The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1903-12-15
REPORT OF SECRETARY OF AGRI-
CULTURE,

dent, discusses many topics of inter
est to farmers and the country. The
report shows the growth and devel-
opment of agriculture during the past
year and reviews in a practical and
telling way the rapid development in
the various lines of agriculture in the
United States.
Discussing the balance of trade, the
Secretary shows that the favorable
balance to the credit of this country
is due entirely to the farmers. The
balance of trade in favor of farm
products during the last fourteen
years, no year excepted, aggregated
$4,S6O, 100000. In products, other than
those of the farm, during the same
period, the balance of trade was adj
verse to this country to the extent OF
1866 ZOO, 900. Our farmers not only can
celed this immense obligation, but
placed 1854, 100000 to the credit of
the nation when the books OF interna-
tional exchange were balanced. He
concludes that sit is the farmers who
have paid the foreign bondholders.
Reviewing the magnitude of agricul-
tural production, after giving the hg-
ures of the most important crops, Mr..
Wilson states that the value OF all
farm products, not fed to live STOCK,
for 1903, considerably exceeded their
value in the census year, when 1t
was given as $3,742,000,000.
An increase of nearly 10000 is
shown in the number of places recelv-
ing forecasts by telephone without eX-
pense to the government, thus Secur-
ing a rapid extension of weather in
formation among progressive agricul-
turiStS.
Secretary Wilson reports a satisfac-
tory development of the beet sugar
industry. In 1896, 22,220 tons of sugar
were made, and year ago 100000
TONS Careful estimates put the pres
ent crop at about 100000 tons. The
growing of seed in the United States
of a superior quality, is assured. He
concludes that the industry is now
well established.
The work of the chemist in charge
of the Road Material Laboratory has
included investigation of the cement
ing power of rock dust, gravels and
clays; also experiments on the bind
ing and clinkering of clays, with a
view to their use as road materials.
There are vast areas throughout our
country where this is the only road
material available, and the determine
ton of the quality Of clay adapted
to this purpose will solve an import
ant problem He has also studied the
effect of mixtures of crude petroleum
and asphaltum. New tests for deter
mining the hardness and toughness of
rock have been made possible by the
adoption of machines designed and
now in operation in the laboratory.
Some supervisory work on tobacco
was done in Connecticut the past year,
but the principal purpose of the De-
partment to show the feasibility OF
growing a wrapper leaf of superior
quality in the Connecticut Valley has
been successful and it remains for
the growers to put the shade grown
Sumatra on a substantial basis.
In Ohio the quality of tobacco han
died in accordance with the methods
prescribed by the Bureau of Soils
has increased from 655,O00 pounds of
the crop to overneitern-raing,r gthea
the 1901 crop to over 100000 pounds
of the crop of 1902. Important work
has been done in the experimental
growing of Cuban cigar leaf tobacco
on the Orangeburg sandy loan in
South Carolina, Alabama and Texas.