Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-12-04
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.


AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
Study of Demands for American Products
in Foreign Markets.
The secretary of agriculture in his report re-
views the operations oi his department for the
last fiscal year. and makes re;,ommcnI In tions
for the fur her extension of its usefulness He
reports "a saving in expenditures during the
year of So OusD, which is covered back into the
treasury ms sum Is - per cent of tue e, tire
appropriation. A spec.a study has been made
Of the demand for American farm pro iucts in
~, !orelgh markets, especially Great Britain
ihat country received from tine United States
during the nine months ending Sept ~ 1854
5o5,91U live beef cattle ralued ut SD oGl ;,s
against ls.,6ll caule valued at Sl6,65i. 90 dur
ing the same period for IsI} During the first
SIX months of 1891 the United Kingdom took
aso ll2H0.Vo pounds of dressed bee1 from the
United states. valued AT nearly Sl0.9DHn The
report shows that during the nine months i'm
medlate.y preceding Sept 81, lsi4 the United
States exported to Great Britain 25616OnJ
pounds Of pork; of apples i&U,tUl valued at 81 :
ohgtf and OF horses. ISL, az an average value
of Sl'e per head. There was "a fa!lin off in
American wheat exports of ~, 9l0 u bushels
ana the secretary Is inclined to believe that
wheat may not. in til future. be the staple ex-
port cereal product OF gu country but that corn
VIII continde 10 advance III importance an
export on account vi the new uses to which il
Is constantly eng approp rated. The exports
d agric IL raj products from tine United Sta es
Tor tue fiscal year ending June - rs t. amo mt
ec 10 sd:,,S'j,v, being ~ = per cent of Ameri-
tan exports of every description, and the
United Kingdom of Great Britain took more
.han Il per cent of ali farm products finding
torei n markets
Important Lines of Research.
The dspartm mt of agriculture has under
taken during the year two new anu important
mes of research The first relates to grasses
and forage plantS, with the purpos- of instruct
ing and iarn.liariz.ng the PEG lie as to the dis
tinctive grasses OF he United Stat and teach
ing them low TO introduce valuable foreign
- A. n ,rNf 10.
country; The second relates II agricultural
soils and crop production, involving the an.
ilysis or sample soils from all sections of the
American cnion, TO demonstrate their
adaitabiiity To pa ticular plants and
:;rops. Mechanical analyse, of soils may
be of such inestimable utility that iii /.
research and the secret Iry there. ore RECON-
ends at a division having il in charge be per
rnnentiy established il the department The
amount appropriated for the weather brreau
was S:5l ,iU of that sum Sl3S,5N or II per
cent. has been saved ana returned to the
treasury: AS illustrate the usefulness OF
tins service. II may be here stated that the
warnings which Were very generally given
of TWO tropical storms occurring in September
ana October OF The present year re.
Vessels, valued at s:,o..ssas iaden With With
eargoes OF probnhly still greater value.
many human lives on tnc-e ships We're also
doubl edly saved. The appropriation 10 the
bureau OF animal industry WIS SsJDGD and
the eNpend lures Tor the year We're only Siaj.-
is'2i. thus leaving unexpended SOL. $40. Is.
The inspection of beef animals for export and
interstate trade has been continued and T.
94i,f1 head Were inspected during the year to
C ST OF IA cents per head, against "A cents
FOR 1855. the amount of pork microscopcally
examined 81. ij.a'' pounds against ~ 81. 40
pounds in the preceding year The cost of
this inspection has been diminished from sy1
cents per head i'll lsr' To 6is cents in 1891.
Int expense II Inspecting the pork sold in 1894
to GERMANY and Fraice by the United States
WIS SsSs&Z:l 10 The quantity. inspected wa,
greater by ioGnoO pounds than during the
preceding year. When the cost OF such inspec
ton was Sla2,:6.,tSS. The secretary of ayricul-
ture recommends that the law providing for
the microscopic inspection of export and inter
sti:S Ineat be 81 amended as TO compel owners
Of The meat inspe ted to pay the cost of such
inspection aad l call attention to the argu-
nents presented in his report in SUPPORT of
this recommendation.
Expectation of Live Cattle.
The life beef cattle exported and tagged dur
int, the year numb red :Si, 80. This Is al in
crease OF Ta,5}} head owe the Previous year.
The sanitary inspection of cattle shipped to
Europe has co I an average of l05: cents for
each ami nal, a;iu the cost of inspecting south
ern e title an the disinfecsion OF cars and
stock yard averages .. cents per animal. The
scientific fnqui les ot the bureau of animal in
dustr' have prgrr.s ed steadily during the
year. Much iuDcrculin and nalleIn have been
furnished to state authorities for use II the az
Il cultural coil-g es and experiment stations for
he treatment Of tuberculosis and ISLANDERS.
Quite recently this department published the
resu Is oi its Investigations OF bovine tuber-
cul5sis, and It's Researches viii be vigorously
continued. Ger. ain herds in the District of
Coiurhi, viii be Thoroughly Inspected and
Will probably supply adequate scope for the
department. TO int diligently prosecute its scenti-
nc worE ana furnish sufficient material for
purposes of illustration, description and def
ntioa. The sterilization of milk suspected of
containing the bacilli OF tuberculosis mas been.
during tne year very thoroughly explained IN
a ielfet by DR. u. L. Salmon, the
chief Of the bureau and given general
circulation throughout the country.
an Sf ,,ala
part ot he United States department OF agri-
culture. mas during the past year engaged itself
works based upon the reports of agricultural
experiment stations and other institutions for
agricultural inquiry III the United States and
The secretary. in his report for 1893 called
attention TO the fact that the appropriations
made tor the support of the experiment sta
moneys taken out of the national treas
ury by act OF congress for which no
qured. Responding to this suggestion,
tue Fifty first Congress in masking the appro-
priation tor the department for the present
iiscal year, provided that:
The secretary of agriculture shall prescribe
the form of annual financial statement required
by section 3 OF said act of March :, 1887; shall
hereby made are in accordance
with the provisions Of said act, and shall maze
report thereon to congress-"
Blank Forms Sent Out.
Lie DeSt SERVICE OF the StatlSt1clan OF the de-
partmeht OF agriculture is the ascertainment.
by all diligence and care. of the actual
and real conditions, favorable or un-
favorable, of the farmers and farms of
the country and TO see the causes which pro-
duce these conditions to the end that the facts
ascertained may guide their intelligent treat
ment. In obedience to this law, the agricultur-
al department immediately sent out blank
forms OF expense accounts to each station and
proposes i'll addition to make, through trusted
experts, ~ SYSTEMATIC examination of the several
stations during each year for the purpose of ac-
quiiing by personal investigation the detailed
information necessary to enable the secretary
OF agriculture to make, the statute
provides q satisfactory report t. con-
gress- The boards of management of the sew
erai stations, with great aacrity and cordially
have approved the amendment to the law pro-
viding this supervision of their expeL ditures
anticipating that it will increase the efficiency
OF the stations and protect their directors and
managers FROM loo,e charges concerning their
use Of public funds. best les bringing the de-
partneat of agriculture into closer and more
confidential relations with the experimental
stations and through their joint service largely
increasing their illness to the agriculture Of
the country. Acting upon Recommendation
contained in che report of 1893 congress appro
priated Slu,D Ito enable the Secretary
of Agriculture, to investigate and re-
port upon the nutritive value Of
various articles and commodities used for hu-