Through the publications of the Commissioner of Indian affairs much most valuable ethnological information can be secured. The transactions of the government with the Indians, as currently reported by the Commissioner, give the necessary information as to the relations of the Federal Government to the Indian tribes, while various other documents emanating from the Indian office are of exceedingly great value in studying so interesting a question.
The Geological Survey makes most important contributions relating to the mineral resources of the country, irrigation, and other information bearing upon the development of the country. The results of the researches of this office are published in annual and special reports.
The annual reports of the United States Patent Office furnish information of the progress of invention, and from them the business of the office can be readily understood.
The work of the census under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior has been described in full.
department of agriculture.
The Department of Agriculture is the chief publishing branch of the United States Government. The extent of its operations as a publisher may be seen from the last annual report of the Chief of the Division of Records and Editing. During the fiscal year 1893–4, the department issued 205 separate publications, embracing 10,512 pages of printed matter. There were 3,169,310 copies of these publications printed. The great majority of these publications relate to the technical details of agriculture or the scientific aspects of agricultural problems. The publications of its good roads, forestry, and statistical divisions are, however, of general interest, and are positive and valuable contributions to social science. Its statistical work is of especial value from the standpoint of this paper. The reports of the statistical bureau include monthly statistical reports, giving a survey of the condition of crops and special statistical papers on such subjects as freight rates, the production of farm products in for-
