The Commissioner reports that during the past year over 100,000 economic plants have been propagated and disseminated for experiments. The department introduced the Japan Persimmon 15 years ago, and mainly through its instrumentality it is becoming one of America's standard fruits. Experiments with tea plants are still going on, and the department has strong hopes of final success. The greatest call on the department for plants for experimenting comes from the more tropical States. The Botanical Department has done good work in making known the value of our agricultural grasses, and herbarium specimens of duplicates are distributed generously to agricultural colleges and elsewhere.

The Entomological Department has been par. ticularly active and useful. The work of Professor Riley as recorded here, gives a bright character to the report.

In the Forestry Department the Commissioner believes a report, soon to be specially issued, will be a valuable work to tree planters. He is now satisfied that nothing can be done by the government to check the fall of the forests before the fire and the axe, and that our best attention should be given to planting new forests. Nebraska has set out 4,500,000 trees the past year.