Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-21
JERRY WANTS DUE CREDIT
Secretary Rusk's Last Annual
Report.
A Review of the Work Done
by His Department.
He Has a Flattering Opinion Of His
Administration.
Everything Attempted by Him Was
Success Except the Rain Making
Experimonts-Encou
ment for Farmers.

BY the Associated Press.
| WASHINGTON, Nov. 20.-The annual
report OF the secretary of agriculture
begins with comparison of the export
trade the past fiscal year with former
years, and emphasizes the fact that Of
more than $1,000, 100000, representing
the exports of domestic products the
past year. nearly so per cent consisted
of agricultural products, thus not only
making the United States the creditor
OF the world for sum exceeding $780,
| 900, ,000-the excess of our exports over
imports-but relieving the home markets
| from a surplus product which would
otherwise reduce prices to point below
the cost of production.
| In regard to imports the secretary
finds encouragement for farmers in the
fact that while in the fecal year ended
in 1889 81 per cent of the imports were
competing with American agriculture,
only Al per cent of the imports for the
past fiscal year did 30 compete. He
nevertheless regards the imports COM
! peting with the products of our own soil
still far too great.
Since his last report the prohibitions
against American pork products bave
been withdrawn in all countries where
| they existed, and 40, 100000 pounds of
ton could not have found q market
the prices for September, 1892, with
those of September, 1890, the year be.
fore the pork inspection was adopted,
and shows an increase of 80 cents per
100 unds in favor of this year, an av-
erage of 81 per head on every hog.
Referring to the proclamation declar-
ing the country free from pleuro-pneu-
moEia, he emphasizes the precautions
taken before the proclamation was
irsued and the thoroughly satisfactory
grounds existing for the declaration of
our immunity from it, and for the con-
troll and prevention of Texas fever. He
concludes with the declaration that
they saved three times as much money
to the cattle growers yearly as was re-
quired to run the whole department.
He says the inspection laws restored
| the confidence OF foreigners in the
healthiulnees Of our cattle. The live
cattle exports in 1889 amounted ito
205, 600 head, whereas in 1892 we e2
ported 3g1 600, at an increase in value
averaging So per head.
The secretary says the domestic mar
ket, which heretofore absor bed 10, 600 600
bushels of foreign barley, is now re-
served for the domestic product, and our
acreage and production has increased
and been disposed of at good prices.
The experience of the department in
the domestic sugar industry for the past
ear confirms his former reports, and
shows that domestic sugar can be pro.
duced with profit to the grower of the
crop and to the manufacturer. provided
the conditions of culture and manufac-
ture insisted upon by the department
are secured.
The secretary INDUCES in retrospect
of the work of the department under his
administration. in which he says of the
work Of his Indian corn agents in Ger
nance of the price of corn in the face of
which was heretofore always accom-
panied by great depreciation in price.
Referring to the reduction in the cot
| ton area throughout the cotton states,
the secretary calls attention to the great
increase which has taken place in late
years in our imports of raw
cotton, imports which but few
years ago were hardly known
With view OF checking imports of for
eign cotton. especially Egyptian, he has
taken measures to establish expert.
mental stations in the cotton states,
with view to producing cotton OF home
growth which shall serve as an efficient
substitute for Egyptian. II trust in
this we may be successful" says he,
"before the import cotton trade in
creases to such an extent as seriously to
| affect our own cotton growers"
With reference to our cereals, he at.
tributes to excessive anticipations
| formed regarding the price for wheat
throughoutthe crop year of 1891 the fail
ure to appreciate the changed conditions
now surrounding the production and
marketing of the worlds wheat crop.
Hence the American farmer must re-
duce the wheat acreage, and 80 bring
| production down to the normal demand
He briefly refers to the specially i'm
portant measures undertaken and car
ried out during his administration to
the large increase in the divisions of
work, and the important part which the
new divisions have played in extending
the usefulness and maintaining the eff
cheney of the department. Referring to
the economy with which he has en-
deavored to carry out his comprehensive
plans, he does not justify the restriction
OF appropriations within narrow limits,
but does claim credit for what has been
accomplished with the limited appropri-
ations at his disposal.
In regard to the sugar industry and
its domestic action in the country, the
secretary says there is nothing to add to
what he had to offer a year ago on the
subject. beyond the fact that all expert
ments conducted by the department,
both in the laboratory and in the field,
and at the special experiment stations
established for the purpose, confirm the
hopeful anticipation he then expressed
as to the possibility of this country in
the course of time supplying its own
sugar.
Rainfall experiments. he says, are
being made as congress directed. but the
facts in his possession do not, in his
opinion, justify the anticipations
formed by the believers in artificial
rainmaking.
He en,phaaiyos tho road fov naw and