The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1898-01-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Special Correspondence.
WAsH1NaroN. DC Jan..17 1898.

At this beginning OF the the new
year, it is not unseemly to look back
aud note some of the things which
the Department of Agriculture has
done since President McKinley's in
auguration March last.
Secretary Wilson came into Office
and found that the Department had
been practically standing still during
the past four years, if not indeed act
ually retrograding in many respects.
Secretary Morton had been jealous
in attempting to surppress the free
distribution of seeds provided for ty
Congress, and had developed a mania
for turing back money into the Treas
ury. Although he reduced expenses
in various ways by simply etopping
work which had been going on, he
cOurinued each year to make his full
estimates to Congress, SO that at the
end of the year he would have a
large balance Of unused funds to turn
into the Treasury. But the farmers
Of the country knew nothing Of his
works, othe. than 10 see him roasted
In the grange and agricultural papers.
With the present Secretary the case
is markedly different.
Long in advance Of and enactment
of the Dingley tariff law fixing the
duty on sugar, the new Secretary be-
gan investigating the beet-sugar prop
osition and Immediately commenced
operations: looking to the trial by the
farmers in every part Of the country
of sugra-beet seeds, with view to
having the beets tested in the fall
and determining what sectious could
raise beets proftably from the sugar
One hundred million
the Secretary eaid, was an
nuall sent abroad for sugar aud there
was no reason why the farmers Of the
United State should not raise that
sugar themselves. Events appear to
be amply justifing the Secretary's
The tests of beets from
all over the country show that we
have soil and climate which will grow
superior beets to any raised in the
old world, whence VIC import our
sugsr, and enough of such soil to net
only produce eur own sugar but to
supply the rest of the world. The
result Of the tests are that beet-sugar
representing millions of dol
Jars of capital are going up in various
and next year will see
practically new and very considers
bio crop in the raising of sugar beets'
The Secretary Immediately put un-
der way efforts to secure new and val
liable seeds, especially those of q nj
trogen-plo oducing character, which
would produce fine quality Of lean
meat for our export trade rather than
the fats which had previously been
called for by forcigners. New seeds
wheh received by the Department
arc Immediately sent out to the gov
ernmental 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 a great advantage over any
individual for the testing OF seeds
as il can from a centeral point direct
experimentation including tie vari-
GUS thermal lines throughout the en-
tire country.
Another undertaking which the
Secretary was quick t" commence
was the opening and widening of
foreign markets for our meats and
our dairy products. Various inquir-
les were made by our special agents
in England and elsewhere as to the
kind of butter desired and the style
of package and the size, and arrange
ments were made with steamship
and refrigerator companies to carry
samples of the best products of our
dairies, the result being that consid
cradle aud constantly growing fore
ign market has been developed fol
our buffers and chceses,
The Secretary has also diricted in
vestigations as to the expectation O.
fine bred horses and cattle. He find
a ready market in Europe, The onl!
difficulty being that our people hav'
not heretofore seemed to know wha
what was required by the Europeans
They have sent over poor class o
horses from many sections and got
ten poor returns aud thus in man
cases become discouraged, wherea
the European army officers want hig
bred. mettlcsome horses and, If suite
are willing to pay high prices 10
them. The Secretary says no conntr
in the world can compete with US