The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-06

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the state experiment stations, and wit
many other institutions and individuals
! The world is carefully searched for ney
/ varieties OF grains, fruits, grasses, vege
/ tables. trees, and shrubs, suitable Z
/ various localities in our country; an
/ marked benefit to our producers ha
/ resulted.
1 The activities Of our age In lines O
research have reached the tillers O
the soil and inspired them with am
| bit1on to know more Of the principle
/ that govern the forces of nature witt
which they have to deal. Nearly hal
OF the people of this country devot'
their energies to growing things from
the soil. Until a recent date little ha.
been done to prepare these millions fol
their life work In most lines of hui
man activity col1ege-trained men are
the leaders. The farmer had no oppor-
tunity for special training until ths
congress made provision for it forty
years ago. During these years progress
prepared. Over five thousand students
are in attendance at our state agricul-
tura1 colleges. The federal government
expends ten millions of dollars annual
search in Washington and in the sew
eral states and territories. The de-
partment of agriculture has given IA
ciities for postgraduate work to five
hundred young men during the last
seven years. preparing them for adj
vanced lines of work in the depart
ment and in the state institutions.
The facts concerning meteorology
and its relations to plant and animal
life are being Systematically inquired
into. Temperature and moisture are
controlling factors in all agricultural
operations. The seasons of the cy-
clones of the Caribbean sea and their
paths are being forecasted with in
that come from the north are antici-
pated and their times and intensity
told to farmers, gardeners, and fruit
erers in all southern localities.
We sell two hundred and fifty mil
lion dollars worth of animals and
animal products to foreign countries
every year, in addition to supplying
our own people more cheaply and
abundantly than any other nation is
able to provide for its people. Sue
cessful manufacturing depends pri-
marily on cheap food, which accounts
to a considerable extent for our growth
in this direction. The department of
agriculture, by careful inspection of
meats, guards the health of our peo-
pie and gives clean bills of health to
deserving exports; it is prepared to
deal promptly with imported diseases
of animals. and maintain the excel
lence Of our hocks and herds in this
respect. There should be an annual
census of the live stock of the nation.
We sell abroad about six hundred
million dollars worth Of plants and
their products every year. Strenuous
efforts are being made to import from
foreign countries such grains as are
suitable to our varying localities.
Seven years ago we bought three
fourths of our rice; by helping the
rice growers on the Gulf coast to Sc
cure seeds from the Orient suited to
their conditions, and by giving them
adequate protection, they now supply
home demand and export to the ISL
ands of the Caribbean sea and to other
ri ~
ether grains have been imported from
countries to our lands in
the west and southwest that have not
grown crops because of light precipfta-
to our cropping area and our home
making territory that cannot be irri-
gated. Ten million bushels of first
class macaronf wheat were grown
from these experimental importations
last year.
Fruits suitable to our soils and cli-
mates are being imported from all the
countries of the old world-the fig from
Turkey. the almond from Spain, the
date from Algeria, the mango from In
dia- we are helping our fruit growers
to get their crops into European mar
kets by studying methods of preserva-
ton through refrigeration, packing, and
handling, which have been quite success
full. We are helping our hop growers
by importing varieties that ripen ear
Ter and later than the kinds they have
been raising, thereby frightening the
harvesting season. The cotton crop of
The country is threatened with root rot.
he bollworn, and the boil weevil Our
will find immune varieties
hat will resist the root disease, and
he boil worm can be dealt with, but
he boil weevi1 is a serious menace to
he cotton crop. 1t Is Central Amer1-
IAN insect that has become acclimated
% Texas and has done great damage. A
scientist of the department of agricul- |
n a rUnaVi1 a home
Guatemala being kept in check by an
int, which has been brought to our cot |
on fields for observation. It is hoped |
hat it may serve a good purpose.
The soils of the country are getting
attention from the farmers standpoint, /
md interesting results are following. |
We have duplicates of the soils that
row the wrapper tobacco in Sumatra
md the filler tobacco in Cuba. 1t will |
,e only a question of time when the /
arge amounts paid to these countries
will be paid to our own people. the |
of a1kali lands is progress
ng, to give object lessons to our peo-
lie in methods by which worthless
ands may be made productive.
The insect friends and enemies OF
he farmer are getting attention. The
nemy of the San Jose scale was round
ear the Great Wall of China, and is
Iow cleaning up all our orchards The
g-fertilizing insect imported from
turkey has helped to establish an in
ustry in California that amounts to
rom fifty to one hundred tons OF
ried figs annually, and is extending
yer the Pacific coast. A parasitic fly
rom South Africa is keeping in sub
action the black scale, the worst pest
f the orange and lemon industry in
Careful preliminary work is being
one towards producing our own silk
he mulberry is being distributed in.
arge numbers, eggs are being i'm
orted and distributed, improved reels
ere Imported from Europe last year,
nd two expert reelers were brought
} Washington to reel the crop of
ocoons and teach the art to our own
eople.
,.tr,,ar,t of aericiI1t1Ira is being