The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-09
Wilson Makes Him Cotton
Crop Inspector
MOODY SHOCKS THEM
His Activity in Investigating the Meth
DDS Of the Agricultural Depart
ments Makes Grafters Feel
That They Have Fallen
on Evil Days.
(By the Associated Press


Washington, Aug. 7.-P L. Hutch
ins formerly chief chemist of the
State Board of Agriculture of Louisi-
ana, who is regarded as an expert in
cotton statistics, has been appointed by
Secretary Wilson to the position of
travelling inspector of the Agricultu-
raj Department in the cotton districts
with the understanding that he will
perform duty on the cotton crop esti-
mating board when called upon to do
so.
1t is understood that Assistant Sec
rotary Hays will not continue per-
manently to give personal attention TO
theZ work of the statistical bureau,
but a successor to Mr.. Hyde soon will
be appointed. 1t is the intention to
continue the crop estimating board
but not to maintain the same mem
bership constantly.
Activity of Moody.
The n. Y. Herald's correspondent
wires the following:
Usual aggitation and even conster-
nation have ruled in the Agricultural
department since Attorney enhr-
al Moody has taken hold of the inves-
tlgation of the methods of Secretary
Wilson's department. There is feel
ing of unc ertainty as what will hap
pen next.
Since the Secretary has promulgated
his rule that government employees
articularly bureau chiefs, shall not
carry side lines in the form of OBJ
jectonabie partnerships, there is a feel
ing that the earar of graft is near
ing an end.
The Great Laugh Maker.
OF all the doings of the Bureau of
Soils, of the Department of Agricul-
ture, the most widely known is its
work on 1.-The Oh emiStry of the the
Soil. as Related to Crop Production, "
which when published, caused a
laugh heard around the world and
no little Indignation among the farm
ers of the United States. The Blu
reau's appropriation for the fiscal year
ending Jun e 80, 1906 is $204,660.
Mr.. Whitney, the chief of the bu-
reau, and f. X. Cameron published
famous Bulletins Twenty-Five under
the above title and they announced
that ten years investigation show ed
THAT practically all soils contain suf-
ficient plant food for good crop Yields
ind that this supply will be indefi-
nitely maintained
This declaration that poor land
would produce as we'll as good land
poor farms to sell. A gasp of as
constituent went up from millions of
farmers.
The bulletin was received as a notice
that the ordinary methods of fertili-
zation in use on farms for decades
were all wrong in princile and rae
tice The farmers were much mysti-
fled. They had been brought u to
believe chat the use of the common
fertilizers were necessary to insure
continued productiveness of farm
land.
Mr. f Davenport. director of the
agricultural experiment station OF tn e
University of Illinois, published bull
letin to controvert Mr.. Whitney's find
ings. Mr.. Davenport wrote:
'"The much advertised bulletin %
is commonly understood and certainly
intended to mean that the use OF
and other ingeniousbg fw w wy wyp
farm manure and other leguminous
crops as a source of nitrogen, or the
application of bone meal or other fer
tilizers has little or no tendency to-
wards permanent soil improvement,
and even the effect which they do
produce is due very largely to improv-
ed physical condition of the soil,
which effect the bureau of soils be-
lieves can be better obtained by a
simple rotation and change of cultur-
ed methods. and the statement is adj
ded that the effect due to cultivation
is also more permanent than the eff
feet to fertilizers
''This sudden and radical depart
ure from the established Nnoj :yf