48 THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Congress, to assist in the administration of the plant quar- 

 antine act ; and the Library, which is considered to be one of 

 the largest and most valuable collections of scientific books 

 and materials bearing upon agriculture in the world. 



From this very brief summary of the principal lines of 

 work of the Department of Agriculture, some conception 

 may be gained of the multiplicity of activities of this — one 

 of the most recently created — federal executive department. 

 It is only by such detailed study that we are enabled 

 adequately to appreciate the tremendous work of the Gov- 

 ernment, and the administrative machiner}' required for its 

 proper execution. 



The revelations are all the more impressive when it is 

 remembered that we are living under a political system 

 founded on the theory that the great majority of the sub- 

 jects about which we have been speaking are matters 

 originally considered to be primarily of local concern and 

 hence not within the domain or sphere of the central govern- 

 ment. 



In what has been written thus far, frequent reference has 

 been made to the cooperation of the Department of Agri- 

 culture with other governmental agencies in the perform- 

 ance of its duties. It will be our purpose in the following 

 chapter to consider in some detail the administrative organ- 

 ization and methods involved in this cooperation. 



