Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-12-06

m mla
.eb have reached the tillers of
\, soil and inspired them with ambi-
% ' "a know more of the principles
overn the forces Of nature with
.,' +bev have to deal. Nearly half
,he people of this country devote
energies to growing things from
.ho soil Until recent date little has
soor done to prepare these millions for
~, life work. In most lines of hu-
an octivity college trained men are
.he leaders. The farmer had no oppor-
unity for special training until the
.,oress made provision for it 40 years
aco During these years progress has
hoor made and teachers have been pre-
sa.od over 5000 students are in at.
tendance at our state agricultural col
,.oes The federal government expends
4tooOOOOO annually toward this edu-
tim and for research in Washington
and in the several states and terrific
,ies The department Of agriculture
hos given facilities for post graduate
work TO 500 young men during the last
soven years, preparing them for ad.
vouced lines of work in the department
and i'm 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
onerations. The seasons of the cyclones
Of the Caribbean sea and their paths
are being foreeasted with increasing ac-
curacy. The cold winds that come from
the north are anticipated and their
times and intensity told to farmers,
gardeners and fruiterers in all southern
localities.
We sell $25O,000,000 worth of animals
and animal products to foreign cOun-
tries every year in addition to supply
ing our own people more cheaply and
abundantly than any other nation is
able to provide for its people. Success
ful manufacturing depends primarily on
cheap food, which accounts to con-
siderable extent for our growth in this
direction. The department Of agricul-
ture, by careful inspection of meats,
guards the health of our people and
gives clean bills of health to deserving
exports; it is prepared to deal prompt
ly with imported diseases of animals,
and maintain the excellence Of our
focks and herds in this respect. There
should be an annual census of the live
stock of the nation.
We sell abroad about 100000, 900
worth of plants and their products
every year. Strenuous efforts are be.
ing made to import from foreign eoun-
tries such grains as are suitable to our
varying localities. Seven years ago we
bought three-fourths of our rice; by
helping the rice growers or the gull
coast to secure seeds from the orient
suited to their conditions and by giving
them adequate protection, they now
supply home demand and export to the
islands of the Caribbean sea and tC
other rice growing countries. Wheat
and other grains have been imported
from light rainfall countries to Oul
lands in the west and southwest that
have not grown crops because of light
raraafptNaNfn. rnu,,INfnnr In an awfanaiuf
addition to our cropping area and oul
home-making territory that cannot b'
irrigated. Ten million bushels of first
class maearoni wheat were grown from
these experimental impOrtations las
year. Fruits suitable to our soils an'
climates are being imported from al
the countries of the old world-the fiji
from Turkey, the almond from Spain
the date from Algeria, the mango from
India, We are helping our fruit grow
ers to get their crops into European
markets by studying methods of pres
ervation through refrigeration, packing
and handling, which have been quit
successful. We are helping our hol
growers by importing varieties tina
ripen earlier and later than the kind
they have been raising, thereby length
ening the harvesting season. The cot
ton crop of the country is threatens
with root rot, the boll worm and tn
boil weevil. Our pathologists will fin
immune varieties that will resist tn
root disease, and the boil worm can b
dealt with, but the boil weevil is
serious menace to the cotton crop. !
is a Central American insect that ha
become aeclimated in Texas and. ha
done great damage. A scientist OF tn
department of agriculture has foun
the weevil at home in Guatemala bein
kept in check by an ant, which ma
been brought to our cotton fields 10