Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1894-12-06
DEPARTMENT or AGRICULTURE

required.
DEPARTMENT or AGRICULTURE
New and Important Lines Of Research
Undertaken.
The department Of agriculture has un-
dertaken during the year two new and
lines of research. The first
to grasses and forage plants. with
the purpose of instructing and familiar
izing the people as to the distinctive
Of the United States and teaching
them how to Introduce valuable foreign
plants which may be adapted to
country. The second relates to agri-
cultural soils and crop production involv-
ing the analysis of samples of soils from
all sections OF the American union, to
their adaptabillty to particu-
plants and crops. Mechanical analysis
OF soils may be of such in
estimable utility that it is
foremost in the new lines Of agricultural
research, and the secretary therefore rec
that a division having iu in
be permanently established in the
Weather Bureau.
The amount appropriated for the
bureau was Sg51, 100. OF that
sum Sl3S,500, or IA per cent, has been
and is returned 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 September
October Of the present year, resulted
IN OBTAINING safely in port 1905 vessels
valued at $50, 2s3, 9l3, laden with car
goes of probably still greater value.
What Is much more important and graft
flying many human lives Oh these ships
were also undoubtedly saved.
Bureau Of Animal Industry.
The appropriation to the bureau Of ami
NAL industry wa 1856, 900 and the expendi-
lures for the year were only s495, 429. "a,
thus leaving u~nexpended 1854, 75O.5 81. The
inspect on OF beef animals for export and
interstate trade has been continued and
12,944,0 56 head were inspected during the
year at a cost of III cents per head against
AZ cents for 1893. The mount of pork
microscopically examined was 35,431s, 937
pounds, against 20,617 40 pounds in the
preceding year. The cost of this inspec-
ton has been dim nished from ss4 cent
per head in 1898 to 81 cents i'm 1885,.
The expense of inspecting the pork sold in
1894 to Germany and France by the United
States was SSS,022. 10. The quantity in
spected was greater by 15.000. 900 pounds
than during the preceding year when the
cost of such inspection was Sl12,367. The
secretary of agriculture recommends that
the law providing for the microscopic n
spection Of export and interstate meat be
so amended as to compel owners of the
meat inspected to pay the cost of such in
spection, n l call attention to the
arguments presented in his report
in support of this recommendation.
The live beef cattle exported and tagged
during the year numbered 1868, 535. This is
an increase OF 90, 533 head over the previous
year. The sanitary inspection Of cattle
shipped to Europe has cost an average of
los4 cents for each animal, aud the cost of
inspecting southern cattle and the dis
of cars and stock yards average
81 cents per animal. The scientific in
quiries of the bureau of animal industry
progressed steadily during the year.
Much tuberculin and malleiH have been
furnished to state authorities for use in
the agricultural colleges and ex-
pertinent statements for the treat
Quite recently this department has pub
shed the results of its Investigations of
vim tuberculosis and its researches will
-. vigorously continued. Certain herds in
the District of Columbia will be thor
oughly inspected and will probably supply
adequate scope for the department to in
telligently prosecute it's scientific work
and furnish sufficient material for pur-
f'"'N'' VI uNSt ~ MI uttt-
milton. The sterilization of milk sus-
pected OF containing the baccilli of tuber-
colosis has been during the year very thor
ougly explained in "A leaflet by DIR. ID. f.
Salmon, the chief of the bureau, and given
general circulation throughout the coun-
try.
Experiment Stations.
The Office of experiment stations, which
is a part of the United States department
of agriculture, has during the past year
engaged itself almost wholly in preparing
for publication works based upon the re-
ports Of agricultural experiment stations
and other institutions for agricultural
inquiry in the Unite states and foreign
countries. The secretary, in his report for
1893, called attention to the fact hat the
appropriations made for the support of the
experiment stations throughout the union
were b only moneys taken out of the
national treasury by an act of con
gress for which no accounting to
federal authorities was required.
the Fifty-third congress in making its ap-
preparation for the department for the
present fiscal year provided hat the secre-
tary OF agriculture shall prescribe the
form OF annual financial statement re-
quired by section 3 of said act of March q,
1887. shall ascertain whether the expendi-
lures under the appropriation hereby made
are in accordance with the provision of
said act and shall make report thereon to
congress. The best source Of the statisti-
clan oil the department Of agriculture Is
the entertainment by diligence and care of
the actual and real conditions favorable
or ~unfavorable of the farmers and farms of
the country, and to the causes which pro-
duce these conditions, to the end that the
facts ascertaihed may guide their intelli
gent treatment.
In obedience to this law the department
OF agriculture Immediately sent blank
forms OF expense accounts to each station
and proposes in addition to make. through
trusted experts, systematic examination
OF the several stations during the year for
the purpose OF acquiring by personal in
vestigation the detailed information neces-
sary to enable the secretary of agriculture
to make. as the statute provides. n salts
arrangements of the several sta
tions, with great alacrity and cordiality,
approved the amendment to the law
providing this supervision of their ex
penditures, anticipating that it will in
crease the efficiency OF the stations and
protect their directors and managers from
loose charges concerning their use OF pub
nc funds besides bringing the department
agriculture into closer and more conf
relations with the experimental
stations aud through their joint service
increasing the usefulness to the a4-
riculture of the country.
Acting upon recommendations CON
tai1ed in the report of 1893, congress an
p~ropriatcd &l0,000 to enable the secretary
agriculture to Investigate and
report upon the nutritive value Of
articles and commodities used for
m food, with sp0cial attention to
sWhOlAs0ute and as1i11a InfinNa lncs xvo.t.