Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-03-25

mary Of the Achievements Of the
Worlds Greatest Department Of Agri.
culture.
Julian Hawthorne in Lippincotts Menthly Mags.
zne.
The Secretary of Agriculture is not
satisfied with wringing from the offi>
oials of foreign nations a reluctant
consent to allow our good things to
reach their hungry populations; he
aims to appeal directly to the popu,
la,ions themselves. Until very
lately, for example, the use of corn
and cornmeai as human food was
almost entirely unknown in Europe
the people imagined it was fed to
animals only. Mr.. Rusk dispatched
agents to the other side to edu-
cate these benighted people. The
success of these agents has been
great. Corn bread is likely to become
MS popular on English breakfast tables
as mullins and erumpets are now; and
in Berlin "corn kitchens" have been
arranged for, aud mixture Of rye
aud cora is to constitute the bread
ration supplied to the German army.
TITS is only the beginning of the
good work in the case of single
cereal, in its relation to foreign con.
sumers alone. The prospects for the
future are obvious; and, as Secretary
Rusk observes, an increase in ou1
crop exports Of only 10 per cent
would put sixty million dollars a yea
more in the pockets of our farmers
The value of our crops for 1892 wa
seven hundred million dollars greate
than it was for 1890.
This is good showing, but, il
numerous ways, the Department o
Agriculture is working to make
better and still better showing here
after, not only improving the ylelo
and the quality Of the yield of Ian.
now under cultivation, but making
more land cultivatable, and lowerin,
prices by bringing the farmer al,
the consumer into closer relations
and thus eliminating the huge profit
of the middleman. For one thing
experiments have been making il
sugar manufacture, with a view t
retaining for ourselves the hundre,
million dollars that We annually pa
for the imported article. Sugar cane
sorghum, and beets, are the thre
sources OF commercial sugar.
The Department. has shown that tn
southern belt Of our country ca
pro6tably produce tho first. tho middl
belt the second, and regions farthe
north the sugar beete. A process ha
} been discovered whereby sorghum
treated with alcohol, yields doubl
the amount of sugar that it has bee
hitherto possible to ohtsin from i,
Our beet resources are incalculable
and altogether the prosperity of HON
, made sugar is assured Again,
thorough study of forage grasses hs
been made, in order to discover whic
varieties are best adapted to give
: localities, and especially to obtain
! grass which will flourish in ari
regions without irrigation. Snch
grass has been found; it is as cool 1
that in the moist lands. though it
slower in its rate of growth. In II
course of few years millions of acre
n now barren, will have been given ,
agriculture bv this discovery, whic
but for the Department of Agricultu'
might never have been made. Scarce
), OF less Importance is the investig attic
d OF the best means whereby swan
o lands may be reclaimed, and of Il
preservation and distribution OF 70
ests, so as to both prevent disastro,
foods on the one hanl and to restri
arid areas on the other.