Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-12-08

uous efforts are being made to import from
foreign countries such gains are suitable
to our varying localities. Seven years age
We bought three -fourths of our rice; by help
ing the ricegrowers on the Gulf coast to Sc
cure seeds from the Orient suited to theiI
conditions. and by giving them ADEQUATE
protecuoh. they now supply home demand
and export to the islands OF the Caribbean
sea and to other rioe- e-growtng countries
Wheat and other grains have been import
cd from lght-ranfall countries to our lands
In the West and Southwest that have mo-
grown crops because of light precipitation
resulting in an extensive addition to oui
cropping area and our home making terri
'tory that can not be irrigated. Ten millior
bushels of irst-cIass macaroni wheat were
grown from these experimental importation.
last year. Fruits suitable to our soils anc
countries of the Old World--the ag from
Turkey. the almond from Spain, the date
from Algeria. the mango from India. W.
are helping our frutgrowers to get theii
crops into European markets by STUDYING
methods of preservation through refrigera
tion. packing and handling. which have beer
quite successful. We are helping our hop
growers by important varieties that ripper
earlier and later than the kinds they have
been raising. thereby lengthening the har
vesting season. The cotton crop OF th'
country Is threatened with root rot. the boil
worm, and the boil weeVu Our patholoslst'
will find immune varieties that will resist
! the root disease. and the bollworm can be
dealt with. but the boil weevil is a serious
menace to the cotton crop. 1t is Centra
American insect that has become acclima ted
! in Texas and has done great damage. A
scientist of the Department Of Agriculture
has found the weevil at home in Guatemala
/ being kept in check by an ant. which has
been brought to our cotton fields for OBJ
servation. 1t is hoped that 1t may serve a
good purpose.
The soils Of the country are getting atten-
| tiOn from the farmers standpoint. and IN
/ teresting results following. We have
| duplicates of the soils that grow the wrap
per tobacco in sumatra and the filler to-
! bacco in Cuba. 1t will be only question of
! time when the large amounts paid to these
countries will be paid to our own people. The
reclamation Of alkali lands is progressing,
! to give object-lessons to people in meth
DDS by which worthless lands may be made
productive
The insect friends and enmies OF the farm
er are getting attention. The enemy of the
San Jose scale was found near the Great
Wall of China, and is now cleaning up all
our orchards The fg-fertilfzing insect Inn
ported from Turkey has helped to establish
industry in California that amounts ia
from so to 100 tons of dried figs annually,
and IS extending over the Pacific Coast
parasitic fly from South Africa is keeping
in subsection the black scale. the worst pest
of the orange and lemon industry in Cali
fornia
Careful preliminary work is being done
towards producing our own silk. The null
perry is DolnS distributed IN large NUMBERS,
eggs are being imported and distributed, i'm
proved reels were imported from Europe
last year. and two expert reelers were
brought to Washington to reel the crop Of
cOcOOnS and teach the art to our own peo-
pie.
The cro-reporting system of the Depart
ment of Agriculture is being brought closer
to accuracy every year 1t has $500 re-
porters selected from people in eight voca-
tions in life. 1t has arrangements with
most European countries for inteTchange
Of estimates, so that our people may know
as nearly as possible with what they must
compete
During the 21a years that have elapsed
since the passage Of the reclamation act
rapid progress has been made in the sur
veys and examinations of the opportunities
for reclamation in the II states and three
territories of the arid West Construction
has already been be-
Irrigation. gun on the largest and
most important of the
irrigation works. and plans being COM
pleted for works which Will utilize the funds
now available. The operations are being
carried by the Reclamation Service. a
corps of engineers selected through competi-
tive civil-servfce examinations. This corps
includes experienced consulting and con-
structing engineers as well various ex
perts in mechanical and legal matters. and
is composed largely of men who have spent
most Of their lives in practical affairs con-
lected with irrigation. The larger problems
have been solved. and it remains to
execute with care. economy, and thorough
ness the work which has been laid out. All
important details are being carefully
sidered by boards of consulting engineers.
selected for their thorough knowledge and
practical experience. Each project is taken
up on the ground by competent men and
viewed from the standpoint Of the creation
of prosperous homes and of promptly refund |
ing to the Treasury the cost of construction.
The reclamation act has been found to be
remarkably complete and effective, and
broad in its provisions that a wide range Of
undertakings has been possible under it. At
the same time. economy is guaranteed by !
the fact that funds must ultimately be re-
turned to be used over again.
1t is the cardinal principle of the forest
reserve policy of this Administration that
the reserves for
Forests. use. Whatever inter
feres with the Of
their resources is to be avoided by every
possible means. But these resources must
be used in such a way as to make them
permanent.
The forest policy OF the Government is
just a subject of vivid public interest
throughout the West and to the people of
the United States in general. The forest
serves themselves are of extreme value to
the present we'll to the future welfare
of all the Western public-land states. They
powerfully affect the use and disposal of
the public lands. They are of special i'm
portance because they preserve the water
supply and the supply of timber for domestic
purposes and so promote settlement under
the reclamation act. Indeed. they are es-
sential to the welfare Of every one of the
great interest of the West.
Forest reserves are created for two prin-
Cipal purposes. The first is to preserve the
water supply. This is their most important
use. The principal users of the water thus
preserved are irrigation ranChers and set
tiers, cities and towns to whom their mu-
nicipal water supplies are Of tn very first
Importance. users and furnishcrs of water
power. and the users of water for domestic,
mining and other purposes.
All these directly dependent upon the
forest reserves.
The second reason for which forest re-
serves created is to preserve the timber
supply for various classes OF wood users.
Among the more important Of these are set
tiers under the reclamation act and other
acts for whom cheap and accessible sup
ply OF timber for domestic uses is absolutely
necessary; miners and prospectors, who are
in serious danger OF losing their timber sup
ply by fire through export by lumber COM
pa nies when timber lands adjacent to their
mines pass into private ownership; lumber
men, transportation companies, builders, and
interests In general
Although the wisdom Of creating forest re- ,
serves is nearly everywhere heartily recog- 1
nized yet in a few localities there have been I
misund derstanding and complaint. The fol-