xxxviii BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



publications, the constantly increasing requests for information 

 on every conceivable subject relating to agricultural oppor- 

 tunities, farms and farm lands, live stock, crops, and the like, 

 answers to many of which require some investigation and 

 lengthy letters, and the collection, compilation and filing of 

 data of all kinds, besides the indexing and care of a circulating 

 and reference library, keep a limited force constantly busy. 

 A dictating machine wuth one transcriber has been installed, 

 thus nearly trebling the output of one stenographer and afford- 

 ing a corresponding saving of money to the Commonwealth. 



The vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr, Erwin H. 

 Forbush, in 1913, as second clerk, was filled by the appoint- 

 ment in February of Mr. Robert Edw^ards Annin, Jr., of Rich- 

 mond. 



The bill providing for amending the present statute relating 

 to the employment of clerical assistance in the office of the 

 Board did not become a law, but the difficulty in which the 

 Board would have been placed had no provision of funds been 

 made was remedied by the ways and means committee's action 

 in recommending an appropriation of $2,800 in addition to the 

 $6,000 appropriated for dissemination. It is undesirable to 

 have the clerks and stenographers paid from funds provided for 

 lectures, publications and the library. It is recommended, 

 therefore, that an annual appropriation of .$5,000 be made in 

 order that all clerks, excepting the first clerk, may be paid 

 therefrom. 



Extracts from the Trespass Laws. 

 Two lots of the cloth posters bearing extracts from the 

 trespass laws have been printed, — one of 3,000, costing 

 $145.19, and another, near the end of the year, of 500, costing 

 $29.36. The authorization by the Legislature to sell, at not 

 less than cost, copies in addition to the five allowed each 

 applicant free of charge resulted in a total sale of 376 posters, 

 netting $18.80. This money was turned into the treasury of 

 the Commonwealth and credited to the Board's appropriation 

 for incidental and contingent expenses, to which the cost of 

 printing has been charged. The demand for these poslers 

 increased over the preceding year, and was greatest in the 

 spring and fall. 



