Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-04

crop of the country. How many million
dollars better off the farmers are for this
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 exclusively in
the northwest, was introduced by the much
reviled 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 transfer to Eng
land, in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth
centuries, of some of the grasses of Mary
land and Virginia, which in 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 search
ing the world over-Siberia, India, South
Amortization the grass which will suit the
soil and ''stick." There is grass problem
in the west too, where close and continu-
ous pasturage destroys the short native
grasses and lesves nothing in their place.
These are merely one or two examples of
WUdU eAptIlultuU ouu oClCuCC dlC dOinS IOi
agriculture. This year the department
has spent fifty thousand dollars expert
menting with the making of sugar, both
sorghum and cane, and its results bid fair
to be worth many millions to the planters
of Louisiana and the farmers of the west.
In suppression of pieuro-pneumonia and
other contagious diseases among cattle,
and cholera in hogs, the department has
saved millions to farmers and ranch own
ers. Diseases Of plants have not been
overlooked. Science has been applied to
answer the questions, what is ''peach yell
lows?" what is ''pear blight~ what is
"apple scab?' what is that "vine disease"
which goes through the vineyard like
fame of fire? what is "rust" in wheat?
what is ''potato rot?" what is ''mildewf"
In these and countless other ways the de-
partment is helping the farmer. 1t main
tains forty-six experiment stations, in
which $40 trained skilled men are apply
ing science all the time in all the fields of
agriculture. 1t is detecting adulteration;
it is promoting irrigation; it is endeavor-
ing to preserve old forests and encourage
by distribution of seeds the planting of new
ones; it is introducing foreign fruits and
nuts; it is encouraging the growth of
fbrous plants hitherto unknown or long
neglected, and it is making its work known
to the farmers of the country by series
of publications which form the most ex
tensive library on the subject of agricul-
ture known to the world. Its annual re-
port, which the unthinking once made
sport of, is now eagerly sought by scien-
tific men and economists the world over
as well 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" 100000 copies have been printed,
and an edition of 500, 900 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 up
lifting of agriculture.
ROBERT GRAVES.