Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-12-06
TELLS OF BUSY YEAR
SECRETARY WILSON MAKES HIS
ANNUAL REPORT.
Suggest. Many New Reform.-Exper,s
by Experiment Save the Farmera
Thousands of Dollars Every Season
Animal Export. Over s2so.ooo.ooo.

Secretary Of Agriculture Wilson in his
annual report calls attention to the fact
that the grand total of animals and ami
NAL products exported during the year
exceeded $250,O0O,O00 in value. This
vast foreign market is only preserved,
he says, to our producers by the indefati-
gable efforts of the department and the
rigid inspection required through the
bureau of animal industry. This bureau
inspected for export 3S5,OO0 cattle, 22S,-
600 sheep and $4,000 horses and mules.
and nearly 1000 vessels carrying live
stock. Imported animals were also in
spected to the number of 342,OOo, ana
Where necessary ~Quarantined.
The Secretary suggests that With the
enormous interests our stock raisers nave
at stake, and inspection and quarantine
affording, after all, a relative and not an
absolute guarantee of protection. It might
be we'll for this country to follow the eN-
ample of Great Britain and exclude ilve
stock from other countries entirely.
Work of Vast Proportions.
The meat inspection service involves
the inspection at time Of slaughter OIL
nearly 37.OOO,OOO animals. OF the more
than 100000 cattle inspected, the con
demned carcasses were about one-ioufih
of 1 per cent; of the G,500,O0O sheep, one
tenth of / per cent, and of 2l.oOO.Ooo
hogs, one-third of i per cent. In the
control of Indigenous diseases l,oOO,OOo
inspections were made, and over 4o,Opu
cars disinfected in the Texas fevar SER
y,;nn oJ,,,o IT, el,o ,,o,,aS;r,N Of SplhipS
in sheep nearly 100000 animals We're
inspected, and over 1,C0O,O 900 dipped un'
der the supervision of the department III
spectors. The Secretary points out the
serious evil resulting ffom n system OF
State inspection which, il it became gen
cral, would effectually prevent the mar
keting of live stock in some sections and
would destroy much of the usefulness of
the federal inspection.
Particular attention has been given to
the distribution of FORECASTS by means OF
the rural free delivery. There are now
in operation 365 c%enters, supplying an
aggregate of nearly $4,000 families in the
farming districts with the latest weather
predictions. With some additional app
preparation it is the intention to reach
several hundred thousand farm houses
with the daily forecasts and warnings
during the coming year.
The agricultural conditions of our new
possessions are being thoroughly studied,
and special attention is being given to the
production in these possessions OF tropical
crops. for which the United States pays
out millions of dollars annually. liais-
ing coffee in Porto Rico has been The
subject OF special study. Our annual i'm
portations of this valuable crop amount
now to $7O,O00,OO0.
S;tudyin. Value of Foods.
The work OF the bureau of chemistry in
investigating the composition. nutritivs
value and adulteration of food products
during the year was devoted particularly
the Secretary says, TO the study OF pre-
served meats, the composition and nutrl
tive value of the preserved article bclne
compared with the original. and the pre-
servatives, if any We're employed, deter
mined.
Food products imported into this coun
try and suspected OF adultcration or O
containing injurious constituents, hav'
also been examined. The Secretary j!
authorized to inspect American food pro
duets intended for export. Unfortunate
IL, Congress has not provided appropria
tons adequate to the proper execution
of this law.
Referring to grazing lands, the Sec
rotary says probably 40O,0o0.OO
acres of the public domain has no agri
cultural value except for pasturage.
is at present an open common, with II
laws for it's protection or disposal. III
refers to the frequent conflicts of tn
farmers under irrigation with the rang
stockmen, and recommends as a remedia
and beneficial measure the leasing of tn
grazing land in such Il way as not to i'll
terfere with the homesteader.