and good markets for vegetables to know more as to their produc tion, profits and yields, and to gratify and supply this clearly expressed want, Mr. Simmers was selected for the duty of examining and reporting upon the question. The fact that he has for many years been a practical market gardener eminently fitted him for the work and his report will fill a want, felt and expressed, in the agriculture of our State.

17. FARM PRICES; by Gilbert Cope, West Chester, Pa. During discussions of topics relating to the farming of the past and present, no subject came up with greater frequency than that of the comparative prices of the past and present, and Mr. Cope was accordingly appointed to collect data and make a report which should place upon record these items in such a manner as to hereafter settle the question beyond a doubt.

18. BUTTER-FAT, WATER AND CURD IN BUTTER; by Prof. F. A. Genth, Philadelphia, Pa. During the enforcement of the law relating to oleomargarine and imitation butter the officers of the Department were often met with questions, perhaps on the witness stand, which involved the relative proportions of butter-fat and water in butter; in the analyses made by our chemists the one item of water was found to vary greatly, and hence it was deemed important that we should have definite information which would enable us to judge when the elements of water and curd existed in sufficient amounts to constitute adulteration within the meaning of our law. The examination has involved a large number of analyses of samples of butter, and we consider the results as conclusive and entirely satisfactory. They are in a form in which they can be used during suits for the enforcement of any of the laws relating to dairy products.

19. PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH FOREST RESTORATION AND IN CREATING A FOREST NURSERY; by F. R. Meier, Consulting Forester. The recent enactment of laws relating to forestry, forestry reservations and reforestration of cleared lands makes it important that those interested should have the best and most recent data upon which to work. The position of Mr. Meier ensures a practical and complete treatment of his topic which cannot fail to be of interest and value to the reader in search of information along the lines of the subject upon which he reports.

20. THE ECONOMIC RELATION OF THE MOLE TO AGRICULTURE : by Harry Wilson, Gum Tree, Pa. This investigation is upon new ground and contains much that will be new even to farmers who have observed some of the habits of the animal named.

21. FUNGI AFFECTING OUR FOREST TREES; by Prof. Byron D. Halsted, New Brunswick, New Jersey. The intimate knowledge which Prof. Halsted possesses in relation to all fungous growth is a sufficient guarantee for the character of his report upon this topic.

22. RELATION OF FORESTS TO WATER POWER; by John Birkinbine, Philadelphia, Pa. If any apology was necessary for an investigation into this topic, it would be found in the condition of the failing water powers of our State, and its economy in the growing value of and demand for water powers for the generation of electricity. Mr. Birkinbine is an acknowledged authority upon this and similar questions. 23. THE PULP INDUSTRY AS IT AFFECTS OUR FORESTS; by Dr. J. T. Rothrock, Forestry Commissioner of the State. It is an important topic and one which carries with it an interest which is intimately connected with reforestration and the preservation of our present forest

areas.

24. FOREST FIRES AND THE BEST METHODS OF SUBDUING THEM; by George Boak. This embraces a question in which all farmers are indirectly interested and in which all owners of timber lands are directly interested, and the investigation treats of a branch of the forestry problem which is of great importance just now in consideration of the advanced station taken by our State Legislature in relation to forest fires and their prevention.

25. THE ACTUAL LOSSES SUSTAINED BY THE STATE DURING THE PAST YEAR FROM FOREST FIRES; y Robert S. Conklin, Clerk of the Forestry Division of the Department of Agriculture. Mr. Conklin has given much time and attention to the topic, and collected a large amount of raliable data bearing directly upon the question of losses from this source, and some of his deductions, facts and figures will more or less surprise those who may have given the question but superficial attention.

26. THE DANISH METHOD OF CONTROLLING TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE; by Prof. B. Bang, of the Veterinary Agricultural College of Denmark. The connection of Prof. Bang with the work of eradicating tuberculosis in Denmark gives him an immense fund of information upon branches of the work which are either comparatively unknown or but little understood in this country. The fact that the work of eradicating or controlling tuberculosis in Denmark has been in progress, much longer than any similar work in this country, gives Prof. Bangs' article a special interest and value.

27. DETECTION OF ADULTERATION IN BUTTER; by Prof. C. B. Cochran, West Chester, Pa. As chemist of the Dairy and Food Commissioner and of the Department, Prof. Cochran has analyzed and reported upon a large number of samples of butter, and this report is the result of his experience in the work.

RURAL FREE MAIL DELIVERY.

In my annual report of last year I used the following language, and the results and experience of another year would only lead me to make it even more emphatic:

"The discussions of our farmers' institutes and the correspondence of the Department both clearly prove that our farmers have asked for this appropriation for the purpose of testing the practicability of the plan, not because they doubted the fairness or justice of the request, but because they realized clearly that the question was one of com parative cost rather than expediency or justice.

"The argument has been advanced that it is out of the question to institute a general free delivery in the country districts, and this is granted. Our farmers have not asked for this nor do they believe that such a system is practicable, but if, after first being tried in the more thickly populated agricultural districts, its success or failure has been demonstrated, than it can be extended to doubtful districts, until it has been ascertained just how far and to what extent it may be carried without involving too much expense.'

