14 BULLETIN *l- } V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Unfortunately this list is incomplete in some subjects on which no 
publications of a popular character are now available. For example, 
there are few bulletins to be listed dealing with cattle, none with 
horses, and none of a general nature treating of cotton. Doubtless 
these and similar deficiencies in this list will be supplied at some time 
in the future by. the department. In the meantime in many of the 
States bulletins may be obtained from the State agricultural college 
or experiment station to supplement this list. 
With but few exceptions the publications listed are Farmers' Bulle- 
tins, since they are generally less technical in character than the 
bureau circulars and bulletins, and the intention is to select only pub- 
lications more or less popular in style which may be comprehended 
easily by the ordinar} T reader. Even as it is, the Farmers' Bulletins 
are themselves unsatisfactory in many instances for this kind of use, 
since they are more adapted for reference purposes than for general 
reading and study. 
On a number of the topics for which publications have been selected 
and classified in this list additional publications dealing in a more 
detailed manner with particular phases of the general topic can be 
obtained if desired. For example, under the subject of "Horticul- 
ture — Fruits,'' there are available in addition to those listed a number 
of Farmers' Bulletins dealing with particular kinds of fruits, such as 
strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, and others. Information as 
to these bulletins may be obtained by reference to the complete list 
of available Farmers' Bulletins issued by the Division of Publications, 
United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 
All the publications listed may be obtained free of cost on applica- 
tion to the United States Department of Agriculture, so long as 
they are available. Should it happen that any are not available for 
free distribution when requested they may generally be obtained 
by purchase from the Superintendent of Documents, Government 
Printing Office, Washington, D. C. His price for all Farmers' Bulle- 
tins and circulars is 5 cents each, but bureau bulletins have various 
prices, depending upon the cost of publication in each instance. 
Perhaps the best method to be followed by the individual reader 
in using these bulletins as a systematic reading course is to secure 
the bulletins listed under some single topic, such as "Soils," for 
example, and thoroughly master all that the publications contain 
on tins subject before going on with the next topic. It will be found 
very helpful, and a good way to fix important information in the 
mind as well as to test the reader's understanding of what he has 
read, if the student prepares an outline of the important points 
gleaned from the text matter as the reading proceeds. It is impor- 
tant, however, that this outline be made in the reader's own language, 
avoiding a mere copying of extracts and quotations from the text, 
since the benefit to be derived from this exercise lies hi the possi- 
