The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-12-07
as TO AGRICULTURE.
Operations OF the Department and Rec
Ommendat ions.

Operations of the Department and Rec
concentrations
The secretary Of agriculture in his re-
port reviews the operation Of his depart
ment for the last fiscal year, ann makes
recommendation for the further exteo-
sions of its usefulness. He reports O say
ing in expenditures during the year of six
hundred thousand dollars, which is Gov
cred back into the treasury. This sum is
Jwenty-three per cent of the entire appro-
propria&on.
A special study has Oeen made of the
demand for American farm products in all
foreign markets, especially Great Britain.
The exports of agricultural products
from the United States during the fiscal
year ending June 30th, 1894, amounted to
S626, 1868, OBS, being 1928 per cent Of Amer
lean exports OF every description, and the
United Kingdom of Great Britain took
more than 81 per cent of all farm products
finding foreign markets.
New Lines Of Research.
The department of agriculture has I'M
dertaken during the year two important
lines of research. The first relates to
grasses and forage plants with the Dul-
people as to the, distinctive grasses Of the
United States and teaching them how 80
introduce valuable foreign forage plants
which may be adapted to this country.
The second relates 10 agricultural soils
and crop production, involving the an
alysis of samples of soils from all sections
of the American Union TO demon
strate their adaptability to par
Mo
cal analysis Of soils may be Of
such inestimable value IL a. it is
foremost III the new ne of agricultural
research, and the secretary, therefore, rec
ommends that a division having iG in
charge be permanently established in the
department.
The Weather bureau.
The amount appropriated for the wes tn
er bureau was S951. 100. OF that sum
$l38, 800, or Il per cent, was saved and re-
turned to the treasury,
AS illustrating the usefulness Of this
service it may be here stated that the
warnings which were very generally given
Of two tropical storms occurring in Sep
TENDER and October of the present year re-
suited in OBTAINING safely in port 2. 305 YES
sells, valued at S36, 283. 913, laden with car
goes Of probably still greater value What
is much more important and gratifying,
many human lives on these ships were
also undoubtedly saved.
The appropriation to the ureau Of ami
NAL industry was $850000 aud the expen-
ditures for the year were only $495, 429 "a
thus leaving uneXpended 1854, 570.76. The
inspection of beef animals for export ana
interstate trade has been confined and
102, 944, 056 head were Inspected during she
year at a cost Of 81 cents, against 4 81
cents for 1888. The amount of pork mi
croscopically examined was 81, 437, 937
pounds against 20 657 40 pounds in the
preceding year. The cost Of this inspec-
ton has been diminished from 81 cents
per head in 1898 to 6 10 cents in 1894.
Bovine Tuberculosis.
Quite recently this department. has pull
Iished the results of its investigations, OF
bovine tuberculosis and its researches will
be vigorously continued. Certain herds
in the District of Columbia will be thor
oughly inspected and viii probably supply
adequate scope for the department to in
diligently prosecute its scientific work
and furnish sufficient material Tor pur-
poses OF illustration, description and def
milton.
The sterilization of milk suspected of
containing the bacilli of tuberculosis has
been during the year very thoroughly ex-
planned in leaAet by DIR. S. f. Salmon,
chief Of the bureau, and given general
circulation throughout the country.
Nutritive Values of Foods.
Acting upon a Recommendation con
tanned in the report of 1898, congress APP
propriated $4,000 Ito enable the secretary
of agriculture to investigate the reporl
upon the nutritive value of various arUi-
cles and commodities used for human
food, with special suggestion Of full.
wholesome and edible rations less waste
full and more economical than those in
common use"
Under this appropriation the depart
ment has prepared and now has nearly
ready for distribution an elementary dis
cussion of the nutritive value and pecuni-
airy economy of food. When we consider
that fully one-half of all the money earned
by the wage earners of the civilized world
is expended by them for food, the import
ance and utility OF such an investigation
is apparent.
Scientific Research.
The department expended in the fiscal
year 1892, s., 354 sos; and out of that sum
the total amount expended in scientific
research was $50 per cent. But in the year
ending June so, 1894, out of a total expend-
iture of 81, 94S, 988, 3S, the department ap-
piled 51.8 per cent of that sum to scientific
work and investigation. 1t is, therefore,
very plainly observable that the economies
which have been practiced in the admins
tration of the department have not been
at the expense Of scientific research.