The evening times., 1896-11-19
MORTON REVEWsHIs TERM
Annual Report of the Secretary Of
Agriculture Is. Ready.
NEW NEEDS OF FARMERS
Study of the Markets From Data
Furnished by the Department and
knowledge of. Soils and Fer
tilizers Necessary TO Successful
Husbandry Under Low Prices.

The first of the Cabinet Officers annual
reports to reach the public will idoubtless
be that of the Secretary of Agriculture,
which will be published In a few days.
Secretary Morton will review the work OF
the Department in the past four years and
show briefly what has been accomplished.
He Will devote consG cradle space to the
bulletins issued by the division Of foreign
markets, which have been prominent
feature of the Department t's work the past
two years.
is his belief that study of the markets,
not only OF the range of prices. but OF the
character and extent Of the demands of the
various countries upon the productions OF
the United States, isl as necessary to the pros
perity anu success OF the farmer as to that
OF the merchant. And recognizing the fact
that the farmer, compared to the III erciant,
has practically no opportunity to make this
study for himself, Secretary Morton he
lieves that the government should do it for
him. The esta bIishmcnt of this division is
believed by the Secretary to be probah Y
the mostlmportant of the extensions OF the
work Of the Department under his admin
istration.
drawn.
SOILS AND FOODS.
Two other lines OF study or investigation
maugurated by him will be dscussed-those
OF the constitution OF soils and nutritive
value of foods. The former, under Prof.
Whitney, has been signally successful and
has been the means of awakening agricul-
tural colleges all over the land to the es-
sential Importance Of the study. This has
caused some embarrassment to Prof. Whit
ney in the pursuit of his Investigations, for
no sooner does a student or the soil ques-
ton laboring with him in the department
lit himself for doing good work than he is
drawn off to some college as a member OF
the faculty on salary averaging at least
twice what the government pays.
The value of this study TO the farmer can
readily be seen by moments reflection.
The prices for agricultural products have
reached such a low level that the farmer of
the United States cannot afford to expend
a cent unnecessarily in the production Of
his crops.
II he can save half the cost of fertilizer,
Tor instance, or use one that will increase
the yield OF his field, il may mean the diff
ference between success and failure II
his land is better adapted to produce OF
one kind OF crop than another, IA knowl-
edge OF that fact may keep him from ba nix
ruptcy. Just this sort OF knowledge the
division OF soils is developing from day
to day, and tits being disseminated through
the bulletins OF the department
ELECTRICITY APPLIED.
In pursuing this study, Prof. Whitney
has practically applied electricity, and
developed an ingenious instrument, which
will tell the farmer what per cent OF
moisture there is in the soil OF his land,
enabling him to SOW the seed OF,
the particular crop best suited to that
condition. This instrument is especially
valuable in irrigated districts, where .the
amount OF moisture can he accurately reg
uiated by the flow of water in the canals
and bitches. The apparatus is comparative
ly inexpensive and may he esta bliShed on
any farm A series OF experiments. cover
ing the entire country, is being made to
determine the per cent OF moisture that
Will bring the best results in all crops
Secretary Morton believes that the gov
ernment has accomplished all 1T should ur-
dertake in the direction of sugar producing
Experiments. Dr. Wiley. the department.
chemist. pursued these for number OF
years and by the diffusion process. the
avdiiabiiity OF which ne ueriOrsirated 10
per cent more sugar can be extracted than
was possible underithe old processes
FOR sUGAR-MAKERs
Any one desiring 10 engage in the sugar
business can learn from the data in the de-
partment what IL will cost to open plant
and whether. under the conditions he must
meet, the enterprise will be profitable
So. tco. the farmer. who contemplates plant
Ing teets OF sOTRnuln IOr sugar tmllS. may
know whether he is likely to make a salts
factory crop oil, his land. Further expert
menls In either direction. the Secretary
thinks, may properly be left to individual
effort.
While the work of the department has
been thus extended under Secretary Nor
toms administration, he has effected sub
stantiaf economies. The department. ron
of employees numbers about 10 per cent
less than it did when he came into office
OF the appropriations made for the cx-
pendituTes Of the department he VIII have
covered into the Treasury, at the close OF
his term of office, about $4,000, 900, "a
saving OF 100000 a year. He endeav-
Ored 10 abolish the seed division, but
Congress ordered it to be rcopened. The
division of microscopy he did abolish,
and the division of illustrations The
folding room he has consolidated with
the division of editing and publications.
Finally, every position in the department
that could be covered by the law has been
placed under the civil service