Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-12

The Department Of Agriculture has made
itself one OF the most important OF the
activities Of the federal government The
annual production of agricultural interests
Of the United States amounts to nearly
5000 10000. Assuming that the depart.
ment has been able during all the years
Of It's work to increase the efficiency OF
farm operations only / per cent It's total
annual value to the nation would amount
TO 5000 600 1t Is well recognized that the
campaign Of education waRed by the de-
partment has resulted in much larger
increase in crop production than that. Re.
tween its work Of advising the farmer how
to grow the food supply OF the nation
most successfully, and its labor to guar
antee the quality OF that food to all the
people. the department is a busy insttu-
ton. Its activities cost the government
AZ out S16OOO.OOO a year.
The secretary OF agriculture has many
assistants. An assistant secretary aids
him in the general supervision of the
work Of the department, chief clerk
supervises the working force, and a solicit
tor acts as the legal adviser Of the de-
partment The division of publications is
sues about 1900 different publications dur
ing a year. These contain more than l0-
600 pages and Il, 100000 copies are circulated.
During twenty years the department has
circulated more than 7O,OOOOOO farmer bull
letins.
The weather bureaus main purpose il to
forecast the weather and issue warnings
as to storms, cold waves, frosts and
floods, for the benefit OF agriculture, COM
merce and navigation. Tho nation spends
nearly 100000 a year on this bureau. Be
sides forecastlng weather conditions, the
bureau is engaged in scientific investiga-
ton of the earths atmosphere. At Mount
Weather Va. It has an observatory FAR
removed from the disturbing conditions OF
surrounding civilization. Here most Of its
atmospheric investigations are made. one
of the buildings at this observatory Is
without windows, and another without the
presence OF iron. Even the horses cannot
wear iron shoes while certain delicate
magnetic experiments are being carried on.
The live stock interest OF the nation are
| looked after by the bureau Of animal in
dustry. 1t has charge of meat inspection,
national quarantine regulations for live
stock, and the study Of the relations Of
animal diseases to the human race. Each
year in the meat inspection service $1,000 900
live animals are inspected before their
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after slaughter This bureau also furnishes
the farmers Of the country black leg vac
cine, free of charge for the inocculaton
of young calves. over 100000 doses were
given away last year. and 100000 doses of
tuberculin, which is using in determining
| the presence of tuberculosis in milk COWS.
The country is indebted to the bureau
! OF plant industry for It's services in helping
the farmer grow his grain, forage, truck
and fruit crops. 1t ransacks the whole
world for plants which may be grown with
profit In the United States. 1t has brought
dates from Palestine, durum wheat from
Russia, millet from Siberia, wild peaches
from China, and many other promising
plants from every region of the world.
The bureau has charge OF the investigation
| of drug plants, seed distribution, cotton
Standardization, farm management and
many other problems which bear an impor-
tant relation to the operations Of the farm.
The forest service has charge of the ma
tional forests of the country. 1t is en-
gagged in scientific investigation OF forest
problems, tree diseases, and all questions
which will aid in the perpetuation Of the
forest resources of the country, at the
same time permitting the present genera
ton to use such timber supplies as it may
Il
the national forests Of the United States,
as compared with from 81 to 81 an acre in
France, Germany and Switzerland. The
forest service is almost self-supporting.
| It's expenditures amount TO about So 900, 200
| year. and its receipts from the sale OF
| lumber, grazing privileges and other re-
sources amount to approximately $500, 900.
The corps Of forest rangers, whose duty 1t
is to patrol the national forests, is made
up of highly intelligent young men, and
thousands Of serious forest fires have been
averted by their vigilance and timely ee-
i forts.
One bureau In the Department OF Agn-
culture is more widely known through
the man at its head than through its own
reputation-the bureau of chemistry pre-
sided over by that eminent humanitarian