This book studies communications in agriculture, focusing on the American farm press. As defined here, a commercial farm periodical is directed to farmers and supports itself through the sale of subscriptions or advertising. It includes local as well as regional and national periodicals. A 90-year analysis, from 1880 to 1970, was chosen because 1880 was a pivotal point in American agricultural history. Part 1, "Upward and Westward (1880-1920)." examines the shape of the growth of farm periodicals, external incentives, shifting information channels, and incentives from the farm press. Part 2, "Fighting Stagnancy (1920-1940)," examines elements of the depression, a source of growth for the farm press, and erosion of the editorial base. Part 3, "Peaks and Growing Pressures (1940-1970)," examines readers as assets, readers as liabilities, and the new marketing mix. Part 4, "A 90-Year Perspective," examines various forces in farm publishing and includes four appendixes which offer notes on the methods of analysis used for this study, figures, tables, and variables used in time-series analyses. (TS)