Evening star., 1897-04-08
Secretary Wilson Looking to Future
Sugar Production.
PLANS OF HIS DEPARTMENT
Efforts to Introduce New Food for
Cattle.
THE NTIFIC CORPS

SECRETARY OI Agriculture wilson mas IN
troduced new policy in the distribution of
seed AS this work under way when
he took charge of the department, it has
not been possible for him to do more this
spring than to make beginning of the
course he intends to pursue. He proposes
to distribute rare and valuable seed as far
as possible with view of diversifying the
products of the farms of the country.
In the distribution of seeds the Secre-
tary's efforts are now bent upon furnishing
the farmers in the northwest. where land
and climate is best adapted for the cultiva-
tion of sugar beets, with choice beet seed,
and this spring for the first time the farm
ers who desire to raise crop Of beets to
be used in making sugar will have an op-
portunity to get the choicest seed for that
purpose from the Department of Agricul-
ture
Money in Beets.
"As this country is importing s10000 600
worth of sugar per annum,'' said Secretary
Wilson to a Star reporter today. 'it seems
| to me the cultivation of the sugar beet is
very important matter. The soil of the
| northwest is particularly well adapted, as
is the climate, to this production the beets
in some cases yielding as high as 20 per
cent of sugar. In France the yield is but
little higher than 13 per cent.
I'VE obliged to import beet seed
from abroad, as the seed men of this coun-
try ere not able to supply with large
quantities of the best seed of this kind.
For forty years they have been experiment.
ing abroad in order to get a high grade of
beet seed. Year after year they have grown
beets from the best seed at their comma nd
and, putting these beets under a test de-
termlne the quantity of sugar contained in
them and then select seed from those hay
ing the highest percentage of sweets In
this way they have developed a very fine
grade OF beet seed. We have Just started
in three of experiment stations experi-
| mental work for the development of high
grade beet seed, and see no reason WHY in
a few years to come We should not be able
TO produce beet seed as fine or finer a;
those We now get abroad
Peas for Cows.
Secretary Wilson also proposes to liree;
f1s efforts particularly toward the introduc-
| ton of leguminous plants. He has already
given much attention 10 this subject in his
own state of Iowa. and has introduced sew
eral varieties of peas, which form excellent
food for cattle after grass has disappeared
in the heat Of the summer, and in that Wav
has done much to lignten the troubles of
the dairymen In Iowa he has fo,lna
through experiment that what is known as
the Canadian field pea is well adapted TO
the sol, and that following that the Japan
IN.
pea, which he introduced from, Alaha,na
grow cNcellently We'll and furnish Just III,
lood needed by cattle in order to prodtlc.
the best quality of milk
These plants are new comnonI,, e,ro,,-,
throughout the state of Iowa The seer
iaty efforts in the past have been chiefly
cofHhed TO the one locality of mis- own
state, but he proposes now TO apnly ne
same principles to the entire country This
- no light task and OF course II viii ,a,,Ilv
De possible Tor the head OF the Dapa-tm.n;
on Agriculture to carry il out fully within
the four years of a single administration
But it is proposed to make a start. and il
Is likely that wherever valuable ,,,an-
that can be made of use to the farmer IS
SHOWN to grow well under certain contli-
tens of soil and climate the department
will use its efforts TO spread that oarIicuia-
pant III every part of the country where
similar conditions of soil and climate are
round to exist. This method will rcvolu-
tlonIZe the principle On which the 1IS-ribu-
ton of seed has been made in the mast IT
may be necessary to import large quan:i-
ties OF seed to inaugurate the Se.retarv's
system. but that will be incidental only to
the beginning The department will make
systematic effort to have the seed they
desire to distribute produced in this couri-
try. and it win PROBABLY take but a very
short time before this can be done.
The Scientific Corps.
Secretary Wilson has high regard for
the scientists who employed in the De-
partment of Agriculture. Speaking of he
corps of assistants in his department to-
day, he said
I'VE have the finest corps of scientists
employed by the Department of .Aericul-
ture that can be found anywhere n the
world. These gentlemen are doing excel
lent work. and the result of their study
and experiments cannot fail TO be highly
beneficial to the country at large