St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-06

crop OF the country. How many mill
ion dollars better off the farmers are for
tins Introduction of this excellent wheat
it would not be easy to estimate, but
the benefit has been enormous. The
Fife wheat. which is the great spring
wheat of the country, grown almost ex-
clysively in the Northwest, was intro
duced by the much-Ieviled seed division.
just now the department is making a
special investigation OF the grasses
which Will give best results in different
parts of the country. 1t was the trans
fer to England, in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries, of some of the
grasses of Maryland and Virginia,
which III large measure improved the
bullOcks of merry England from four
hundred Founders to fifteen and
twenty hundred. The South needs
new grasses as much now as England
did in the sixteenth century, and for
much the same reason. There are sterile
acres which should be reclaimed. and
the department is serching the world
Over-Siberia, India. South America
for the grass which will suit the soil
and stick" There is a grass problem
in the West, too. where close and con-
tlnuous pasturage destroys the short
native grasses and leaves nothing in
their place.
These are merely one or two examples
OF what experiment and science are do
ing for agriculture. This year the de-
partment has spent $4,000 experiment.
ing with the making of sugar. BOTH
sorghum and cane, and its results bid
fair TO be worth many millions 70 the
planters of Louisiana and the farmers
OF the West. In suppression of
pleurO-pneumOnia and other contagious
diseases among cattle. and cholera in
hogs, the department has saved millions
TO farmers and ranch owners. Diseases
of plants have not been overlooked.
Science has been applied TO answer the
questions, what is peach yellows?''
what is pear blight?" what is ''apple
scab?' what IS that ''vine disease"
which goes through the vineyard like a
flame OF fire? what is rust in wheat?
what is potato rOt?'' what is ''mildew?''
In these and countless other ways
the department is helping the farmer.
1t maintains fOrty-six experiment sta
tiOns, in which $40 trained, skilled men
are applying science all the time in all
the fields of agriculture. Ii is detecting
adulteratiOn; 1t is promoting irrigation;
II IS endeayOring to preserve old forests
and encourage by distribution of seeds
the planting of new ones: it is introduce
ing foreign fruits and nuts; it is encOur-
dSiuS me CROWN OF nDr0uS plants Nth
eTtO unknown or long neglected, and it
Is making Its work known to the farm
erS OF the cOun try by a series of
publications which form the most
extensive library on the subject of agri-
culture known to the world. Its annual
report, which the fnthinking once made
sport OF. is now eagerly sought by scien-
tlfic men and economists the world over
as we'll as by the farmer. The edition
yearly printed, 100000 COPIES, is
the largest single edition of
any book published. OF Uncle Jerry
Rusk's celebrated Horse Book" 200, 600
copies have been printed. and an edition
OF 100000 would not supply the demand.
Millions of copies of other books and
pamphlets are printed every year. All
honor to Uncle Sam, say l. for his use
OF science and education in the uplift-
ing OF agriculture.