Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-31
Uncle Sans New Farm
for Animal Production.
Asst month the government pur.

- Asst month the government pur-
I chased a new farm of about 500
- acres at Beltsville, Nd, about thir-
teen miles from Washington The De-
partment of Agriculture proposes to use
this farm for the breeding of horses,
cows. pigs, chickens and also for expert
mental work in dairying, and to make the
farm of great interest to live stock peo-
Pile all over the country
The department claims the need for
such farm has long been felt, as 1t
has been without proper facilities for
making important Investigations in breed
ing for which farm conditions are re-
quired. Some breeding work has been
done at the government farm at L~--.esda,
Md, but it has not been considered safe
to conduct work Of this kind on the same
premises where Investigations of conta-
gious diseases are being made The
farm at Bethesda will be maintained for
experiments relating to diseases, but the
breeding will be transferred to the new
farm at Beltsville.
At the new farm it is intended to put
In dairy herd and to have facilities
for doing work in connection with the
many problems of production and control
of the milk supply. There has been but
little of this kind of work done heretofore
and that little has been in cooperation
with individuals in various parts of the
country 1t is expected that this work
will keep the authorities more closely in
toucn with the practical side of the milk
problem, and will also enable the govern
ment to take up some very important
problems connected Herewith. For in
stance, the feeding and breeding of dairy
cattle as well as that of herd manage
ment. Present plans include breeding
as it applies to the grade herd, that is,
the partially improved stock. BY in
breeding 1t is proposed to establish as
pure breed of dairy cattle as possible
one OF the most important matters to be
taken up will be that of the transporta-
ton OF milk and the manufacture of il
into Its various products, cheese etc. II
is claimed that in order to get milk for
experimental purposes it is necessary To
control the conditions surrounding the
production of it. By this mears definite
results are expected to be Accomplished
and the milk thus secured will be abso-
lutely pure. With this object in view the
government will erect suitable buildings
on the farm.
up the study of special bacteria, "strep-
tococi, a germ that is always presen,
In milk especially after the milk has
soured. Very little appears to be known
apout ms bacteria, some authorities
Claiming II is Injurious to health while
others claim 1t is not. The government
intends to settle this question for ali
time.
Among other things it is proposed 70
try and reduce the expense Of marketing
milk. and the question as to whether II
would pay to freeze milk before shipment
Will also be considered. The department
will look into every phase of the milk
question with special reference to the de.
livery of milk in the best condition to
the consumer, with the least possible
expense. both to the producer and the
consumer.
The work at the Bethesda farm has
been principally Of a pathological nature
Some years ago the government started
experiments in animal breeding. guinea
pigs, etc, and also in poultry raising,
Recently small flock Of sheep and OF
goats nave been added to the Bethesda
new farm at Beltsville The breeding of
sheep heretofore has been confined to
cross breed1ng-crOssins delaine merino
sheep with sheep from the Isle of Bar
bados. All of this work will be done
at Beltsviiie, only on larger scale.
experiments will be tried with horses,
cows and other farm animals The zebra
breeding which has been going on at the
Bethesda farm will be continued at BELTS
Vile. The results so far from the zebra
experiments have been a cross between a
donkey and zebra-a very sleek animal
almost IKE mule with the zebra stripes
but nothing definite has been accom-
plished between the American mare and
the zebra.
1t is also intended to demonstrate what
the soil is capable Of doing under proper
management and particularly when live
STOCK Is carried In connection with farm
ing. In word, the government pro
poses to pursue an exhaustive study Of
the economy of animal production nm
American farms.