During the year ending June 30, 1897, this system has been practically tested in twenty-nine states and over forty-four delivery routes, and the First Assistant Postmaster General makes the following offi cial report as to the results:

"The general results obtained have been so satisfactory as to suggest the feasibility of making rural delivery a permanent feature of postal administration in the United States, not immediately, nor in all directions at once, but in some gradual and graduated form, the character of which might be regulated by the tenor of the reports here. with presented as to the experimental service."

The first appropriation made for the test of this system was $10,000. During the year ending June 30, 1897, Congress appropriated $30,000, and for the coming year has given $50,000 for the purpose. The first service was commenced in West Virginia, October 1, 1896, and during the same year the experiment was extended to the states of Maryland, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Kansas and later in the year to fifteen other states, and during the past year the states of Minnesota, Kentucky, California and Ten nessee. The system was first tested in Pennsylvania in November. 1896.

In Pennsylvania the system has been tested by two delivery routes, one in Lancaster county and the other in Westmoreland county. Of these tests the First Assistant Postmaster General reports as follows:

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"Widely different conditions prevail in the two counties. The routes in Lancaster county run through a rich farming country, with an intelligent population, largely of German descent, and with good roads. In Westmoreland county, the conditions are hard. The rural population is scattered, the country very rough and the roads bad.

"The two routes started in Lancaster county begin at Lancaster city and include the territory embraced with the service of six minor post towns. Lancaster county is rich in post offices, there being nearly 150 fourth-class post offices within its limits, a large proportion of which, together with several star routes, might be dispensed with if free delivery in a permanent form were extended over the whole county. The area covered by the present routes is about 30 square miles, with from 16 to 20 miles of daily travel for each carrier. One route extends from Lancaster to Kready, Mountville, Windom and back to Lancaster; the other to Bausman, Millersville, Letort and back to Lancaster. The service was popular from the start and soon resulted in a large increase in the number of letters and newspapers carried.

"Two starting points were established in Westmoreland county, one at Ruffsdale, the other at New Stanton. The Ruffsdale carrier includes within his delivery the offices of Mendon, Walt's Mill and Hunkers. The New Stanton carrier's route takes in the offices of Cribbs, Target, Darrah and Madison. Within a short time after the estab lishment of the service the number of pieces of mail carried was doubled."

There are two points of importance established by this extract from the official report, neither of which were anticipated when the trial was first inaugurated. One is that the rural free mail delivery will displace a number of postmasters and postoffices, and the salaries thus saved should be credited to the expenses of the system. The second is that in both of the Pennsylvania counties the amount of mail matter received by farmers has either been largely increased or doubled in amount. Either of these effects should be credited to the system when its final balance sheet is made up, and both should have a fair amount of credit.

From the tabulated portion of the report above quoted from, I find the cost of the work to have been as follows, each postoffice limit being considered separately and as a distinct district: In the Lancaster county routes the average cost per piece of mail delivered, was eighttenths of a cent; in the New Stanton (Westmoreland county) route, the cost averaged 2.04 cents; in the Ruffsdale (Westmoreland county) route, the cost per piece of mail matter delivered was 1.13 cents, and, considering the experiment in Pennsylvania as a whole, the average cost of delivering each piece of mail matter was 1.32 cents. This is without giving any credit to the probable displacement of fourth-class

postmasters and postoffices by the general substitution of the delivery system, nor does it credit the advantage which will naturally follow the rapid increase in the amount of mail matter delivered each year.

Considering the system of free rural delivery as a whole and including all the routes established by the 84 carriers in 44 states, the average cost for delivery per piece of mail has been 1.68 cents. The population thus served has numbered 22,772 and the number of pieces delivered 836,308 from October, 1896, to June 30, 1897. The average pay of the carriers has been $283.61 per year; the average area served by each carrier has been 20.93 miles; the average number of miles traveled by each carrier has been 22.

Of the manner in which this work has been accomplished, the Assistant Postmaster General writes as follows:

"According to the varying conditions of the country traversed the rural carriers perform their services on horseback, or riding in buckboards, buggies, two wheeled carts or on bicycles. In some states they have to cross farms and pull down bars and ride over some fields to deliver and collect their mails. In no instance has any serious complaint been made of this invasion of private rights. On the contrary the co-operation of the communities served has in every instance been cheerfully and effectively given. The farmers, at their own cost, have put up boxes at cross roads and at all other convenient places for the reception of the mails."

The official report suggests that farmers may, of their own volition, materially assist the system by combining the collection of mail matter by the same carrier who delivers it, and gives the following as an instance of what has already been done in this direction: "This plan has actually been put into operation by the citizens of one district of Massachusetts, on their own responsibility, they paying the mail messenger $2.00 per annum for each family thus accommodated by him."

The Assistant Postmaster General thus alludes to two of the hindrances which have been noted in the experimental delivery system: "There has been, and naturally so in some localities, a hesitation on the part of the community to break in upon their long-established custom of riding to town for their mails when they have no assurance as to how long free delivery is to last. Then again, postmasters of the fourth class, who are paid according to the amount of mail matter cancelled in their offices, do not find it to their interest to encourage their patrons to transfer their mail delivery to the neighboring free delivery route. It is asking too much of human nature to expect them to divert from themselves a part of their income purely for the betterment of the service. That so much has been accomplished in spite of these retarding influences indicates much greater possibilities for the future."

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