Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-01
Abstract Of Seventh Annual
Report Of Secretary Wilson.
EXTENDING THE WORK
STATIONS TO BE ESTABLISHED IN
OUR INsULAR TERRITORY.
Immense Balance of Trade in Favor OF
United States Has Been Through
the Work of Farmers.

The seventh annual report OF tne oeCie-
tary of Agriculture has been submitted to
the President 1t opens with a discussion
of the educational requirements of the re-
search work of the department, which. al
though 1t has availed itself to the fullest
extent of graduates of the agricultural COL
leges. has been necessary, in view Of the
rapid development of the work, to secure
competent men wherever they could be
found. In the training of specialists for Its
various lines of work the department has
become practically a postgraduate institu-
ton. Secretary Wilson, in illustration of
this fact reports the admission since 1897
of 496 students: 249 of these are still in the
department, not less than 1872 having passed
into the classified service.
The production and exports of American
agricultural products are reviewed at
length. The increase in the exports of farm
products for the half century ended 1901
grew from STAT 100000 to 1852 O00, 000-550
per cent. The exports of farm products for
the closing decade of the last century was
over s7Oo,ooO,OO0 and for 1903 sS7S OOO, 900.
an amount second only to that of 1901.
Although the consumption of cotton in
the United States is greater than that of
any other country in the world, yet, in adj
dition to supplying the home market, the
south exported last year over 3.50o,00O, 600
pounds of cotton. worth $311 ,0o0, 900.
OF grain and grain products the export
exceeded in value 1921 900, OcO and in the
supply of animals, meats and meat prod
ucts the export value was s21l 100000.
Farmers Trade Balance.
The favorable balance of trade to the
credit of this country is due entirely to the
farmers. the balance in favor of farm
products during the last fourteen years, no
year excepted, aggregating A,s06,0OO,OOo In
products other than those of the farm dur
ing the same period the balance was adj
verse to this country to the extent of $685.
Oo,oO. Our farmers not only Cancelled this
immense obligation, but pla ced So $40 600 900
to the credit Of the nation when the books
of international exchange were balanced
In the words of the Secretary, ut is the
farmers who have paid the foreign bond
holders"
Reviewing the magnitude of agricultural
production, after giving the figures of the
most important crops, the report states that
the value Of all farm products. not fed to
live stock. for 1903 considerably exceeded
their value in the census year, when it was
given as 3.742 million dollars.
On January l. 1903, the value Of horses
was over one billion dollars. and of mules
nearly two hundred million dollars. The
value OF cattle of all kinds considerably ex-
ceeded 1900 million. of sheep, 1853 million
and of hogs. 365 million dollars
Foot and Mouth Disease.
The campaign for the suppression of the
foot and mouth disease in New England is
reviewed at length. Operations We're begun
December l, 1902 and the last diseased
herd was slaughtered May o. 1903.
Considerable work has been done at the
Arlington farm. Over 400 varities of APP
pies and $50 sorts of peaches are now
growing in the farm nursery. This nursery
also contains several thousand Seeding
oaks, ashes and NAPLES grown from seeds
gathered from trees in the District of Co.
lumbia. fruit plantation of one thousand
trees has been established on the farm as
basis for studying the physiological action
of various insecticides and fungicides. A
small typical cranberry plantation has also
been undertaken while area of some thirty
acres is being prepared as an arboretum.
Among other experiments being conducted
on the Potomac flats testing garden are the
effects of shade on growing crops. AS rapid
ly as the facilities of the department will
permit all truck plants grown for leaf pro-
duction will be submitted to the influence of
shade.
The Cotton Boil Weevil.
The invasion of the cotton boll-weevil has
been a special menace to the cotton crop
and has awakened widespread apprehen-
The Secretary reports that after a
canvass Of the situation with
men in Congress and
with others he is Of the opinion that a
fund should be appro-
priated for immediate use in connection
with this problem. He believes that not
less than $4,000 should be appropriated
and made Immediately available to make
this work comprehensive and thoroughly
and he enumerates In detail ten
problems to the solution Of which these
funds should be devoted.
Insular Experiment Stations
The work of the station in Hawaii is be-
ing carried on as actively as the appro-
priations at the Secretarys disposal will
permit. The director of that station has
directed experiments looking to solution
of some of the problems with which agri-
culture in the islands is confronted, such as
the taro and potato rot
A permanent location was secured for the
Porto Rico experiment station near the city
of MayagueZ, and the farm on which the
station is situated has not been cultivated
for some time. considerable preliminary
work had to be done.
Meats, legumes, cereals, fruits and nuts
have been the special subjects of the
digestion experiments in the past year
Cooking experiments have been made
with meat, especially beef to study
the effect of cooking upon flavor, palatability
and digestibility. Dietary studies have also