The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-01

method for destroying the tick by which | this disease has spread without injur' ing the cattle, seem likely to be success. ! full. Such a consummation would relieve most of the Southern cattle from quar antine restrictions and would add great ly to their value in the markets of thu country. Apparent success has beer
 reached by dipping the cattle in a crud' oil obtained in certain Texas wells.
 Losses from Hog Diseases. Losses from contagious diseases amonI | hogs have been enormous, reaching al | high as $75,00O,0 900 and seldom less thar | S30 O0O OOO Some new and important dis lcoveries by the Bureau of Animal Indus | try are reported in the case of hog chol era.
 Blackleg.
 The work against blackleg continuei satisfactory. During the season the Bu reau vaccine was used with 775.S7 cat tie, and the percentage of deaths aftel among the same herds. amounted to 2.6s ! A considerable falling off in the ex ports of horses is reported.
 Inspection of Animals and Animal Products.
 The Secretary recites the inspection work of the Bureau of Animal Industry | in cattle and meat exports, an inspec' ton which included cattle. sheep, calves hogs and horses; total antemortem in- spection of all animals 6s.2oo, ,71s; post ! mortem inspections aggregated 37.261.- 629. There was one shipment of horse flesh. The cost of the work of ordinary | meat inspection for the year was $711,- 546.1S
 Distribution of Seeds and Plants. Mir. Wilson discusses at length the dis tribution of seeds and plants. In order to secure satisfactory seed, he concludes 1t must be purchased in open market from men known to be reliable; and in addi- tion, to protect the Department. it's in- spectors are constantly in the field during the growing season looking after the crops grown for the Departments use. By ju- diciously placing orders for seed the De- partment seeks also to encourage home | industries, orders being placed with American growers wherever possible. Improved Varieties for General Dis tribution.
 Special attention has been given to the matter of securing improved varieties for general distribution. This has been es- pecially exemplified in the case of cotton, forage crops. and homegrown sugar-beet seed. In spite of all efforts to improve the character of this distribution, how ever, the Secretary states that the work
 
 the law was originally framed. Over for ty million packets of miscellaneous vege- table and flower seeds are distributed on Congressional orders, and while these are the best the market affords, the large quantity required necessitates that the seed be standard sorts only. The Secre- tary believes that no practical object is to be gained in distributing this kind of seed, and declares 1t would seem wise to iraft ho fa hn utrfh of seeds plants, etc., of new and rare sorts. The plant-breeding work of the Department will afford increased oppor- tunities of securing valuable seed and to distribute the same effectively the ad- vice and assistance of Senators and Rep- resentatives having agricultural constit- uents could be secured. The work the | coming year will be inaugurated along | these lines, and the Secretary hopes to receive the cooperation and aid of Con- gress in the matter.
 New Seeds from Abroad. In the introduction of new seeds and plants from abroad much attention has been given to grains New wheats from | the Northwest, new oats, new millets, and | other crops have been pushed. The work on durum or macaroni wheats has been highly successful. The value of these wheats in the drier portions of the Great Plains has been fully established. Maca- roni wheats should not be grown where l the rainfall is sufficient for the varieties of spring and winter wheats. Not less than twenty mills known to the Depart ment are now handling this wheat Ex- pertinent has shown that a fine quality of bread is made from macaroni flour. Alfalfa for A1kan Parts of the l Southwest. | Alfalfa seed secured by the Department explorer in Algeria and some received I from Turkestan has been planted under the personal supervision of Department experts in an effort to secure the intro duction of an alfalfa adapted to the al- kali parts of the arid Southwest Highly satisfactory work Is reported in | the case of rice and flax. and several new lines of work in seed and plant introduc- ton are reported.
 Efforts to Secure Plants for Very Dry Soils.
 Nearly one-third of the area of the Uni | ted States has insufficient rainfall and in spite of the extension of irrigation enor- | nous areas must remain in their present arid or semi-arid condition. and the Bu- reau of Plant Industry is occupying itself | with the future of these regions. It is be- lieved that by intelligent management the grazing capacity of these lands can be increased. The Department is endeavor- | ing to secure plants that will grow in very dry soils and at the same time yield crops profitably marketable.
 Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria in Leg luminous Crops.
 During the past season extensive field tests have demonstrated the value of the Initrogen-ixing bacteria in leguminous crops; good stands of clover, alfalfa, and other crops have been secured on soils where without these bacteria these crops were failure. As result of these ex- per1ments, the Department is prepared to furnish a reasonable quantity of organ isms for the principal leguminous crops and patents have been applied for cover ing the process used in order to make them securely available for the public.
 New Long-Staple Upland Cottons. Satisfactory results are recorded with the hybrid or long-staple upland cottons and extensive field tests are now under
 way, and If the result of the present sea- | sons work is satisfactory seed will be grown for distribution. Indications al | the present stage of experiments also ia.
 vor the belief that we shall soon have
 varieties of Egyptian cotton adapted to
 cultivation in this country. At present we
 pay Egyptian growers $7,500,00O annually
 for their cottons.
 Wilt-Resistant Cottons.
 The wilt-resistant sea island varieties
 of cotton distributed by the department last year and this year have proved very
 satisfactory. Progress has also been made
 in securing varieties resistant to Texas
 root rot and other pests.
 To Control Plant Diseases of Various
 Kinds.
 The Secretary reviews at considerable