Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-01-29
EXPLAINS WORK FOR FARMER
Dr.. Galloway Tells Interesting Story to
House Committee.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LABoR'
Experiments Made to show what to
Grow, and How and where
Investigations Into seed
Adulteratton.
tFrom a staff Correspondent

the Year Book of the Department of
Agriculture, is a publication of which nearly
a million copies are distributed every year.
1t Is read in every farming community in
| the country, but few residents of the cities
ever see copy of it. And yet its pages
are replete with information OF the greatest
interest TO every American citizen. But
while the published reports of the work
accomplished are of prime Importance, the
| individual efforts of the men in charge of
| the work are brought out more clearly
in the hearings before the committee on
| agriculture of the house than in any
! other manner.
| Chairman Wadsworth of this committee
| is one of the most panstaking members
! Of the house. He insists that the heads of
the various bureaus of the department shall
explain in detail just what they propose
| to accomplish with the funds for which
| they ask, and in consequence the hearings
| on the agricultural appropriation bill will
| last for several weeks and each member of
' the committee is loaded with information
| which enables him. when occasion arises, to
explain each item of the appropriation.
DR.. Gailoway's Narrative.
During the past week DIR. b. 7. Gallo
| way, chief of the bureau of plant industry.
| has appeared each morning 10 explain the
! work OF the men employed in each branch
! of his great bureau, and he has proved
| himself to be not only most Intelligent
| witness but most entertaining narrator
! of the work of the department and its ac-
| complishments. Recently the newspapers
and magazines of the country have printed
| much about the experiments in pant breed
| ing which Wizard" burbank has con-
Quoted in California. and while that gentle
o1hf sod trLfah 10 m
the way of producing new species of fruits
and flowers the department of agriculture
| has made giant strides In demonstra ting
| that hundreds of plants, trees. fruits and
T, herbs not indigenous to the soil of tins
| country can be properly produced here.
| Referencc was made TO the important
work the bureau Of plant industry has
been conducting in the matter ol breed
ing many new kinds OF fruits. Special
attention was called to the new hardy
oranges that have been developed and are
now being disseminated. 1t was stated
! hat these oranges will be hardy as far
north as South Carolina and will grow
as far west as middle Texas. The depart
ment has not yet been entirely successful
In securing a sweet orange, but the types
already obtained are valuable for the man.
ufacture OF marmalades, the making of
pies and other purposes.
Many advances have been made. further
more. in tina matter OF Improving cottons
by breeding and selection. New types have
been bred by crossing the long staple sea
island cotton with upland forms, resulting
in types which not only add to the length
of the staple, but increase the value 10 OF
10 per cent and as high as 20 per cent.
Handling and Marketing Fruits.
In the work on handling and marketing
of fruits special stress was laid on i'm
portant investigations which have recently
been carried on, showing how necessary
1t is to give strict attention to the ques'
ton of handling fruits In the orchard be.
fore they are shipped. The bureau of plani
industry has demonstrated the fact thai
a great deal of the loss of fruits in transit
can be prevented by proper handling OF
the oranges, apples and other fruits after
they are taken from the trees and while
in shipment Many experiments have beer
made to show the importance and value
OF proper methods of caring for the fruit
before 1t is shipped Attention was specif
ically called to the important work of tht
department in the matter of storage OF
fruits especially apples. 1t was pointed
out that apples in storage behave differ
emily when taken from different kinds OF
soil, gathered at different times OF tn,
season and taken from different parts OF
the tree. All these questions have an i'm
portant bearing on the keeping qualitie.
Of the apple after the fruit is put int
the storage house. The department 1:
making an effort to extend American frui
markets into foreign countries and to thi!
end has made trial shipments of apples
pears, peaches and other fruits.
AduIteration I'm Grass seeds.
great deal of interest was aroused IL
the committee by the discussion of tn,
work of the bureau of plant industry in tn.
matter of studying seed adulterations
Under a clause inserted in the last ap
preparation the department has been gath
: ering seed from all over the country
: making examinations Of the same, anC
publishing the names OF the firms who ar,
adulteratng the seed especially forag
crop seed. II was pointed out that abou
. 10000 pounds of Canadian blue grass &
brought into this country every year 70
. the purpose of adulterating Kentucky blu
grass. The Canadian seed is worth abou
half as much as the Kentucky product
: Two hundred and nifty thousands pound
E of trefoil common and almost WORTHLESS
s seed, is imported every year for the pur
E pose of aduiterating alfalfa seed. grea
{ deal OF red clover is adulterated with see
: OF burr clover. which is obtained as
p waste product in the cleaning of wool
: This wool is sent from South American
{ countries, the burr clover is cleaned ou
OF II, and then used for adulteratng tn
higher grade clovers.
Attention was called to the work OF tn
= department in the matter OF grading O
grain. A great deal OF interest has bee
aroused in the question OF proper and ef
feetive systems OF grain grading Tn
! oficers of the bureau discussed this prob
lem from many standpoints. indicating tina
II is the aim of the department throug
u it's Investigations and studies, to stand
afdize the various grains in such a wa
1 that a uniform system may be adopte
throughout the country. BY this proces
: IL is believed much of the complaint no,
c made by foreigners against our grain coul
i be overcome.
Success In Farm Management
A special feature OF the bureau of plan
industry's work has been a study OF wha
is called Farm Management In dIffereu
u parts of the country. These studies hay
Tor their object the securing Of fact
:. bearing on the manner IN which some @
i the best farms are managed. When thi
e data is once secured II is planned to utf
a. In, a.