The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-11-09
RUSK'S STATEMENT.
Annual Report from the Secretary
of Agriculture.
IAN INCREASE IN THE CROP vALUEs

A General Expression of Congratu.
lation Upon the Outlook for Agri.
cuiture-Exports and Imports OF
Agricultural Products-The Mid
dlemen and the Farmer.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9.-Secretary Rusk
has presented to the president his annual
report as secretary of agriculture. The
report opened with a general expression
of congratulation upon the outlook for
agriculture, and calls attention to the
specially noticeable feature regarding
the crop value of the present year. They
are so well sustained in the presence of
abundant yields that the secretary esti-
mates the probable increase in the value
of agricultural products for 1891 over
1880 at not less than $500, 100000.
Exports and Imports of Products.
Reviewing our exports and imports of
agricultural products Secretary Rusk
states that during the first three months
of the present fiscal year our exports in
cereals alone have aggregated in value
over $76,000,OO0, adding that the indica-
tons are that the sales abroad of the
surplus from our farms will during the
present year largely exceed those of any
previous year. He notes the increase by
some $3S, ,000, 900 in the imports of agri-
cultural products during the first ten
months under the present law by COM
parison with the same period during
the last year of the old law, but emphas-
sises the fact that the increase is con-
fined largely to articles not competing
coffee, etc. AT the same time he states
that the change in rates has checked the
importation of products which may be
produced ut home.
He notes a decrease In tobacco from
$4,000, 900 to 80, ,000, 900; falling off in
foreign barley Of nearly three and half
millions; in eggs, one and a quarter mil
lions in horses, falling off Of nearly
million and half, and a gradual de-
cline in the imports of all live stock.
American Pork.
The secretary, In speaking Of the with
drawal by the governments of Germany,
Denmark and Italy of the prohibition
against American pork, expresses his
high appreciation of the presidents per-
sonnl interest in the matter, without
which, he says, this grand result could
never have been attained He urges a
system of inspection for all articles Of
food which are the subject of an inter
state or foreign trade.
The Middlemnn and the Farmer.
The secretary devotes paragraph to
khe middleman, and the extent to which
he 10 enabled by various conditions, es-
pecially prevalent in America, to alb
6orb large proportion of prices paid by
tsfc,o9ns4mers for farm products, thus
unduly limiting theprofts of the farmer.
Admitting the difficulty of remedying
this evil he points out that partial
femedy to provide which is the duty of
his department, is to keep the farmer
fully informed in regard to the market
value of his wares. Secretary r,usk de.
votes considerable space to review Of
fhe work of the bureau of animal indus
Gy. Pleuro-pneunonia he regards as
quite under control and limited in terri
cory to two or three counties on Long
Island and in New Jersey, over which
thorough quarantine is exercised.
AdulterRtion of Foods.
{ In reviewing the work of chemis-
try with reference TO the adulteration of
Foods the secretary emphasizes espec-
Tally the authorizations of coffee, which
are found to extend to very large per-
centage, not only In ground coffees, but
Of coffee beans, wholly artificial coffee
beans having been introduced into the
market, Of which many samples bought
IN the open market were found to
largely consist. These artificial beans
are sold to the trade at four cents
pound. In large measure they are i'm
ported, and the secretary urges that such
kmportations, as well as their manufac-
Eure and use in this country, he abso-
lutely prohibited.
OF the rainfall experiments he states
briefly that they have been made, but
that as regards the production of rain he
has no data yet on hand which would
justify him in expressing any conclu-
sions on the subject.