Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-02-26
GREAT WORK FOR THE FARMERS.
Senator Proctor Tells Something About
Results Attained by the Department Of
Agriculture


Results Attained by the Department Of
Agriculture.
Washington despatch in the Burlington
Free Press
Senator Proctor of Vermont in COM
pleting the agricultural appropriation bill
to the Senate prepared some interesting
statements for The farmers of New Eng
land about various fields of activity I'm the
agricultural department. One of the sub
1ects he touched upon was the foot and
mouth disease in New England Two
hundred and nineteen thousand dollars"
said he was expended in New England
In stamping out the foot and mouth dis
ease, the contagion of which was brought
into the country in some unknown man
ner, but undoubtedly with some articles
of merchandise. I his disease was widely
| spread and extending very rapidly when
IL was brought to the attention of the ag-
ricultural department., and If it had not
been promptly suppressed it would no
doubt have been distributed to all parts
of the United States, causing a loss. IL
we may judge from the experience with
this disease in European countries. of not
less than $500 900, ,00O"
The senator cites this as an instance of
the usefulness of the bureau of animal
! industry. which is part of the depart
ment of agriculture. He also cites how
the bureau has been working to prevent
the spread Of contagious diseases among
/ horses in the Northwestern States. and
a disease known as cattle scab. which ex-
lists in several states.
| Passing to bureau of plant industry in
his statement showing the reason why
/ the government should appropriate liberal
/ ly for the department of agriculture SEN
/ ator Proctor tells of the activity during
the past seven years in a systematic eff
] tort IL tho matter of of
smut. From $4,000 to $4,000 has been
I expended in this work" SAYS Senator
! Proctor, who is very much of farmer
himself, "and as a result the loss from
this source. which was very great has
been reduced to a very small percentage
of what 1t was before the work was under
taken"
THE Introduction Of the Cowpea and it's
use by the farmers through the country"
Senator Proctor adds. has resulted in
the planting of hundreds of thousands of
acres to this crop. 1t is estimated that
the yield this last year was 1000 900 or
10000 bushels of seed value at 81 a
bushel, besides its value for hay. Aside
from this the crop is of great value in
adding nitrogen to the soil"
Taking up the work of the bureau of
forestry in mis- report on the agricultural
appropriation bill, Senator Proctor points
out that the work shows throughout
definite results which can in many cases
be expressed in money saved to the pub
lie and to the private forest owners. Dur
ing the past season the bureau of for
estry has examined over As 900. 600 acres
Of vacant public lands suggested for for
est reserves. The cost of the work has
been only for the salaries and field ex-
penses of the trained men engaged i'm it, a
total OF about 1872, 900 In the prepare ton
OF working plans during the past year the
bureau of forestry, at cost approxi-
mately of s25, 600 one-half of which was
borne by the owners of the lands for
which the plans were made has prepared
detailed plans for the conservative man
agement of 500, 900 acres of private for
est lands, while working plans for over
1000, 900 have also been in preparation
Senator Proctor cites the usefulness Of
the bureau of entomology in the depart
ment with several instances where de-
structive insects have been checked. He
tells how an assistant entomologist was
sent to China and Japan to discover the
native home of the San Jose scale and. if
possible, to find and import to this coun-
try its natural enemy. The native home
of 'he scale was found in North China
and the natural enemy a small predaceous
beetle was imported to this country and
has already been bred and distributed
in more than a dozen states overrun by
the San Jose scale. The black scale also
proved a great pest to the orange and
lemon crop in California, but the bureau
of entomology able to import from
South America small parasitic fly that
has practically wiped the black scale out
in many localities.
All this and much more Senator Proctor
has cited in his report to show the Senate
and the country something about what
the bureaus Of the agricultural department
are doing for the benefit of the agricul-
tural interests of the country.