19.12 Collection and publication of statistics.—The Commissioner of Agriculture shall arrange and adopt some plan for collecting and publishing agricultural, horticultural, pomological, and farm statistics in connection with the commissioner’s annual report, in such form and numbers as he or she may deem best, or the financial condition of the department will permit; and the commissioner shall, before the first day of January in each year, furnish the property appraisers of the several counties of the state with the necessary blanks, together with such instructions as will properly direct them in that work, and such blanks shall contain only such questions as relate to agriculture, horticulture, and stockraising.