COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORTATION 279 



bers and others at practically no cost to the recipient. A library 

 comprising literally tons of material, most of it trustworthy, is 

 being assembled by many farmers at absolutely no cost beyond 

 the postage on their letters of request. The consumption of agri- 

 cultural books has increased markedly during recent years. The 

 extension of lecture courses into outlying districts has gained the 

 attention of several people who as a consequence become inter- 

 ested in following up these addresses by a careful study of the 

 books written by the same men. Once the working farmer has a 

 taste of the benefits which he can secure from a careful study of 

 such literature he demands large quantities of printed matter. 



Much of the agricultural literature of the past decade has 

 been local and specific in that it has dealt with particular prob- 

 lems as they exist in a particular community, and has not been 

 designed to broaden the farmer's social relations. It is note- 

 worthy that a large percentage of the newer literature deals with 

 his social relations; the periodical press as well as books and 

 public documents now deal with social questions. The travel- 

 ing library, which is growing rapidly in favor in rural communi- 

 ties in many states, now has its quota of good books and bulletins 

 dealing with agriculture. The shelves of the reading-rooms of 

 all kinds of gathering places for country people now bear their 

 burden of the new literature. "While much of it falls far below 

 the standards established by the best writers, the influence which 

 it has is on the whole beneficial. Agricultural literature is on 

 the average of as high a quality as the technical literature of any 

 industry, and if judged with consideration of its quantity it 

 perhaps exceeds in interest and helpfulness the average of the 

 printed page of other industries. 



The present need is not so much more literature as a better 

 interpretation of farm problems, both economic and social. 

 There is a vast amount of repetition and generalization in pres- 

 ent-day writings. New ideas and details are growing less fre- 

 quent from day to day. In the mass of literature a signboard is 

 needed to point the way for the uninitiated. This interpretation 

 of the printed page is expected to be the next important ad- 

 vance in the field of the literature of the farm. 



