Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-12-08
SECRETARY WILSON REPORTS
Business Transacted by the Agri-
cultural Department.
Quality Of Seed Distributed
to the Farmer.

Washington, Dec. 2.-Secretary Will
son, of the department of agriculture,
submitted his seventh annual report to
the president Monday. He gives the
total agricultural products not fed to
live stock at $3,742, 100000 and the bal
ance of foreign trade in favor of the
farmers of this country during the last
IA years, $4,000, 100000 He says sit is
the farmer who has paid the foreign
bondholder."
A great falling of in exports of
horses is reported, due to the lack Of
demand from the British army.
Mr.. Wilson says the department has
made strong effort to improve the
quality of seeds for distribution to
farmers, but regrets that the work does
not accomplish the ends for which the
law was originally framed. He be-
lieves that no practical benefit is de-
rived from the distribution of seeds on
congressional orders, and recommends
that the distribution be confined to new
and rare sorts.
Secretary Wilson reports a satisfac-
tory development of the beet sugar liz
dustry. In 1896, 1920 tons of sugar
were made, and year ago 100000 tons
areful estimates put the present crol
at about 260.00 tons. The growing Of
seed in the United States of superior
quality is assured. He concludes that
the industry is now we'll established.
The area surveyed and mapped dur
In hn
square miles, or nearly 100000 acres
AS much as the total area previously
surveyed since the work was begun.
Parties are now kept in the field all the
year, moving into southern areas in
winter. The work of the year covered
63 areas in "a states and territories, the
total soil survey to date covering nearly
30,0OO,000 acres. The cost of the survey
for the year amounted to $63,313.51, of
which 81, 748.35 was paid by state organ
jzations. The secretary reports great
demand for men experienced in this
work from colleges and experiment sta
Gons and In private enterprises
William Froelich is confined as In
sane at Milwaukee, Wis, the result OF
smoking cigarettes. He contracted the
| cigarette habit as cure for catarrh.
1t is announced that the Federal ma.
! tional bank. which closed Its doors in
Pittsburg on October 81, will reopen OF
i December under the old management
Solomon Paddock, 65 years old, an
old soldier and we'll to do farmer living
near Trakamah, Neb., shot and killed hi.
son William, aged n. No cause is known
! for the deed.
The cream separator of the Atlantic
Ice and Milk creamery at Bridgeton, N
j., exploded, fataAy injuring John
Washington, Nelson Woodruff ant
(, Charles Martin.
At Whatcom, Wash. Farmer Burns
champion middle weight catch-as
/ catch-can wrestler, threw John Berg
Pacific Northwest champion, three
times within an hour
| Waterman Ed Riley was fatally
scalded and Engineer Schouz had a Les
broken and was badly scalded by the col.
lapse Of flue in the towboat Monte
Bauer at Bay City, Ill.
In a pistol duel at Oakland, Cal, be
tween Policeman James H. Smith ant
two suspected porch climbers, the for
mer was shot and killed, and one of tn,
suspects, who was unknown, met tn,
same fate.