Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-30
AGRICULTURAL REPORT
Secretary Wilson's Plans to Extend FOREIGN
Markets for Americans.
Belief Expressed That This Country
Will Within Few Years Raise
All the Sugar 1t Needs.

The annual report of Secretary Wilson OF
the Department of Agriculture submitted
to the President yesterday, recommended
that agents for the department should be
detailed in each of the more important
foreign countries to collect interesting in
formation for the farmers of this country.
He says: sHs .os Is. ,....5...t.,f,-a,i +
There is necessity for American agents
in every foreign country to which we send
representatives, who have had education
in the sciences relating to agriculture. The
agricultural colleges endowed by Congress
are educating along these lines. Such men
can now be had who are competent to re-
port intelligently on the plants of countries
where man has lived by filling the soil
for thousands Of years, and they could
keep the farmers Of the United States in
formed regarding crops, markets and their
tendencies much more intelligently than
agents not scientifically educated
He refers to the efforts of the depart
ment to extend the foreign markets for
dairy and live stock products, which he
thinks can be done by making the for
eigners familiar with them, as can be done
by getting and spreading information con-
corning them as to what the foreign mar
kets require. Instead of sending abroad for
seeds. he says, the policy in the future Will
be Ito encourage the introduction of wheat
to enable our people to diversity their
crops and keep money at home that is now
sent abroad to buy what the United States
should produce"
Mr.. Wilson says the department will con-
tinue its pioneer work in the encoura ge-
ment of the sugar beet and expresses the
opinion that the country will within a few
years raise all the sugar it requires He
expresses the opinion that nearly all of the
$751;, 900 sent abroad last year for sugar.
hides. fruits. wines. animals, rice, fax,
hemp, cheese, wheat, barley beans eggs
lar OF
He also thinks the United States should
grow their own chicory, caster beans, Law
ender. hcorice. mustard opium, etc.
With reference to horses the Secretary
says:
The American farmer can grow horses
as cheaply as he can grow cattle; we have
a heavy and profitable export trade in cat
tie and may have an export trade equally
heavy and profitable in horses. The de-
partment is gathering facts regarding our
horse industry at home. and the require
nents of purchasers abroad, so that our
farmers can learn what foreign buyers de-
mand."
The extension of the meat inspection
work to abattoirs engaged in interstate
business is recommended, as is the contin-
uance of the inspection of export animals,
in order to maintain the market which
has been secured for them in other coun-
tries.
The most important work in which the
animal industry bureau has been engaged
ID, Ic says, tIidl ioOhluS 10 the destruction
OF the cattle tick for which, 1t is believed
that an agent has been found in a petro-
leum product known as peraffin oil, in
which infected cattle are dipped. The re-
suit is to destroy the tick and thus prevent
the spread of fever by their means. If all
hopes are realized in regard to the efficacy
of this remedy IL WILL the Secretary says,
result in the saving of millions Of dollars
to the southern states.
The Secretary recommends an increase
in the appropriations in aid of the bureau
of animal industry, of the weather bureau
and the publication offices. He thinks the
department should be enabled to place the
result of important operations at agricul-
tural colleges before the entire country, $50
that the farmers of each state may get the
result of the good work done in other
states
The Secretary criticises the present sys-
tenn OF crop reporting. He says it is ex-
tremely cumbersome, and that instead of
It would appear from the report of the
statistician to in some measure defeat its
own object by its unwieldiness and by the
fact that the Indefinite multiplication Of
crop reporters weakens the sense of In
dividual responsibility 81 strongly favor
the making of some slight pecuniary ac-
acknowledgement of the service of carefully
selected crops of correspondents located
mainly in the principal agricultural states,
and that reliance be placed upon the state
statistical agents for information regarding
the states Of minor agricultural import
ance."
He recommends the employment OF a
principal statistical agent In each state