Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-08-15
Elk. COMMISSIONER LORING.
what He Has to Say About His Dis.
puted Accouuta.

Puted Acc0unts.
TuRE OF THE LABORATORY ruSn ON THE
GROUND OF PoLlCY AND pREcEpESr-rHR
SORGHUM AND BEET SUGAR INVESTIGATION.
As stated in The STAR. Hon. George B. Lo-
ring, the late commissioner of agriculture, has
sent to Commissioner Durham reply to the
notice sent to him that a portion of his account
as commissioner Of agriculture had been disal.
lowed. Mr.. Loring explains the expenditures
under the head Of Laboratory" which have
been made the basis OF criticisms of his man.
agement. He precedes his statement with ga
brief sketch Of the necessary MANAGEMENT of
the agricultural department, both during Its
existence as an independent bureau of the
Patent office. devoted to the distribution of
rare seed alone, and feebly endowed. and also
during its existence as an independent depart
ment, amply ,p provided for and engaged in i'm
THE INDEFINITENEss OF THE STATUTES.
"Durlng this entire period" he says, sit has
been devoted to experiment and investigation.
and to these objects alone. Without we'll defined
duty In any legislative enactments, it has been
occupied with great variety OF these investi-
culture: and yet at no time could the commits
sicner turn to the statute-book and find his
duty definitely and precisely laid down with
ing of the department has been mainly LEFT to
his Judgment, and to the skill of those whom he
employed rs chiefs of the various divisions. It
has had no analogy In any other department of
the government, to all Of which, as executive
orsanizations Congress has assigned specific
made, with constantly increasing liberality. tor
chemical, chronological, micrOscopical, botanl-
cal. statistical veterinary and forestry investi.
cations. and for the encouragement Of special
corps; and In reference to all these subjects the
coinissioner has been obliged to lay ont the work
withou: directions in the statutebook, and to
the annrODriatiOuS for the SDacffiad
by law according to his own judgment"
As commissioner. he says he devoted himself
the work which his predecessors had COM
menced, and in this endeavor received the
prompt and liberal cooperation Of Congress.
He explains how in accordance with this policy,
with increased appropriations, he reoryauized
and widened the scope OF the statistical division
and the bureau of animal industry, and en-
couraged the operations of the chiefs of the en-
tomological and the forestry and botany divi-
sfons.
THE LABORATORY AND SUGAR EXPERIMENTS.
He found, he said, upon assuming the Office
elaborate preparations for conducting q most
accurate inquiry into the value of sorghum,
sugar, in which the interest at that time was
very great. He found the work Of perfecting
the manufacture of sugar from sorghum laid
out in the department on large scale.
"In the following season. he continues, az
adopted differentsystem ofinvestigation; and
the renting and cultivation OF land, and the
manufacturing Of sugar having proved unsatlS-
factory, the cultivators and manufacturers en-
gagged In the sorghum and beet sugar business
their own experience in which they We're un-
derstood to have been successful. l issued a
circular calling for statements upon the cost OF
cultivating sorghum, the amount Of cane pro-
duced to the aero, the mode and expense OF
manufacture, the amount of sugar produced
per acre and in the aggregate, the profit or loss
subject. and proposing to compensate those who
whose reports were valuable for their services
hands OF an experienced cultivator and manu-
factRrer, and a competent committee was APP
pointed to examine the reports and select tue
ten manufacturers whose work was considered
worthy of compensation. A vast deal of practi-
cal Information was obtained in this manner.
The services rendered by the manufacturers en-
was by no means small, and the compensation
they received, amounting to 81 200 tor each of
the ten most carefully conducted experiments,
was considered no more than just and reasOna-
ble"
He describes at length further steps taken at
considerable cost but Justified as he thinks, by
the economical Importance OF the subject in
solving the sugar problem. at seemed to be"
he says, 1.-The opinion of Congress, in making
the appropriation. that the work was import
THE PURCHASE OF SEED
for the purpose of carrying on the investigations
and experiments in the production of sugar,
which had been continued SO long and in so
many ways was considered by him as belong
ing to that class of SPECIFIC purchases made for
this and other objects. The most important
point to solve in oil the inquiry the locality
be extracted. When the seeds of these plants
we're widely distributed, with especial instruc-
tons that portions of the crop should be ana
lyzed, either At the department or elsewhere, it
was done with view of ascertaining most val
liable and important facts with regard to an
ndms1r G wnicn aaa 9 been avss
what had been done was in accordance with
the policy which he defines as the foundation
Of the various work in which the department
has been engaged for many years.
I'm employing labor to distribute this seed for
the specific purpose have described he con-
tinues, II pursued the course which had been
uniformly pursued in other divisions and for
other purposes, and classed this service with
that which had been employed in cultivating
Investigations, for the same object. The appli-
cation of this seed did not belong to that gene
raj seed distribution for which Congress pro-
vides with great liherality, and which is In
tended to introduce ti:e best varieties of crops
Pinto sections of tho country known to he congo
NAL to them. My intention was to ascertain
where sorghum and beet crops could be best
grown, for the purpose OF aiding the specific in
dsstry provided or IN T., the e, asppropriation And
with those agencies engaged in working out
the mechanical part of the problem.
ut was with this view OF the matter that
applied the appropriation made June s. 1884
under the head OF Laboratory and for 'neces-
sery expenses In conducting experiments In
the manufacture OF sugar from sorghum and
| other vegetable plants. 1 expended this ap-
preparation in the purchase of machinery, II,
| the purchase of seeds and distribution of seeds
OF sugar-producing plants, and in services of
investi gators in chemical analysis, and In n.
uiacturing-ail for the purpose Of carrying out
/! the objects OF the statute. All the Items Of any
account which learn by your letter of June
| II, 1855, are disallowed were expended by me
| in conducting the experiments provided for"
APPROVED BY THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT
| After referring to the various appropriat lions
in different years. he says the appropriations OF
March 3, 1884, $4,000. for the manufacture OF
sugar from beets, and $25, 900 for sugar from
sorghum and other sugar producing plants, were
merged into one by The Treasury department
thus recognizing the common purpose Of the
two. The allowance, he says, vi the expenditure
sugar fund from year TO year during the period
of comparatively small appropriations con.
firmed the policy he had adopted and sane
toned u greater expenditure for the same pur~
pose when Congress had provided . much larger
sum to meet 1t.
When he made the purchases OF seeds and
provided for their distribution out OF the labora-
| tory fund of 1854, he had in mis- mind, he SAYS
as precedents, the purchases OF 1882 and 1888
disbursements which had been allowed by tie
Treasury department, and which differed in no
| way from those commencing December 3Oth
| 1854, and continuing until March 25th, 1888,
now disallowed, together with the account OF
labor employed in the work Of distribution.
| In closing his letter he says: I'm making this
| communication have endeavored to lay be-
ment as it appears to me, the details of the
work which constitute the rule Of its opera.
tiOns the special presidents bearing on the case
before me, aid the difficulties which attend the