Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-09
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULrUkK,

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
Interesting Extracts From Secretary Rusk's
Annual Report to the President
Secretary Rusk has placed his third annual
report in the hands Of the President The re-
port abounds in evident qualification. 1.-TWO
years ago" says the Secretary. ''the condition
Of agriculture was a subject Of grave anxiety,
an anxiety which among the farmers them
selves found vent in an almost universal ex-
preston of unrest and discomfort with existing
conditions. Last year was able to indicate
the beginning Of an improved condition Of
agriculture in response to the well-directed ef-
forts Of your administration. aided by the wise
enactments Of Congress, and to point out the
several methods adopted in the Department of
Agriculture with view to ameliorating the
condition Of our farmers. and to record also in
dieations of their suceessful outcome. Today
lay before you a report full Of encouragement.
The good work so promptly undertaken has
been maintained and developed. The time
| that has elapsed dnce some Of the most i'm
portant measures for the benefit Of the farmer
were adopted, short though it has been, has
already served to produce many of the good
results expected Of them. The work of this
department on behalf of the farmer has been
constant and varied, every effort being made
to enlarge the sphere Of its usefulness to the
fullest extent compatible with the means
placed at my disposal, and the responsibilities
| and powers imposed upon the department by
wise legislation have been exercised with due
appreciation Of their Importance and pushed
forward with energy and activity"
AMERICAN PORK IN EUROPE.
The Secretary refers at some length to the
withdrawal by the governments of Germany,
Denmark and Italy of the prohibition against
American pork and expresses his high appreci-
alton OF the Presidents personal interest i'll the
matter, without which he says this grand re-
suit could never have been attained"
1t is estimated that the increase in the value
of farm products Of the United States over last
year will not be less than 500 100000 and that
the surplus sold abroad viii largely exceed
those Of any previous year. The Secretary
notes the benefits of the inspection of meats
aud recommends an appropriation sufficient to
extend the inspection to all applicants. He es-
mates that the Losses to our pork raisers during
the past ten years, owing TO the prohibition by
foreign countries, aggregate over $26o, 0OO,OOO
PROFITS OF THE MrDDLEMAN.
A paragraph is devoted to the middleman and
the extent to which he is enabled by various
conditions, especially prevalent in America, to
absorb large proportion of the prices paid by
the consumers for farm products. thus unduly
limiting the profits of the farmer. Admitting
the difficulty of remedying this evil, he points
out that Q partial remedy, to provide which is
the duty of his department. is to keep the
farmer fully informed in regard to the market
values of his wares. This will at least save him
from the penalty OF ignorance and the unscru-
pulous greed Of traders, and he concludes by
stating that it is his earnest de-
sire and intention to extend the work
fin this direction until every farmer in
the country may know. before he markets his
goods, Just what their value is in the nearest
market. The Secretary emphasizes the value
of a greater diversihcatiOn in our crops to take
full advantage of our home market, and says
that although noting with satisfaction the ef-
feet upon some of our agricultural imports of
the present tariff law 1t rs nevertheless strik-
ingly apparent that many of the agricultural
products imported are such as could and should
be produced in this country.
SORGHUM SUGAR PRODUCTION.
In the matter of sugar production from
sorghum Secretary Rusk is enthusiastic. The
practical tests have realized all the anticipa-
tions formed in the laboratory experiments
and the cost of the process is found to be so
trifing as to be practically Insignificant ''There
seems to be no reason" he SAYS, why We
should not therefore look forward with conf
dence to the day when the 500, GOO. 600 paid by
Americans to foreign producers for sugars
should be turned into the pockets Of our own
people"
Pfeuro-pneumonia is thoroughly under con-
troll, but further powers are asked for. so that
strict compliance with the law may be COM
PEELED.
The Secretary expresses a desire for closer
cooperation between the various educational
forces in the country for the advancement of
practical agriculture and urges that the slender
thread connecting the department with the ag
ricultural colleges and stations be strengthened
without in any way limiting the independent
action OF these institutions.
FOOD ADULTERATIox.
In reviewing the work of the division of
chemistry with reference to the adulteration of
foods, the Secretary emphasizes especially the
authorizations Of coffee, which are found to ex-
tend to q very large percentage, not only of
the ground coffees. but of the coffee beam
wholly artificial coffee beans having been in
troduced into the market, Of which many
samples bought on the open market were found
to largely consist. These artificial beans are
sold to the trade at cents pound. In large
measure they are imported, and the Secretary
urges that such importations. well as their
manufacture and use in this country, be abso-
lutely prohibited.
Touching the experiments In producing rain.
he states briefly that they have been made. but
that he has no data yet at hand which would
justify him in expressing any conclusions on
the subject.
USEFULNESS OF THE DEPARTMENT.
After making some suggestions to the best
means of maintaining the usefulness Of the de-
partment the Secretary says that to fully
carry out his views will unquestionably involve
liberal expenditure. but he concludes that
within twenty years the efforts of this depart
ment on such lines as he has laid down will
have increased the value Of our annual agri-
cultural products from between three and four
thousand million dollars to at least twice that
enormous sum. In the face of such stipend
Gus figures" he adds. which it needs no pro-
phetic vision to clearly see. submit that the
largest sum necessary for the efficient carrying
ON of the work have indicated will be com
paratively insignificant"