federal Department of Agriculture, which 

 have no rivals elsewhere in the world. The State colleges steadily 

 developed until in 1918 they had plants and endowments valued 

 at $184,400,000, annual incomes aggregating $47,700,000, and resi- 

 dent and short-course students numbering 123,000, of whom 45,000 

 were in agricultural courses. Their student body has greatly in- 

 creased this year. They are now engaged, in cooperation with the 

 Department of Agriculture, in agricultural extension w^ork involving 

 an annual expenditure of more than $14,000,000. They have been 

 conducting investigational and educational work for many years and 

 have placed in all parts of the Union farm leaders with scientific and 

 practical vision. The Federal Department of Agriculture, whose 

 personnel now numbers more than 21,000, is expending from all 

 sources during the current year $41,800,000, aside from the $294,- 

 000,000 made available by the original and amended Federal aid road 

 act for the cooperative construction of roads. 



As has been repeatedly pointed out, the last five or six years have 

 been especially fruitful of legislation and administrative action look- 

 ing to the improvement of production and distribution. The princi- 

 pal items are the following: 



(1) The Bureau of Markets, excelling in the character and extent 

 of its activities any other similar existing organization. 



(2) The Cooperative Agricultural Extension Act, the object of 

 which is to disseminate information among the farmers, mainly 

 through trained agents. As has been indicated, there is now ex- 

 pended annually, from Federal, State, and local sources, more than 

 $14,000,000 for work contemplated by this act. 



(3) The Cotton Futures Act, with amendments, under the provi- 

 sions of which standards for cotton have been established, the opera- 

 tions of the futures exchanges supervised, and the sale of cotton 

 put on a firmer basis. 



(4) The Grain Standards Act, which aims to bring about uniform- 

 ity in the grading of grain, enable the farmer to obtain a fairer price 

 for his product, and afford him a financial incentive to raise better 

 grades of grain. 



(5) The Warehouse x\ct, which authorizes the Department of 

 Agriculture to license bonded warehouses and which makes possible 



