The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-02
EndeavOring to Find New Markets for
Their Products and Experi-
mentinG in Many Ways.
NATURE TEACHING NECESSARY
TO PREPARE PEOPLE FOR INTELLI-
GENT CULTIVATION OF THE SOIL.
Money Needed to Conduct an InvestI-
CATION of the Resources of Our
New Dependencies.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-Secretary of Ag-
ricuture James Wilson, in his annual re-
| port, made public tonight, in addition to
discussing domestic problems, reviews our
| agricultural relations in foreign fields. He
| calls for an emergency appropriation Of
lump sum for future requirements that can
not all be anticipated specifically. Explora-
| ton by scientists of territorial acquisitions
and the sudden appearance of pests are
some of these possible emergencies. Dis
| cnssing agricultural resources in our new
| island acquisitions, Secretary Wilson says:
I'm the territories recently brought under
| the control of the United States govern
.ment. the agricultural interests urgently
| call for attention by this department. Ha-
wall and the West India islands depend al
most exclusively for their prosperity on
their agricultural productions. 1t behooves
the department, therefore, to place itself at
| the earliest moment possible in a position
| to extend to the agriculturists of those ter
ritories which have, or may, come under
| the United States flag, the services and
benefits which it renders to the farmers of
| the United States The increased trade re-
| lations which may be looked for between
| the United States and it's insular Dependent
| cies, moreover, render the conditions of agri-
| culture in the latter and the character and
extent of their productions matters of pro-
| found interest to the people of the United
| States. In the interests of our agriculture,
not only must the agricultural resources of
| these islands then be studied closely and in
| diligently, but the dangers which threaten
| agriculture in these territories in the form
| of plant diseases or insect pests must be
made the subject of special investigation,
with a view to provide agriculture there
| with preventive or remedial agencies and
also to secure our own agriculture from the
possibility of their introduction into this
! country. It is urgently necessary, there
| FORE that Congress should as speedily as
possible provide a sufficient fund for the
use of this department in making such in
vestigations as may be necessary into the
agricultural resources and conditions in Ha-
wall. Puerto Rico Cuba and the Philip
pines"
DAIRY PRODUCTS.
| On the practicability of exporting dairy
lproducts the secretary says that, owing to
| a better home demand, it is not CONNER
| cially profitable to send butter to Europe
| just now, as the home demand at present
absorbs the supply. For the purpose of OBJ
| tanning for dairymen all the facts relating
to the export of this article, the depart
ment sent an agent to Paris to ascertain
what encouragement there would be to ship
butter to that port, and an agent to Ham
burg to ascertain the facts regarding Gus
| toms duties, as we'll as prohibitions and
other difficulties that might meet exporters
| of butter to Germany. 1t was found that
no line of steamers sailing to French ports
| direct could furnish refrigerator space so
| shipments could not be made during hot
MO- thnV
| finest butter exceeds the home demand, the
secretary says. it can be profitably sent to
both France and Germany. The American
| farmer is now selling cheap grains and mill
feeds to the European dairymen. who meet
us in European markets with products
| made from raw material furnished by u.s.
But there is reason to believe that there is
a growing tendency toward the consumption
OF grains and mill feeds at home and eX-
porting the products of skill and intelli-
gence.
The trade in American farm products is
growing in the China seas, and in order
that markets may be opened up in Japan,
China and other countries of the Pacific
ocean an agent is now in that region estab-
fishing agencies, to which the department
will make trial shipments and gather all
information possible for the American pro-
Queer.
The secretary recommends the extension
and adoption of the provisions of the law
regarding the inspection and certihcation
as TO make this apply to butter and cheese.
The brands of pure butter" and full
cream cheese should then be affixed by
United States inspectors to such products
as come up TO the required standard of
quality. This would place the good butter
and cheese of this country in foreign mar
kets under the identifying label and guar
anty of the United States government. The
dairy products Of Denmark and Canada,
United States in the markets of Great Brit
ain bear the inspection certificate and
guaranty of quality from their respective
governments.
ADULTERATED IMPORTS.
"There is an evident necessity" the re-
port says. 'for the inspection of many ar
tcles imported from foreign countries that
contain substances injurious to the public
health. The department chemists are doing
work along this line that suggests a more
comprehensive inquiry. The department
now buys samples for analysis in the open
market. 1t may be necessary, however,
where there is ground for suspicion and a
necessity for the identification of source to
open packages at ports of entry, as it Is
proposed in foreign countries to do with our
exports in certain cases." This brief state
ment is the only reference the secretary
makes to restrictive measures by certain
foreign governments respecting our prod
ucts.
The experimental exports of butter by the
Agricultural Department to Great Britain
were resumed at the opening or the season
of 1898 on an enlarged scale and Secretary
Wilson says decided gain is evident in
the favorable impression made by butter of
the first quality from United States cream
cries on the best class of the butter trade
in London and Manchester Lack of proper
attention to economic chemistry is COM
planned of. and the report says we pay for
eign countries large sums for coal tar prod
ucts, for example. while we have skilled
chemists. capital and raw material at home.
The secretary enlarges on the need of ma
ture teaching in the common schools He
says there is a growing interest in educa-
ton that relates to production, and all
classes of intelligent people favor it. More
knowledge by the farmer of what he deals
troll conditions, produce more from an acre
and contribute more to the general well
fare. With the exception of the very few
persons who have found their way into our
agricultural colleges, the education of our
people has not been designed to prepare
them for producing from the soil. Nothing
is being done in most of the common
and lead the mind to inquire into and store
up facts regarding nature. that the
young farmer may be directed into the
path that leads to education concerning his
future life work. The teacher should be edu-
Gated for this work.
ST-GRADUATE WORK
The report suggests that the greatest DIFF
ficultiss are to overcome the conservatism
of the local boards managing country
schools and to get competent teachers. This
scientific educational subject is exhaustively
discussed and while there is no university
where young farmers may pursue post-grad-
uate studies in all the sciences relating 10