Omaha daily bee., 1889-11-06
AGRICULTURAL NEEDS.

IldNlIS CtSdbOu Va e'S
culture, congress is in duty bound to
make provisions for such liberal sup
port as shall be found necessary to its
usefulness and efficiency. The report
of Secretary Rusk shows that congress
did not make adequate provision for the
reorganization from a bureau to a de-
partment, thus hampering the depart
ment in the performance OF the work
required by the act creating it. This is
easily to be accounted for by the fact
that congress could not have an ac-
curate knowledge OF the amount of ap-
preparation necessary at the outset, and
besides there was an opposition to the
creation of the department which
might have been rendered so formld-
able as to defeat the project if it had
been proposed to appropriate a very
much larger amount than had been re-
quired TO administer the bureau. The
last congress was quite liberal in some
directions, but the advocates of the new
department were not so largely in the
majority as to be able to do all
they perhaps would have liked
to do in starting it. With
better knowledge of what is required,
and possibly with a stronger interest in
promoting the usefulness of the depart
ment, the next congress may reasonably
be expected to be more liberal in pro-
viding for it. The generous policy of
other governments in this particular,
as shown by the figures presented by
Secretary Rusl, ought to have some in
fluence favorable to larger appropria-
tions for our agricultural department.
The secretary submits sugges-
tions and recommendations which
should receive serious con-
sideration. One is the appoint
ment of state statistlcian in every
state and comprehensive plan of agri-
| cultural surveys of the states and terri
tories. This would require very con-
| siderable annual expenditure, and it is
necessary to consider whether the only
apparent advantage to be secured,
| that Of obtaining more trustworthy
| statistics Of crops and of the agricultur-
| al resources OF the states, would repay
the cost. Another suggestion relates
to the duty of the government to assume
more definite supervision of such
| forest areas as are still owned by it. and
as occupy position of Importance in
the regulation of water flow and climate
conditions. This is in line with recon-
| mendations that have been made to
congress annually for a number of years
| past, without receiving much attention,
| but there is better promise of the mat
| ter receiving favorable consideration
| from the next congress. The secretary
renews the recommendation that the de-
| partment be empowered to afford aid
| and encouragement to the work of
| the agricultural organizations through
out the country. which have attained
a growth during the last few years that
gives evidence of an expanding spirit
of self-help among the farmers. 1t
would seem that the department might
properly do whatever is practicable to
encourage this spirit, and there are
obvious ways IN which it could assist
these organizations without very great
cost to the government.
The average citizen who has
no knowledge of the enormous
proportions of the nations agricultural
interests may not regard with favor the
demands of the new department, but the
Importance of fostering these interests
by liberal government policy will be
| conceded by all who take the trouble to
| acquaint themselves with the immense
contribution which the products of the
farms of the country annually make to
the national wealth and prosperity, and
with the large proportion of the popula-
tion which subsists by agricultural and
ITS kindred pursuits.