Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-09
OUR AGRICULTURE
Progress Of Farming Industry in
This Country.
DATA FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS
Secretary Wilson Shows Value of In.
vestments in Farms of United
states-VaIue of Exports of Farm
Products.

| diue OF Exports OF Farm
Products,
In the industrial progress made by
! tne United States during the recent
years there has been no more conspic-
uous feature than the growth of agri-
culture says Secretary Of Agricul-
ture James Wilson in his annual re.
port to the President He gives figures
manly taken from the last census to
prove his statement.
Inc amount of fixed capital inyes-
| TED IN agriculture is about $40, 900, OOO,-
OoO, or four times the amount invested
IN manufactures. More than half of
the people of the United States live
on farms. and more than third of all
the people engaged in gainful occupa-
lions work on farms. In one year the
products of American farms have
reached an aggregate value of nearly
i $4,000, 100000.
Educating the Farmers.
American brains applied to Ameri-
can farms is what is causing the vol
ume OF farm exports to continue stead
lily on the increase. according to the
secretary, and he sees the greatest
nope for the future. The science of
agriculture" he says, SIS in rudimen-
tary stages in all lands The educa.
ton OF producers from the field so
long neglected, has recently been UNI
! dertaken in earnest in the United
States. Our government is doing
more for the farmer than all other
nations combined Results are JUS
tifying expenditures, and the future
will still further show the value of
science applied to the farm
Secretary Wilson's display of the
work of his department during the
past year is almost bewildering. so
many fields of investigation does it de
4 scribe. 1t makes volume of 121 pages
and there is hardly a page that does
not report on at least two or three diff
ferent enterprises undertaken in
search of facts that will enable agri.
culture to be more successfully car
ried on.
Work of the Department.
u Some of these different kinds of
work are touched upon by the secre-
tary in the following paragraphs:
Research by the department officials
into the principles governing the
growth of plants and the creation OF
new species by hybridizing to give
new varities from which to select for
new purposes has brought gratifying
results. We have new fruits and
4 grains of numerous kinds adapted tic
localities that have been needing them
for many years.
Il We are helping people in many 10.
calities to an intelligent knowledge OF
their soils and of the most profitable
uses to which they may be devoted
Results are showing the value of this
i service. The best sugar lands. rice
lands, tobacco lands, truck lands. and
lands best adapted to particular fruits,
grains, grasses, legumes. and other
crops are being discovered as certain
ly as any unknown thing is brought to
human knowledge for the first time.
Few of the plants of most value to
our people are native to the United
States They are products of other
countries and have been useful in their
localities for long periods of time.
1 Our various soils and climates are
adapted to many things that have not
have been introduced to them. De-
i partment explorers are searching the
i old world for whatever is valuable
there and useful here, with results that
are quite encouraging. Our aims are
to help toward the production in the
states and territories of everything
their soils and climates will permit,
land to help our new island possessions
to grow whatever products require
tropical conditions.
Our growing commerce is accompa-
MED with danger from invasion of ami
NAL and plant diseases and parasites
calling for vigilance on the part of
department scientists to keep them out
and to deal with them when they cross
our borders, as they occasionally do.
Daily Weather Forecasts.
/ One method of aiding the farmers
which the secretary is most anxious
Ito avail himself of is the distribution
of daily weather forecasts through all
the rural free delivery postal routes
OF the 10000 routes the department
has been able to send forecasts over
only a thousand, but the service has
; been SO appreciated that an appropri.
alton of 100000 is asked to extend
:. it.
One of the recommendations of the
report favors an Appalachian forest
reserve. Mr.. Wilson makes the start.
ling statement that the denudation OF
the mountain slopes has caused floods
that for the twelve months ending
4 April last caused damage OF
$1S,000,000. He says further that wa
ter power with an aggregate annual
rental of $20,000,OO0 is being destroyed
that the land on the mountain slopes
4 is being washed away more in single
. year now than in ten centuries while
TIE forests stood and that the soil
swept down Is clogglng the Ohio, Ten
hessee and Missouri rivers in way
tlat will be most injurious to naviga
ton. He earnestly urges the creation
and preservation of forests on the
mountains.
"A Card.
| hn 1.