Milford chronicle., 1901-11-15
WASHINGTON NEWS.

Secretary Wilson will ask Con-
gress for. an appropriation for the
Department of Agriculture, for the
next fiscal year, of $4789,54o, an
increase of practically 81 900, 900
over the preceding year. When I
asked the Secretary the necessity
for so great an in crease, he replied
"The natural development Of the
Departments work. For instance,
the Bureau of Forestry will require
$500, I8o, nearly double last year.
appropriation, for work which is
the natural outgrowth of that al
ready begun; the new Bureau of
Soils will require, to properly con-
tinue its work ,$I73, 900, AN increase
of $50, 900; the investigations OF
plant pathology have reached a
point where an extra $4,000 will
be needed to carry on that work.
In my judgment there are great
possibilities for the silk industry il
this country, and have included
in my estimates $40, 900 for the pur-
pose of inaugurating an investiga.
ton and experiments. F."
When asked to briefly innumer
ate some of the benefits which the
work of the Department had afor
ded to farmers, the Secretary cited
among other things, the introduc
{ ton of the naval orange, rust-proo
oats, Fultz wheat and numerou.
@ants and grasses; the salvation o
gSshe California orange industry from
the ravages of the Scale insec
r which had threatened lis extermin
alton; the introduction of the bias
tophaga an insect which makes pos
sible the growing of the Smyrn
Zig; the general destruction of in
sect pests, which the Secretary be
/ lieves results in a saving of man
million dollars annually; the dis
covery of remedies for fungous dis
eases of vines and plants; the Grad
/ ication of pleuro pneumonia, dis
d ease which had cost Great Britai
f a loss of over $4,000, 900; the II
spection of meats intended for ez
port, which has made possible a
, export trade of many million do
) lars in extent; the inspection {
: cattle vessels employed in the e.
IS port trade, which has resulted in
q decrease of the cost of insuranC
from So to 81 per head, a total sa'
ing to exporters Of over s., 225, oC
n the discovery and distribution
: blackleg vaccine, which, it is estim
,r ted, has saved the cattle grove
# between IS ,ooo,oo and S6,ooo,oC
per year; the introduction ofSmyri
. tobacco in the Connecticut Vale
le which will result in an increas,
Ig profit to the growers Of that sectiC
d alone, of $500, 900 a year; the war
~ ings of the Weather Bureau, whiC
r have saved lives, goods in tran
" portation and growing crops to
e, value impossible to estimate; t
50 work of the Department Stats
D. clan in furnishing honest estimat
,e of the crops; and last, but not lea
- the establishment Of the beet sug
u industry on an extensive and 81
d, stantial foundation. The Secreta
e. spoke at considerable length, b
G space necessitates the foregoi
: summary. The Secretary believ
- that greater actual profit accrues
cd the country from the moneys d
n bursed by the Department of Ag
culture than from those expend
.ir by any other department of the &C
- eminent.
:" Prof H. j. Weber, of the E
u reau of Plant Industry tells me IL
n he has developed a variety of c.
ty peas which he is convinced, is pre-
he against theattacks ofthe root wor
g so destructive of this crop, partiC
larly in the South. He SAYS IL
the root-knot worm works on a Y
rer riety of plants including potato
ms tomatoes and peaches, and many
~ the peach growers have heen afr
= to avail themselves of the advs
is tages to be derived from the nit
rty gen gathering pea for fear of t
&C. introduction of the root knot wo
in into the peach trees. The new
riety, which is a selection from
~ Little Iron Pea, will afford no h
ou Dor or sustenance to the pest a
Id may, therefore. be used in all loo
9TH tiles without danger. He belle,
cir that this discovery will result
incalculable benefit to the Sou
.ls ern farmer
Re- Prof. Weber also reports graft
ing success with his experimen