No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xxiii 



lines ; that it was better to put the best foot foremost rather 

 than to present a pessimistic picture of our agriculture, and 

 presented an outline of his plan to the executive committee 

 of the Board. The committee approved the plan and in- 

 structed the secretary to carry it out. The wording of the 

 act allowed a certain amount of room foi* judgment in ex- 

 ecuting the project. Many delays w'ere encountered in the 

 work, owing to changes in office force, increasing work on 

 other lines, delay of the boards of assessors and owners of 

 farms in replying to our circulars, but the report was finally 

 issued in November, 1910. You know how the plan was 

 worked out and the instantaneous success of the publication. 

 The edition was small, only 3,500 copies, owing to lack of 

 funds, and in eleven office days these were entirely distrib- 

 uted. 



The demand has continued unabated, and we have prob- 

 al)ly a thousand calls for a possible second edition on file at 

 this time. These are by no means local, there being many 

 from western States. It seems probable that an edition of 

 10,000 copies would not more than supply the demand for 

 the present year. Such an edition, the printers estimate, 

 w^ould cost from $950 to $1,000, Money is also needed for 

 postage for mailing the edition and other expenses connected 

 with its distribution. If the work is to be continued other 

 owners should be given an opportunity to list their farms, 

 and a revised edition issued. There are many ways in 

 which money could be expended which would, in my judg- 

 ment, be of gi-eater value to agriculture, but I doubt if 

 there is any publication which we could offer that would be 

 so much in demand by the people of the State, and of other 

 States, as would this publication. As the general public 

 pays the bills, both for this publication and others of more 

 direct benefit to agriculture, its wishes should certainly be 

 regarded when plainly expressed. I would therefore recom- 

 mend that the Board ask the Legislature for an appropria- 

 tion of $3,000, to publish a second edition of this catalogue, 

 and to revise the material therein contained and publish a 

 third edition. 



