The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-03-22
OUR WASHINGTON
NEWS AND NOTES
items OF INTEREST Bk,uLy
CH1oNIUIED.
TO FIGHT THE BOIL WEEYIL
$4,000 to b Expended in Fighting
the Pest, Half Of Which VIII be
Used in Developing Species Which
VIII Resist.

The House Committee on Agricul-
ture has agreed to include in the ag-
ricultural appropriation bill an item
OF $4,000 to be expended by the De
partment Of Agriculture in war
against the cotton boil weevil, in
stead of having special bill to cover
this work. Half Of this sum will be
used by the Bureau Of Entomology in
experiments looking to the eradica-
ton of the pest, and the other half by
the Bureau of Plant Industry in its
experiments in the development Of a
species Of cotton which will resist the
attacks the weevil. At the request
Of Speaker Cannon the agricultural
appropriation bill is to be held back
and not reported to the House Of
Representatives by the committee on
agriculture until the latter part of
March. There have been some rea-
sons making it desirable that the ap-
preparation bill should not be pushed
forward for a while yet. Among these
are certain questions relating to the
bureau of animal industry and its
work stirring congress to the depths,
and last, but not least, the perennial
difficulties of the bureau of Stats
tics. The bureau of statistics has
lately done some bad work, which has
not attracted much public attention,
but which has met with the severe con-
demnation of experts. It has publish
ed set of statistics for yield and
acreage of all cereal crops. It has
also published revised statistics for
farm animals and data showing the
stocks of wheat in the hands of farm
ers. There is very little evidence to
show that any of these estimates are
trustworthy. They disagree with
many known facts and also among
themselves. 1t would appear to be
true that, spurred by popular crit
icism and the adverse findings Of the
Investigators who hooked into condi-
tions some time ago, the bureau has
cast aside its old work and has started
out entirely fresh. It would be a
task of considerable length to recap
itulate in detail the various evidences
Of error in the latest work of the bu-
reau. There is very satisfactory rea-
SON to think, however, that a gross
underestimate of nearly all crops has
again been made, including corn,
wheat and the other staples. In try
ing to get at proper figures for ami
mails the department has raised its
figures largely, Notwithstanding the
low estimates for corn and other
cereals, neglecting the fact that ami
mails require food, that the popula-
ton of this country has been in
creasing, and that if animals have
also been largely increasing, food
stuffs can mot have been relatively
decreasing. Criticisms Of similar
character can be made on the other
figures. Yet the department of agri-
culture seems to have taken some
steps toward putting things into bet
ter shape. The discontinuance of
crop reports by the Weather Bureau
will give uniformity Of control of
crop reporting through the bureau of
statistics. Some features Of the plan
suggested by Assistant Secretary
Hays, when before the House Com
mittee on Agriculture, will also yield
beneficial results. But nothing ever
can be accomplished in broad way
without far better system of col
lecting the data and to get this it will
he necessary to pass legislation Civ
ing the department more money for
this purpose, and also to put through
some such measure as the Burleson
bill, in order to get census basis
from which to start. The postpone
ment of the agricultural appropria-
ton bill until about April / will give
the Keep Commission time possibly
to render its report on the accuracy
of the agriculture statistics of the
census Of 1900. Should this turn out
to support the report turned in six
weeks ago, it would mean that the
Department Of Agriculture would
practically be obliged to admit the
erroneous character Of its statistics
on cereals and live stock. If its ad-
vocates should be forced to concede
this on the floor there might be q
very serious danger to the Bureau Of
Statistics, with chance Of cutting
off some Of these figures from further
publication, the alternative PROPOSE.
tion being an appropriation for i'm
proving them. A prominent Southern
member of Congress who has been fol
lowing the situation with care states
The senate and house passed q
Joint resolution amending the Till
man-Gillespie resolution for investi-
rating railroads and monopolies.
The United States supreme court
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