Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-30
REPORT SHOWS
CORN IS KING
WILSON ISSUES
STATEMENT
Gives Statistics Of Most Valuable
crops-Corn Estimated at Eleven
} Hundred Mlllions--cotton
Is Second
BY Associated press.

WASHINGTON. d. c., Nov. 29.-In
his annual report the secretary of agri-
culture says:
Value of leading crops: Corn remains
by far the most valuable crop, esti-
mated at 81, 100 100000. Next comes the
cotton crop, which, including seed,
should be worth to the growers nearly
S640, 000, 600. The value of hay which is
third i'm order, approaches $60O,00O,000.
Wheat, the fourth crop, may be worth
$3.50, 000,0 900; oats, 5000, ,000 900; potatoes,
S150,000,000. Barley, with a value of
$65, 100000, shows a gain of II per cent
in production in the past seven years.
The tobacco crop will be worth about
$55, 100000. A remarkable development
is that of the sugar beet, now the
ninth crop in value. The production in
1906 is placed at 355, 900 tons, valued at
$SO,0O0,00O. Seven years ago the value
of this crop was $7,000,000. The value
of all kinds of sugar, syrup and mo-
lasses aggregates $75,000,000.
Introduction of Valuable Plants
In the bureau of plant industry the
leading features Of the work of the
past year have been the cooperative
demonstration work with farmers, fruit
growers and others under the careful
supervision of the department experts
and the introduction of new crops of
economic value. One of the most i'm
portant achievements in this latter
line is the discovery of the existence of
Siberian alfalfa, plant native on the
dry steppes of Siberia, where the mer-
curry freezes without snow, thus prov
ing the ability of the plant to with
stand WISnout protection q temperature
of 40 degrees below zero.
This discovery may mark an epoch
in the agriculture of the northwest
prairie regions of the United States.
Among other valuable plants intro
duced are vigorous alfalfa from
Arabia and the Tangier peninsula
which has yielded as high as nine tons
of green feed per acre. With a view
to Increasing the mating industry the
department explorers have secured
living plants of they-best foreign va
rieties of rushes. Experiments in the
propagation of many seeds and plants
introduced from foreign countries arc
being carried on at the plant introduce
ton garden at Chico, Cal.
Progress in Forest Reserve
Great progress has been made in the
practical application of a national for
est reserve policy. In area the re-
serves were increased during the years
from S5,S6S,0 ,022 to 96,999,13S acres. In
revenue the reserves brought in $751;,
1896, as against $60,142.62 for the pre-
ceding year. One fiscal year of full
control under the forest purchase act
has established two facts, viz, that the
reserves advance the present interests
of the people of the west and that they
will speedily pay the cost of administer
ing. them. Through government control
the interests of the ,futHre are guarded
without sacrificing those of the present.
The reserves powerfully promote de-
velopment, they work counter to the
prosecution of no industry and retard
the beneficial use of no resources. The
reserves do not withhold land from
agricultural use, but greatly increase
the amount of available farm land. The
promotion of agriculture is one of the
main ends of the forest reserve policy.
By guaranteeing future supplies of
timber they are Indispensable to the
future development of mining. The
stockmen throughout the west are now
united in favor of the forest reserve
system.
Commends Stockmen
The secretary especially commends
the good will with which the associa-
tions of western stockmen have CO.
operated with him. Finally, the re-
serves have proved beneficial alike to
the lumber industry and to the timber
consuming public. The available mer-
charitable timber is not locked up from
present use, but it will not be disposed
under a short-sighted policy of utili-
zation which would leave a gap be-
tween the end of the present supply
and the oncoming of a second crop.
Protection of the reserve from fire has
been a most important duty laid on
the forest service.
Fire Loss Slight
1t is cause for congratulation that
the loss by fire during the year was
slight even by comparison with that
of 1905.
This favorable effect is due to in
creased efficiency of the patrol sys-
tenn, combined with favorable climatic
conditions. The important fact has
demonstrated that the forest service
is able to substitute conservative for
destructive use while greatly increas-
ing the use itself. The largest totals
of sales were, i'm board feet 73 900, 900
in South Dakota, 100000 in Wyoming
and 53,000,000 in Montana. In South
Dakota a special reason exists for
pressing the sale of timber with en-
ergy. The ravages of a bark beetle
threaten the annihilation of the entire
forest and only by extensive cutting Of
infested trees can the spread of this
pest be checked and the damaged tim
Der utilized.
A systematic effort has been begun
to determine the feasibility of live
stock raising in Alaska. small herd
of Galloway cattle has been intro
duced These cattle have been sub
sisted during the summer upon the
native grasses and a considerable sup