Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-17
SECRETARY WILSON'S ADDRESS.
Delivered Today at the Southern Industrial Conven-
ton at Chattanooga.

attanooga.
o>o>o>o>o>o>o>e>o>e>S
ers over a considerable portion of the
country has been made, and experts in
numbering, tree planting, etc, have
been brought into the division. Over
100000 acres Of land in thirty-four
states have been offered to the forest-
ry for experimentation, and work is
being done on the public reserves of
the United States. The effect of graz
ing on forest reserves is being studied.
The United States imports a great
many things that can very well be
produced inside our own limits. The
division of Botany is studying these
things. For example, our imports of
of ss25,sse. Our imports for the years
1898 and 1899 had a value of $14,S77
and $13,470 respectively. AS thus indi-
Gated, the chicory consumed in the
United States is now produced almost
exclusively by our own farmers. This
is striking illustration of the best
American farming methods as applied
to foreign agricultural industry.
Several other crops of foreign coun-
tries are now under investigation.
Poisonous plants are being studied and
bulletins are being prepared and wide
ly distributed regarding the plants
that are poisonous to man and beast.
Our new relations to our island pos
sessions bring up new problems re-
garding tropical agriculture. Careful
inquiry will be made into profitable
agriculture in these islands so that the
people may be instructed regarding the
cultivation of the most profitable
crops, such as vanilla coffee, India rub
Der, etc, so that the people of these
islands may be taught the sciences
that relate to the productions most
profitable to them and the United
States may purchase from those peo-
pie to as great an extent as possible
the $2O0,oo0,00o worth of tropical prod
ucts annually imported.
"a thoro reorganization of the di-
vision of statistics, the stopping of the
regarding monthly crop reports, the
extension and improvement of our re-
sources of information regarding the
staple crops, and the transmission of
the reports of state statistical agents
by telegraph, have made the work of
the division of statistics more valuable
to the producers of the state than here
tofore. The position taken by this di-
vision in the fall of last year in the, in
terests of cotton growers has been
fully justified by ultimate crop reports
of that year, and has been of very
great financial benefit to the people
who grow cotton.
"The Biological survev is engaged in
two lines of Investigation. First, the
study of the geographical distribution
of animals and plants. for the purpose
of ascertaining the boundaries and sub
divisions of the natural life zones or
agricultural belts; second, the study
of the food habits and economic rela-
tons of North American birds and
mammals. Attention has been called
to the necessity of taking immediate
| steps to prevent the Importation from
abroad of certain noXious animals,
such as the European rabbit, the In
dian mongoose, and other Old World
pests, which are sure to do untold
damage to the agriculture of the coun-
L try. The suggestion that the introduc-
ton of all mammals and birds be plac.
ed under the control of the agricul-
tural department has met with favor.
A bill now before congress has passed
the house and is being considered by
the senate, which, if enacted into law,
will accomplish. this result.
THE entomologists during the last
three years have carried on work of
great Importance to the country in the
way of conducting Investigations of
injurious insects and discovering and
recommending means for their destruc-
| rion. ~
''The most important work of the
division of soils has been the survey
and mapping of the soils in number
of important agricultural districts in
the United States. The most notable
work of this kind has been in the arid
regions, where irrigation is practiced.
imentation on whole-root and piece
whole subject was thoroly gone over,
and careful experiments We're made
with sections of seedlings stocks of
each. The results show conclusively
that piece-root trees give promise of
yielding as good results as whole-root
gratis, If not better.
"A tea garden has been planted in
each of the Gulf States with view to
experimenting on a large scale, to as
certain whether the United States can
grow it's own tea and save you ten to
fourteen million dollars now annually
paid for that article.
During the last three years the di-
vision of plant physiology and path
ology has made advances along num-
Der of lines. The diseases of cultivated
grapes have received careful attention,
and it is here that some of the most
striking results have been obtained.
Investigations and experiments have
been completed which show that
peach-leaf curl can be readily prevent
ed anywhere in the United States.
Much interest has been shown of late
in questions relating to forestry and
many inquiries have come in about
the diseases affecting forest trees, and
also those affecting wood after it is
cut, causing troublesome and destruc-
tive decays of timber. Work ON these