32 EXPEIUMEXT STATION. [Jan. 



mont of agrioultiiro and oflico of experiment stations, to news- 

 ])ai>(U"s and libraries and to individnals who liave especially 

 requested them. 



The eirenhirs which we issue are not sent out to a reo;ular 

 mailing list. They are prepared for use in connection with the 

 correspondence of the station, for it is by the use of such cir- 

 culars only that we find it possible to give the full information 

 and advice needed by thosc^ consulting us by letter. Any of 

 these circulars, however, will be sent on special request. 



The newspapers of the State receive an abstract of all im- 

 portant publications, and as a rule w^e find them ready to pub- 

 lish such abstracts. 



Mailing Lists. — A large amount of work is required in 

 keeping our mailing lists accurate and thoroughly alive. We 

 are constantly dropping names and as constantly adding new 

 ones. The tendency is towards an iiK'roase, although just at 

 present our total is a few hundred less than shown in the last 

 annual report, owing to the fact that some lists not previously 

 revised for a number of years have undergone very careful 

 revision resulting in dropping a number of addresses which 

 had undoubtedly been for some time dead. The following 

 talde shows the nature of the lists which we maintain and the 

 number of addresses in the several classes : — 



Residents of Massacliusetts, 12,()51 



Residents of other States, 2,438 



Residents of foreign countries, 242 



Newspapers, .......... 518 



Libraries, '^in 



Exchanges, 1")1 



Cranberry growers, ' 1,395 



P>oekcepci-s, ........... 2.S(i() 



Meteorological, •'^89 



Total, 20,95G 



Corrcspondcncp. — During the year 1011 the number of let- 

 ters of inquiry answered by members of the station staff has 

 been about 12,000. This is a somewhat smaller number than 



