Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-26

iHCknHWi90ged. 1Ay result Oh the pTdc
! tical confidence SO attained. congress
an dthe state legislatures have shown {
\ disposition to be liberal with this de
apartment and N.sl tho stations. TIL,
movement for taa separation of the of
j Ace OF director M the stations from thai
81 president Of The college has advanced
and at present there are but clever
states and territories in which the col.
lege president exercises the functions OF
director of the station. AT the same
| time the amount of teaching required OF
station officers has been materially re-
duced.
The experiments of the station In
Alaska, with headquarters at Sitka. and
subsidiary stations at Kenai. on Cool
Inlet, and at Rampant in the Yukon val
| ley, are regarded as distinctly encour-
aging. From all the evidence received
at the department, it seems clear that
agriculture may be sufficiently estab-
| lished in this territory to serve as an
| important aid to the mining. numbering
and fishery industries. During the year
a station has been established in Ha-
wall Among the first work at this sta
ton was the planting Of taro with the
special object of studying the diseases
| seriously affecting that crop. Probably
| so per cent of the working population
| in these islands depend on taro for their
! daily food, and. owing to these diseases
and the attendant deterioration of the
| crop the price of taro has increased 900
per cent in the last decade. Some other
diseases of fruits and vegetables call for
study. and poultry experiments have
been inaugurated with a view to in
creasing the supply of poultry. 1t is re-
| ported that live chickens sell in Homo
1 lulu at SIS dozen and eggs at 40 to 80
| cents a dozen. Hogs bring from 10 TO IL
cents pound on the hoof and expert
ments have been undertaken in the
| feeding Of swine with various tubers
and roots.
The station at Porto Rico has not yet
been fully established, owing to the diff
ficulty of securing suitable land for the
purpose. In the meantime. such inves-
legations will be undertaken as can be
pursued on lands leased or loaned by
persons ready to engage in cooperative
work with the station director. Some
preliminary Investigations in coffee eul-
ture have already been arranged for.
The secretary earnestly recommends
that the annual appropriations for all
these stations be increased to $4,000 the
same as the national government con-
tributes at present to all of the other
stations in the various states and terri
tories.
He regards it as extremely desirable
that agricultural Investigations should
be undertaken in the Philippine islands
under the war department and in CO.
operation with the department of agri-
culture. In furtherance Of this work the
secretary recommends an additional APP
preparation of $4,000 for the ensuing
fiscal year "to institute agricultural in
designations in the Philippines and, if
feasible, to locate and maintain an ag-
ricultural experiment station there.
An increase in college extension work
in agriculture liz noted and stress is laid
en- the movement for the establishment
Of secondary schools of agriculture- and
the introduction of the elements Of ag-
riculture in thesrural schools as hopeful
signs of progress in agricultural educa-
ton. The secretary suggests that his
department, already giving aid to rural
schools in various ways, should take
still more active part in encouraging
this work. He recommends encourage
ment by distributing seeds and plants
to establish school gardens, by furnish
ing schools with collections Of specimens
Of insects OF plant diseases and other
illustrative material and by supplying
the teachers with such publications of
the department as may be useful to
them.
In establishing an office of public road
inquiries, the object was to promote the
Improvement Of public roads thruout the
country. Efforts were first directed to
ascertain the, condition of the roads the
state of public opinion in regard to their
Improvement, the obstacles in the way
and the best methods to be employed in
securing better roads-such has been
the work of this Office up to the present.
For spreading information and awaken
ing interest nothing has been found so
effectual as the object lesson of sample
roads which, during the past year. have
been built in nine states under the adj
vice and supervision of the office. In
building these sample roads machines
have been loaned by manufacturers and
carried free by the railroad companies,
while the local community furnishes
material and labor During the year.
for the better carrying out of the work
OF the office, the United States was d.
vided into four divisions, the eastern,
middle, western and southern, each un-
der special agent.
The highest record previously attained
in the export of agricultural products
in 1S98-was surpassed by over $90, 000. 600
in the fiscal wear OF 1901, when value
OF over $3.50, GOO, 900 was reached. OF the
merchandise sent abroad during the
year, IS per cent originated on the farm.
OF foreign customers for our agricul-
tural products, the United Kingdom
stands first, taking so per cent. The
next most important markets are af-
forded by Germany, France, the Neither
lands and Belgium, in the order named.
The section of foreign markets has be-
gun the preparation of a most compre-
hensive report ION the character of our
agricultural importations received by
the United Kingdom from countries 9TH
er than the United States. The impor-
lance Of this report is evidenced by the
fact that, large az were our exports to
the United Kingdom. they comprised
only one-t third of the foreign farm pro-
duce purchased by that country. Spe-
cial statistics have been compiled by the
section Of foreign markets relative to
cur trade in farm products with our new
insular possessions. Our agricultural
exports to Cuba, Porto Rico and the
Philippines during the year comprised
about So per cent of the domestic mer-
chandise sent to these islands. Our i'm