Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1902-07-17
THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
Pays Visit to Brookinss and lnspects
the Work Of the U. S. Experiment
Station.

Hon, James Wilson, secretary Of the
department of Agriculture at Wash
ington, d. c., honored Brookings with
a visit last Friday and Saturday. Mr..
Wilson is spending his vacation in
travelling over the country in
specting work at the various United
States Experiment stations and de-
liyering lectures in several states by
invitation OF the people who are
especially interested in agriculture in
all it's branches
While in the city Secretary Wilson
was the guest OF Prof. Niels Z. Han
sen, the popular horticulturist OF the
Experiment station, and with whom
he has had an acquaintance extending
over half life time. 1t was at Prof
Hansens home that REGISTER rep
resentative had the pleasure OF meet
ing the honorable secretary on Satur-
day and making his acquaintance.
This was his first visit to Brookings
and he was much pleased with what
he saw, and particularly well pleased
with what had been accomplished by
the Experiment station here, and ex-
pressed great qualification over the
well laid foundation for useful and
valuable experimentation that will de-
velop in the future for the good OF the
state. "Your country is all right"
said Secretary Wilson, what you need
is the intelligence and education that
will enable you to make use Of what
is adapted to your soil and climate.
We are trying to aid you in this. The
department OF agriculture and the ex-
pertinent stations scattered through
out the country are doing all they can
to determine these questions and have
already Elet with good success" Mr..
Wilson referred to the Russian bronze
grass and the alfalfa which was get
ting such good start in South Dako-
ia, and the Macaroni wheat which is
now being grown throughout the
northwest. why" said he, "there will
be 5000, 900 bushels of macaroni wheat
grown in this country this season and
it will not be long before we will be
exporters instead of importers of this
valuable cereal"
"The main efforts Of the de-
partment will be the development of
early varieties Of corn In the Dak0tas
and the northwestern states"
He expressed his regret on the short
visit he was compelled to make in
Brookings, but he had dates to fill on
Tuesday and Wednesday OF this week
at Ottawa and Beloit Kansas, where
he lectured before large agricul-
tural meetings. AS he will be con-
stantly travelling for the next month
or so it is barely possible that he may
drop off here again.
On Friday evening, in company with
Horace Fishback and Prof. Hansen,
Mr.. Wilson took a twelve or fourteen
mile drive into the country. In the
course Of his remarks he said that the
early history of Iowa was being re-
peated here in South Dakota and that
soil robbing by continuous crops OF
wheat must give way TO the more
rational system Of. crop rotation and
the use Of manure and larger in
crease in stock raising and dairying.
The secretary speaks from long ex-
perience in this matter, having de-
veloped from the raw prairie OF Tama
county, Iowa, to the present high state
Of cultivation, his widely known stock
farm of 1,100 acres, stocked as it is
with thoroughbred cattle, horses,
sheep and swine.
The secretary passed some very COM
plimentary remarks on the work Of
Prof. Hansen in the department Of
horticulture, and stated that Iowa
made great mistake when he was
allowed to come to South Dakota: but
admitted that it was great thing for
South Dakota. He also spoke very
highly of Prof. Chilcott, in the depart
ment Of soil physics and Of Prof. D.
A. Saunders, botanist and entomolo-
gist Of the Experiment station. He
said they were valuable men and do
ing a good work.
In looking over the Experiment
station he said there should be large
barn especially constructed for stock
feeding experiments and provided
with suitable place for the instruc-
tion Of classes in judging live stock.
He also criticised the small creamery
In connection with the station. 1t is
by far too small and entirely made
quate to the demands upon it.
Mr.. Wilson is q pleasant man to
meet and is evidently of a most genial
and socisble disposition. He ia prob
ably the best posted man on general
agriculture in the United States to-
day, His great interest in the work
is shown by devoting even his vaca-
tions to a careful personal survey Of
the large field over which he has juris-