336 RURAL CALIFORNIA 



nances conserving particular local producing indus- 

 tries in horticultural lines. The several commis- 

 sions having charge of special branches of agricul- 

 ture acted independently of each other, each main- 

 taining its own executive outfit and defining its work, 

 to whatever extent the laws and the appropriations 

 enabled it to do so. They had the privilege of ap- 

 plying to the legislature for new laws and more 

 money and usually secured both, if their clientele 

 among producers was sufficiently insistent. Thus a 

 considerable aggregate expenditure for agricultural 

 service was attained and advocates of economy in 

 the use of State money, thinking the same work 

 could be obtained at less cost by reorganization, se- 

 cured from the legislature of 1919 an act combining 

 several previously existing agricultural commissions 

 in a State Department of Agriculture in charge of 

 a Director of Agriculture. This closed the careers 

 of such commissions and entered on the solution of 

 the problem of determining whether as good work 

 can be done more cheaply by more concentrated or- 

 ganization. This new plan went into operation on 

 July 22, 1919, by the appointment of G. H. Hecke 

 as Director of Agriculture. Hecke was previously 

 State Commissioner of Horticulture and he worked 

 out the details of the reorganization. The legisla- 

 ture of 1921 continued the work by merging other 

 special commissions with agricultural intent in the 

 State Department of Agriculture and assigning 

 others to the newly created executive departments 

 with which their higher and more distinctive tech- 



