International Agricultural Institute. 



35 



promise made by our President, Count Faina, in the month 

 of April, 1909, on the occasion of the visit of members of the 

 International Federation of Master Cotton Spinners' and 

 Manufacturers' Associations, that the Institute would be in a 

 position to commence its regular functions in 1910. 



The Principal Departments will, in fact, as from the month 

 of December, 1909, be able to supply certain results which, 

 although apparently fragmentary, will be to agriculturists and 

 to Governments a proof of the vitality of the Institute, and an 

 indication of the immense labour which is in process of 

 elaboration 0 



What are those results ? 



I. Work of the First Division. 



In addition to its administrative functions, the First 

 Division includes the Library, which collects and classifies 

 the material which the various Branches elaborate. It there- 

 fore forms an essential part of the machinery of the Institute. 

 The material which it collects ensures the existence and the 

 good working of the technical services. Its organisation has 

 therefore been considered primarily, and it is from the Library 

 that the first results can justly be expected. 



The Librarian of the Institute was commissioned to visit 

 several large libraries in order to study their organisation and 

 the best methods of classification ; and it was decided to make 

 arrangements for the compilation of a bibliography by the 

 Institute in collaboration with the " International Catalogue 

 of Scientific Literature" in London and the "International 

 Bibliographical Institute" at Brussels. The preliminary 

 enquiries induced the Institute to make the attempt of editing 

 an agricultural bibliography, and the results obtained, now in 

 course of publication, are of a most encouraging nature. '■ 



The Library prepares a bibliography of all the publications 

 purchased or received by the Institute. The classification 

 which has been adopted is according to the method devised by 

 an American, Melvil Dewey, as amplified by the International 

 Bibliographical Institute and extended — with reference to 

 agriculture — under the technical direction of Senator 

 Vermorel, Director of the Station of GEnology and Vegetable 



