Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-01-15
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
The Sugar Beet Industry Diversified
Farming.
Ispeclal Correspondence. I

WADh@N0AOAN1 JnH. ~ thto DS-
ginning of the new year, it is not un.
seemly to look back and note some Of
the things which the Department Of
Agriculture has done since President
McKiuley's Inauguration March last
Secretary Wilson came into Office
and found that the Department had
been practically standing still during
the past four year, if not indeed &C
tually retrograding in many respects.
Secretary Morton had been Jealous in
attempting to suppress the free dis
tribution Of seeds provided for by
Congress, and had developed mania
for turning back money in the Treas
ury. Although he reduced expenses
in various ways by simply stopping
work which had been going on, be
continued each year to make his full
estimates to Congress, so the that at
end of the year he would have large
balance of unused funds to turn into
the Treasury. But the farmers of the
country knew nothing of his works,
other than to see him roasted in the
grange and agricultural papers. With
the present Secretary the case is
markedly different.
Long in advance OF the enactment of
the Dingley tariff law fixing the duty
on sugar, the new Secretary began
investigating the beet-sugar PROPOSE
ton and Immediately commenced
operations looking to the trial by the
farmers in every part OF the country
of sugar-beet seeds, with a view to
having the beets tested in the fall and
determining what sections could raise
beets prohtably from the sugar stand
point One hundred million dollars.
the secretary said, was annually sent
abroad for sugar and there was no
reason why the farmers of the Uuited
States should not raise that sugar
themselves. Events appear to be am
ply justihng the Secretary's predic-
tons The test OF beets from all over
the country show that we have soil
and climate which will grow superior
beets o any raised in the old world,
whence we import our sugar, and
enough of such soil to not only pro-
duce our own sugar but to supply half
the rest Of the world. The result OF
the tests are that beet sugar factories
representing millions of dollars OF
capital are going up in various sec
tons, and next year will see practi
cally new and very considerable crop
in the raising of sugar beets.
The Secretary Immediately put I'M
der way efforts to secure new and val
liable seeds, especially those of nj
trogen- producing character, which
would produce a fine quality Of. lean
meat for our export trade rather than
the fats which had previously been
called for by foreigners. New seeds
when received by the Department are
Immediately sent out to the govern
mental experiment stations in
the different States, and the sections
where they will best thrive are thus
determined before any general use is
recommended. In this the govern
ment has great advantage over any
individual for the testing of seeds, as
it can from a central point direct ex-
Fermentation including the various
thermal lines throughout the entire
country.
Another undertaking which the
Secretary was quick to commence was
the opening and widening of foreign
markets for our meats and our dairy
products. Various inquiries were
made by our special agents in Eng
land and elsewhere as to the kind Of
butter desired ana the style OF package
and the size, and arrangements were
made with steamship and refrigerator
companies toearry samples OF the best
products of our dairies, the result be-
ing that a considerable and constantly
growing foreign market has been de-
veloped for our buffers and cheeses.
The Secretary has also directed in
vestigations as to the portationlof
fine bred horses and cattle. He finds
a ready market in Europe, the only
difficulty being that our people have
not heretofore seemed to know what
was required by the Europeans. They
have sent over poor class of horses
/ from many sections and gotten poor