Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-12-08


fruits, grasses. vegetables, trees an
shrubs suitable to various localities Il
cur country. and marked benefit to GU
producers has resulted.
The activities Of our age in lines 0
research have renched the tillers Of tn
Sol! ana Inspired them with amb'tio,
20 khow' more OF the principles the
govern the ferees OF nature with which
fheF have to deal. Nearly half of tn,
people of tins country devote their on
ergses to growing things from the soil
BhtN recent date little has been done
to prepare these millions for their If,
work. In most lines of human actlvtt,
college trained men are the leaders
The farmer had no opportunity 70,
special training until the congress
made provision for It forty years ago
During these years progress has beer
made ahd teachers have been prepared
Over s,032 students are in attendance
at our state agricultural colleges. The
FEDERAL government e4pends 10000.
goo annually toward this education
and For research In Washington and Ia
the several states and territories The
department Of agriculture has given
facilities for postgraduate work to 800
yeuhg men during the last seven years,
brepafing them for advanced lines of
Hefh Id the department ana In the
state institutions.
The facts concerning meteerelegy and
Its relations to plant and animal life
are being systematically Inquired into.
Temperature and moisture are control
ling faetors In all agricultural opera.
lions. The seasons of the cyclones of
tAe Caribbean sea and their paths are
being foreeasted With increasing accu-
FaeY. The Geld winds that come from
the berth are anticipated and their
times and Intensity told to farmers,
gardeners and fruiterers In all seuth.
eFa localities.
We sell $3.50, 100000 worth of ami.
tnals and animal products to foreign
countries every year in addition to
supplying our own people more cheap.
~ and abundantly than any other ma
ton ts able to provide for it's people.
Successful manufacturing depends pri.
mHrily on cheap food, which accounts
to considerable extent for our
growth in this direction. The depart.
nent Of agriculture, by careful inspec.
ton OF meats, guards the health of our
people and gives clean bills of health
to deserving exports. 1t is prepared to
deal promptly with imported diseases
of animals and maintain the excellence
Of our focks and herds in this respect. !
There should be an annual census of I
The live stock Of the nation.
We sell abroad about S6OO,OOOOOO I
worth of plants and their products ev.
'ry year. Strenuous efforts are being /
made to import from foreign countries
'uch grains as are suitable to our vary
ng localities. Seven years ago we
bought three-fourths of our rice. By
Helping the rice growers on the gulf
coast to secure seeds from the orient .
luited to their conditions and by CIV
ing them adequate protection they now
'upply home demand and export to the |
stands of the Caribbean sea and to
ther rico growing countries. Wheat
nd other grains have been imported
rom light rainfall countries to our
ands In the west and southwest that
ave not grown crops because Of light
Precipitation, resulting in an extensive
edition to our cropping area and our
omemaking territory that cannot be
irrigated. Ten million bushels Of first
lass macaroni wheat were grown from
hese experimental importations last
ear. Fruits suitable to our soils and
climates are being imported from all
he countries Of the old world-the fig
rom Turkey, the almond from Spain,
he date from Algeria. the mango from
ndia. We are helping our fruit grow
'rs to get their crops into European
markets by studying methods Of pres
rvation through refrigeration. packing
md handling which have been quite
We are helping our hop
growers by importing varieties that
ipen earlier and later than the kinds
hey have been raising, thereby length.
ming the harvesting season. The cot
on crop OF the country is threatened
With root rot. the bollworm and the
'oll weevil. Our pathologists will find
immune varieties that will resist the
DOT disease, and the bollworm can be
lealt with. but the boil weevil is a Sc
1ouS menace to the cotton crop. It is
Central American insect that has be-
'ome acclimated in Texas and has
lone great damage. A scientist of the
department Of agriculture has found
be weeril at home in Guatemala being
,ept in check by an ant, which has
'een brought to our cotton fields for
observation. 1t is hoped that it NAV
srye good purpose.
The soils OF The country are getting
ttention from the farmers standpoint,
nd interesting results are following.
We have duplicates Of the soils that
row the wrapper tobacco in Sumatra
nd the filler tobacco in Cuba. 1t will
Q only question OF time when the
arge amounts paid to these countries
1iil be paid to our own PEOPLE The
Exclamation Of alkeli lands is progress.
lg, to give object lessons to our peo-
lie in methods by which worthless