14 Drirecror’s REPORT OF THE 
fact that knowledge useful to the farmer is broadly related to 
all human needs and activities. A better understanding of the 
air, the soil and plant and animal life, serves to strengthen man’s 
mastery of the earth, in whatever calling. It is entirely rational 
that our urban populaticn should come to understand and sup- 
port the work of the agricultural experiment station as directly 
contributory to the welfare of all classes of persons. The city 
family has reason to thank modern’ science, largely applied to 
agriculture through Station effort, for better fruit and vegetables 
and for more palatable and more healthful dairy products. 
The distribution of the information given out by the Station is 
by no means confined to reports and bulletins. These simply 
state principles and facts which are used by the press, and by 
institute speakers before hundreds of farmers, and when illus- 
trated by progressive farmers are the basis of a more or less con- 
tagious example to every other farmer in the surrounding com- 
munities. 
“THE APPLES OF NEW YORK.” 
This publication, in two volumes, was announced in my report 
for 1904. The first volume is now being distributed. In order 
that the public may fully understand the sources of supply it 
should be stated that of 19,000 copies ordered printed, 2,000 
copies are assigned to the Station, 2,000 to the Commissioner of 
Agriculture and 15,000 copies are placed at the disposal of the 
‘members of the Legislature. The Station supply is being largely 
drawn upon by our official list and by several hundred correspond- 
ents who aided in supplying data. These facts will serve to 
explain the inability of the Station to comply with all the requests 
that we have received for these volumes. 
The approval which this publication is receiving from all 
quarters is most gratifying and encourages the hope that the State 
will be willing to meet the expense of similar publications for 
other fruits. The Station has collected at great cost, extensive 
data relating to peaches, pears, plums and grapes. Such a mass 
of facts is too valuable to lie unused. It is now time that plans 
should be formulated for publishing this material, the prepara- 
tion of all of which will require not less than five or six years. I 
commend to your favorable consideration the suggestion that, 
if funds can be provided, an editorial staff be secured in the near 
