Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-02
EASTERN.
Report of Commissioner
Coleman.
EXPERIMENTS ENCOURAGED.
A Strike of Coal Miners-The
President Suffering From
rheumatism.
Especial to the Herald by the Associated Press

Especial TO the Herald by the Associated Press
WASHINGTON, December Norman
j. Colman. Commissioner of Agricul-
ture, to-day submitted his second an.
nual report to the President. He sets
forth at length the benefits derived and
to be expected from agricultural expert.
ments. Stations and colleges in the sew
eral States are constantly urged to en-
large sheir experiments, and often find
themselves striking new leads" which
they cannot follow for want of means,
hence general interest in the bill now
before Congress ''for the establishment
of agricultural experimental stations in
connections with agricultural colleges
and prevalent opinion of its Importance
and desire for its early enactment.
mo measure" he says, "is now pend
ing and proposed of greater importance
or bearing brighter promise of deep.
seated and lasting benefits to the agri.
cultural interests of the United States
in all their bsanches.
Upon foresty he says there is practic.
ally no reproduction attempted on forest
planting done worth mentioning in
comparison with the annual consump-
ton. As the first step of reform. he
says, undoubtedly the land policy of the
United States in timbered regions re.
quires changes according to the condi-
tions of those localities. Besides the
good example which the Government
may set in taking better care of its own
timber lands, it might appropriately ex-
tend its operations by planting on a
large scale 10 bodies Of several contigu.
GUS sections in treeless States
and Territories Of the West.
Military reservations in these
States owned by the general government
would form the most desirable field of
operation only by such extensive plant.
ing can desirable modification of the
extremes of climate on the western
plains be expected"
The Commissioner calls attention to
the need of funds to be used in sending
specialists to foreign countries, in re-
sponse to invitations to take part in
scientific investigations of all sorts. He
thinks reports made from stand point
of the needs of this country, instead of
from foreign view would be very valu.
able.
In commenting on the work of the
Bureau of Animal Industry, he describe,
the spread of pleuro pneumonia and
says every effort possible under ex-
isting laws has been made to locate dis.
eased animals and isolate all that has
been exposed. 1t would have been most
fortunate if every animal exposed to the
disease and liable to contract it could
have been summarily slaughtered and
the contagion thus eradicated. With q
disease of this character at Chicago it
has been truly said that the cattle in.
dustry in this country has reached
crisis. There can be no doubt that 1t
will be soon widely disseminated unless
prompt and effective action can be insti-
tuted for its speedy suppression. Even
now it may have been scattered to some
extent in the West, and investigation
next year will probably bring other out
breaks to light. The matter is most
important one, overshadowing in urgen.
cy all others effecting our agricultural
population and of vital interest almost
to every consumer of beef, of milk, of
butter and of cheese. To prevent the
spread of this scourge, which
has already greatly affected our for
eign and interstate commerce, addition
al legislation by Congress is now
essential. Much valuable work has al.
ready been done in Maryland, and the
danger Of disseminating the contagion
from that Statehas been greatly lessened.
No work has been done in the State of
New York because it was evident that
the appropriation was not sufficient to
any probable results there. The dis.
ease also exists in New Jersey, Pennsyl.
vania and Virginia, but the State au.
thorities have not yet accepted the
rules and regulations of the department
for cooperation. I greatly regret the
necessity of announcing the existence OF
this dangerous disease over such wide
area, but the serious results to be appre.
hended from it, make it imperative that
the truth should be known in order that
such legislative action may be taken as
indicated by the emergency.