Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-05-24


Exhausted. Says the Secretary.
Secretary Of Agriculture Wilson
spoke hefore the Americas club In
Ilttsburg. Pa. the other night ON the
work aud scope Of the department OF
agriculture. says special dispatch 10
the New York Herald. hiS speech was
listened To- with interest, aud II gave
10 many Of his hearers a clearer notion
than they had ever had of the wide
qualifications of the department and
value of its researches To the American
farmer
Mr.. Wilson argued that the most
successful farming was carried on by
the men who knew most about the soil.
the plant, the animal and the market
aud told how the national government
operates 10 spread this intelligence In
fields where the state or the individual
Is unable to do the work.
"No more coal Is being made" said
Secretary Wilson. our wood fuel Is
getting scarce. and the supply Of min
cral oils will some day cease. Ii Is
high time we We're looking about for
sources of light. heat and power. 9th
or countries are doing this. Alcohol
meets the requirements, and starchy
Plants Weld alcohol. one OF our eX-
plorers last year found the Siberians
ut TomSk growing large variety Of
potato for the alcohol yields. lie
brought back half n ton Of them, which
will be distributed this spring among
the experiment stations.
The southern cassava. vans and
sweet potatoes will yield alcohol. as
will the sugar beet. COrncobs give
eleven gallons of alcohol 10 the ton
and sweet COrnStalks seven. Many ref
use plants will he used and much un-
marketable fruit aud vegetable matter.
The farm is ready to supply heat light
aui power when other sources fail.
MANY localities in the west suffer
for fuel In winter when storms are
severe or cars are scarce. We have
legislation 10 permit the making of al
cohol without payment of taxes when
mixed with something 10 prevent its
use as a beverage, wood alcohol per-
hapS. The time Is surely coming when
the people remote from wood. coal or
oil Will arrange to grow plants RI, h in
starch for their supply of light. heat
and power
The present inquiry is along the
lines Of economical production. as In
all new enterprises. The cornStalks OF
the corn belt that are not used for fod.
der would make very large quantities
of alcohol which would Ice extracted
aud the refuse returned 10 the soil or
used for feed to maintain necessary or
%aniC matter, alcohol not beng Il fer
tilizcr. The department of agriculture
IS experimenting along this line and
also with regard 10 new devices for
burning this new fuel"
Mr. Wilson spoke Of the depart
mcuts successful efforts 10 introduce
the camphor tree. with the result that
the oriental camphor monopoly is about
to he broken AMI c0mphor will be pro.
dUced in the south and west
Referring To the preeminent lmpor.
lance of cotton rs tie money crop of
this land Mr.. Wilson said:
AT one time it was THOUGHT the
whole important Sea island cotton in
duStry would be swept away 10y a dis.
ease, The departments experts enter.
ed the field. developed disease resist.
ant cotton lay breeding and selection
ana rc-establiShed the industry. In all
the south where the boil weevil Is now
working the department is striving TO
secure varieties that will be So early
as to produce crops despite the weeVil.
We are succeeding in this and are dis
tribntnG new types Of cotton superior
to those already in existence and which |
will mature ahead of the weevll.
zone of the greatest lines of propa.
gauda work the department is CARRYING
on Is in the south In connection with
the cotton boil weevil. When the wee. |
VII Invaded the cotfntry the cotton
growers were discouraged, and it was |
necessary To rally them. This was !
done by extensive systems of demon. |
Stration work. The farmer Is shown |
how to grow cotton despite the weevil.
now 10 rotate the crops, how to i'm.
prove his land and how to surround his
home with better conditions generally. |
Last year the department was working
along this line with more than 100000
farmers in the states of Texas and
Louisiana alone, and this year the uum-
Der will he increased.
These farmers are being taught how
To maintain the fertility OF the land by
the Use of legumes. to grow corn, to
Keep animals aud at the same time
produce cotton. We are endeavoriug
|" show them that they can produce
just as much cotton on half the land
now in use, devoting the other half to
crops which will bring them ready
money and which will not deplete the
soil"