Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-12
The Government at
Neutrality-suspicious.
of Agriculture.
Things You Want to Know

chemist Dr. Harvey w Wiley. In addl-
ton to supervising the enforcement Of the
pure food law, the bureau has many other
duties. Recently Il examined 10 samples
OF American wines, with a view OF ascer-
tanning what might be done In the dlrec-
ton OF Improving the American product.
Careful studies are made for the solution
Of the problem OF impure milk. In the en-
forcement OF the pure food law thousands
Of samples OF food products are examined
every year. and many OF these examina-
tons require the most exactlng chemical
experiments. Few drugs formerly were
brought into the United States In pure
state. but through the activities OF the
bureau OF chemistry drug sdulteration has
almost ceased. It was Dr. Wiley who
established the now famous poison
squad" composed OF young volunteers
from the various departments They were
given free board, agreeing to eat only
such food as was prescribed by Or, Wiley,
His studies In this direction covered .
number Of years and in large measure
were responsible for the pure food law now
on the federal statute books
1t is the province OF the bureau OF soils
to make surveys of soils in given corNs
muniues, upon the recommendation OF
mombers Of congress. These surveys re-
veal what fertilizers are needed on each
farm and what crops can be grown most
advantageously. More than 10000 square
mics Of agricultural land has been sur
veyed I'm this way since the inauguration
Of the work In 1899. Seven hundred Kinds
OK soils have been found on the farms
surveyed. There is little danger OF the
farming lands OF the nation becoming ex-
hausted. This is shown by the experience
n N~In L., -
the sixteenth century European farms
were producing about as much grain and
hay to the acre as the American farm
produces today. Today the European pro-
duction is more than twice as great to the
acre as ours. Minute investigations show
that after thousand years Of crop Yield
ing the neurological composition of the
soils Of Europe is not percepubly different
from that Of similar soils In virgin parts
Of the United States
The bureau of entomology deals with the
economic relations OF the bug creation to
the farm. 1t has been wrestling with the
gypsy moth and other pests which threaten
to do vast damage. Last year the bureau
cleaned 300 miles OF roadway In New Eng
land to make it impossible for the moth
caterpillars to fall upon passing vehicles
and thus travel to new fields. 1t has de-
veloped a spraying formula in which ar
senic is used. 1t imports parasites from
! other countries for the purpose OF preying
! upon the pests of various kinds In ex-
change for the parasites which are Inn
| ported from other countries, the bureau
sends some Of ours to those countries.
Lately II has sent lady bug beetles to
Spain to eat the Spanish mealy bug, dog
tick parasites of South Africa, and bum
! BILE bees to the Philippines. The bureau
works for the subjugation of every harm
full insect, and has succeeded largely I'm
its efforts.
| The relations of man and the animal
/ kingdom occupy the attention of the bureau
OF the biological survey IL strives to as
certain what birds and animals are harm
full TO agriculture and TO learn what spe-
cies assist the farmer. The bureau is wag-
| ing crusade against rats mice, ground
! sqlrres, prairie dogs and other rodents. II
| has made exhaustive experiments with
| traps, bats and poisons. II estimates that
! the ground squirrels OF California alone de-
! stroy $40, 00O, 900 worth of farm products in
the course Of a year, besides being car
riers Of the bubonic plague, The bureau
is encouraging the raising OF musk rat and
pronounces their flesh highly edible. It
has issued bulletins on such subjects as
deer farming and fox farming II super
vises the importation Of birds and NAM
mails, and has oversight over the fifty-one
bird sanctuaries of the country, into which
no hunter may go. II also has charge Of
! the 10000 acre national bison range
The bureau Of statistics gathers and
! publishes the crop statistics of the coun-
! try. 1t has a corps of $4,000 crop re-
! portersN Their reports are summarized
monthly by a board and carefully guarded
so that the information may not get out
ahead of time. There is also an office
in charge of the experiment station work
Of the country and another which handles
the national phases Of good road improve
ment in the United States
Bx FREDERIC ]. HAsKrN.
Tomorrow-Ths Government at Work.
X. Department Of Commerce ana Labor.