The evening times., 1899-11-18
PROGRESS IN new LINES
Secretary Wilson Reports on Ad-
yanees in Agriculture.
New Seeds and Plants introduced
Broadening Markets for American
Products RecOmmen for
Island Dependencies - Some Inter
estfng Experiments BeinE Made.

I Secretary OF Agriculture Whlcn Is nearly
ready for transmission TO the President,
will show a wonderful progress for this
department during the year. The duties
of the department have been considerably
broadened under the present Administra-
tion. and new fields have been occupied
which have never heretofore been touched
by the Government. Several of the lines
of new work and new Investigations under
taken by Secretary Wilson have proved
extremely popular. the results attained be-
ing of practical value TO farmers. breeders,
and fruit growers. Much work has also
been started which will require years TO
complete, certain Investigations and ex-
periments necessarily occupying 4 long
period before definite results can be at
tanned. andin this respect the department s
researches have the advantage over private
Investigations, in that they can be carried
To completion, whereas private work must
often cease before 1t is half finished.
One particularly interesting experiment
which may result in great things has been
the crossing or hybridizing of the orange.
Crosses have been made between the ordi-
nary Florida orange and the hardy Japan
ese trifoliage orange, and thousands OF
these young hybrids are being grown. 1t
is confidently expected, the Secretary says,
that some of them will combine the FROST
resisting qualities of the japanese tree and
the tender luscousness of Florida fruit.
II is singular thing. largely noticeable in
the case OF hybrids, that such crosses fire.
quentiy assume the strongest and most de-
slrable qualities of both parents.
Valuable New Seeds and Plants.
strong feature of the years work, ac-
cording to the report, has been the intfo-
duct1on into this country of new seeds and
plants. The United States imports about
ss,0o0,000 worth of little things, for which
American gold, Of course, is sent abroad,
and this importation ii is the desire of the
Secretary TO stop by the production of the
articles within the United States Such
crops as ginseng. chiccory. and Bermuda
| lilies, which were formerly imported in
large quantities, are now being grown and
| experimental with in different parts of this
country and will be eventually raised here
i sufhcientiy to meet the home demand, il
not for export.
The department has had seed gatherers
and explorers" in every quarter of the
globe, and the narration of their nvestiga-
tiors forms highly interesting reading
Their reports indicate that there is a vast
amount yet to learn about the worlds prod
| ucts and plants. One agent in the arid re-
and forage plants which are proving OF
great value 10 the southwestern part of
the United States, where soil and climatic
conditions are similar 10 the arid countries
OF the Old World. plant Introduction of
last year, which may prove of millions OF
dollars value to Western stock raisers, is
| the Turkestan alfalfa During the severe
| blizzard of last winter nearly all the COM
| mon alfalfa of the central West where this
plant is the principal forage crop. was
| killed, while now the Turkestan variety is
| found 10 have perfectly withstood this
weather, thus proving its great hardness
a special feature of seed introduction in
| the finding in the Orient of a new rice
/ Whlch VIII not break in the milling process
/ mus without question saving thousands of
I dollars to the rice growers of Louisiana and
| o-heT Southern States. The famous SMYRNA
! fgs are also now assured success on the
| Pacific Coast. through the efforts of the
| department. an insect having been secured
from the Mediterranean countries which
VIII ensure the pollinaticn of Smyrna fig
orchards otherwise barren
Forest preservation and tree planting is
a subject TO which the report gives espec-
! ial consideration. An advanced system OF
/ forest management has been undertaken
by the new forester of the department. Gift
ford Plnchot, in which he practically dem
onstrates that lumbermen can cut their
forests as heretofore. but at the same time
at cost of a few cents an acre, can leave
them in such condition as to be valuable
for future timber use instead of being alb
solutely worthless. as under the present
management Of most lumber camps Mr.
| Pinchos has Instituted during the year a
forestry class of young men, who have re-
ceived outdoor instruction in this branch
OF agriculture. travelling principally
through the great forests of the West
The Secretary has taken particular in
terest in tobacco investigations. Enquiry
has been made into tobacco ferments, and
an important discovery made affecting the
fiavoring of tobacco through different
modes of curing. II is believed that flavor
can be thus largely controlled. and specified
aromas attained through stated treatments
of the leaf.
1ne Bureau of Animal Industry is large
| institution in itself, and has been doing
some important independent work in ex-
perimenting with cures for animal diseases.
! The hog cholera serum cure is found to
have been as effective as at first antici-
pated, and will, when generally used the
Secretary predicts, save hog raisers in the
West millions of dollars annually.
Irrigation investigation has been made a
special feature of the departments work
during the year. and Secretary Wilson
subject and also studied the problem now
agitating the West as to a proper control
Of the public grazing lands. The Secretary
has said that the recent rise in the price OF
beef was due to the increased demand
coupled with the diminished capacity of
the Western grazing land, owing to an
overstocking and killing out of the native
grasses. He will make a recommendation
to the effect that Congress allow the West
ern States to lease these public grazing
lands and apply the rental to irrigation and
other improvements. This will allow each
renter to fence and improve his holding,
rest his grass land. and generally improve
the property, which will result in greater
grazing capacity for the land and also OBJ
viate the present strife growing out of the
open range method. The department will
also stand ready to assist in this improve
ment by making tests of arid land forage
crops in different sections, furnishing
seeds. etc.
Extending American Trade.
Another important feature of the report
is its reference to the broadening of for
eign markets. Cold storage shipments Of
butter have been made to Europe. These
have been continued regularly, and an eX-
cellent reputation has finally been estab-
Iished in Great Britain for this product.
The Secretary recommends however, that
the existing system Of Government inspec-
tion and certifcation of meats and meat
products for export be extended to include