The Portland daily press., 1891-12-17

full of roasted coffee berries from the
mantel piece, ''what do you think OF
that coffee?"
1t looked first class, as to color, size
and uniformity. Its smell was not
strong, in fact it had no smell at all
that could discover. l bit one of the
berries; it has sweetish taste, like
some sort of candy.
''Only four cents pound" said the
secretary. "Not bit of coffee in it. It's
the best looking imitation we've seen.
every pound of coffee, and you can see
there's a profit on, say, million
pounds. The fellow who made it of
fers tempting terms to the retail dealer.
He will furnish brown goods or green
goods, as you prefer. Only the trans
action is not mace known to the con-
sumer."
''Our milk tests" resumed the chief
of division.
YES" commented Mr.. Rusk. Nov
that mothers have gone out of the bust
ness of giving their own milk to their
children the cow is gaining in impor-
lance"
mot only have we shown people that
the quality of milk may be readily de-
termined but also that the price OF
milk should be gagged by quality, not
quantity. In short, whatever we do
here either adds directly to the wealth
of the country or indirectly by pointing
out what things should be avoided.
And yet the amount of money given
MS by congress is SO ludicrously small
in itself and so out of proportion with
the grants to other appropriations that
we are unable to accomplish 1.-THE OF
the work in sight. 1t actually looked
last year as if we would not have money
enough to publish and circulate some Of
the most important results of our in
vestigations, so that the money and la
Dor spent in making the Investigations
would have been thrown away. To-day
we cannot get an appropriation to send
men abroad to study agricultural cordi-
tions and processes there and determine
wherein we might advantage by
them. Often valuable men do things
for us merely for the love of science
and pay their expenses out of their own
pockets. At the time of the Paris ex-
position gentleman was appointed to
go out there to arrange and take charge
of part of our agricultural exhibit, and
he was offered 1925 a month to do it.
He declined. The matter of salaries
is arranged in Ia fashion wholly
haphazard. You will see q woman
stenographer, for example, who would
receive $500 year if she were EN-.
ployed by business house in the city,
given salary of S1,4oo; while man
whose scientific attainmcnts are of ma
tional value is paid $1,000. Such man
was recently offered salary of S., 600
by an institution outside. OF course he
had to accept it. There is no private
firm, corporation or institution in this
country employing the services of scien-
tifc men and specialists that treats
them in the matter of pay so stability as
our men are treated by congress. The
chiefs of divisions in this department
get the salaries of boy clerks in dry
goods store.
''To call them chiefs of division is a
misnomer, if we understand by that
that their duties are similar to those of
chiefs of division in the other depart
ments," remarked Secretary Rusk. ''Our
men are not subordinates or employees:
they are independent investigators
specialists-who do their own work in
their own way and only cooperate with
me towards the general result at which
we are all aiming"
what are the prospects of the linen
industry?"
''We can make frst-class material.
There is no reason why we shouldn't
make all our own linen goods, and as
good as any we import now. We are
tolerably well protected, and we should
go ahead and build big factories. If
they'd only put duty on hides, so as to
make it worth our while to carve them
you can imagine, if you know what
our cattle industry is, what a mine of
wealth would be there"
Sand how is sugar doing?"
Sugar is, comparatively speaking,
all right" was the cheerful reply "Our
experiments have shown that sorghum
can be treated SO as to make it pay well;
and we have determined the region
where it can best be grown. The beet
industry looks well, too; we have found
out some points about the mother beet
that are of great Importance, and have
communicated them where they will do
the most good The southernmost
states can produce sugar cane; the
north-southern, sorghum, and the rest
beets."
But l cannot recount tenth part of
the interesting things l heard in the
secretary's private room. When, at
length, | went out, was unsympathet-
ically looked over by about fifteen male
and female Peris, who had been kept
waiting at the gate while | was enjoy
ing myself with Mr.. Ruslk.
/ hope the farmers will intimate to
their representatives that if money is to
be spent, good place to spend it on is
the agricultural department.
| TT A vurrr0pNu