Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-08

V1o. including 7.999,5i7 cattle 500
calves, 27,7S1,627 hogs. lsas4sa5 sheep, and
I 1905 goats. Nearly an equal number of
each were inspected at the time of and
after slaughter. The number of hogs
Slaughtered Under inspection was 100000
| less than during the preceding year,
owing to 4 shortage in the supply. En-
| tire carcasses condemned numbered 49,
742; parts of carcasses, S74,211. That is.
about per cent. of the animals Inspected
were condemned in whole or in part.
Tuberculosis caused 46 per cent. OF the
| concentrations among cattle and So per
| cent of those among hogs.
Nearly $3.50 100000 pounds of meat food
products were prepared under supervis-
| ion; on reinspection 100000 pounds were
| condemned as having become unwhole-
some since the inspection at the time of
| slaughter. a steady Improvement in
packing-house methods is indicated.
| Twenty -eight new associations for the
cooperative testing of cows belonging
! to members were formed during the
| year; SIS are now in operation. Such
tests, which enable the owners to dis
card Improbable cows, raised the aver
age annual profit per COW in one asso-
citation from SCI 4S to s42.S2 in four years.
The score-card system of dairy inspec-
| ton recommended by the Department
| has helped to improve sanitary condi-
tons in diaries. 1t is being used in III
! cities and towns, including some of the
| largest cities. Great improvement has
[ been brought about in the milk supplies
| Of number of cities.
Work Among Southern Farmers.
AS result of the teaching of the
methods of the Department for scienti-
| fic farming farmers throughout the coun-
| try have increased their yields The
demonstration work among southern
| farmers has shown excellent results and
} progressive growth Organized III 1904
! for the purpose of fighting the boil weevii
| in Texas, this work has now extended to
all the Southern States. This means the
restoration of confidence and credit and
prevents the abandonment of farms and
| emigration of labor to other fields. From
1904 to the present time the agents in this
| line of work have been increased from
to $50, and the demand is growing.
More than 1900 farmers are receiving
direct instruction on their farms.
| Fruit Disease Investigations i
| The investigation and study of fruit
diseases have been vigorously pushed
and have shown healthy progress. The
destructive tumor disease of lines and
other citrus fruits has been shown to be
! of fungus origin and attacks oranges as
| well as lines. The new methods OF
spraying with sulphur compound worked
out by the pathologists of the Depart
ment has been widely adopted by apple
growers. The investigation shows that
| fine fruit can be produced and protection
secured against fungus diseases without
| the injurious effect resulting from cop
! per compound. Bordeaux mixture is still
being used, but in the spraying of apples
| it has taken second place.
| New Forage Crops.
| Many new forage crops from all parts
| of the world are being tested every year.
| Only a few of these possess sufficient
| value to compete with the crops now
| grown. Four such plants, however,. re-
| Gently introduced, have given such adj
| mirable results that there can be little
| question that they will prove of great
value. Experience of the last three years
| has shown that Rhodes grass is espec-
| tally adapted to the Gulf coast region.
| In southern Florida three cuttings have
been made during the winter months and
as many as six during the entire season.
| This grass has fine upright stems and
| good seed habits and should be extern
| sively cultivated in this region.
| Work Against Moths.
| Much space is given in discussing the
| work of the Bureau of Entomology to
| the important work that bureau has
I done during the past year in its effort to
control or eradicate the gypsy moth and
| the brown-tail moth. The infested terri
| tory covers all the New England States
excepting Vermont, and the Department,
working in cooperation with the author
! tiles of those states, has met with graft
| flying success. Conditions there are
| largely improved.
! The Bureau of Entomology has been
| largely aided in its campaign against
| the moth family by the importation from
| abroad of moth parasites The results
| from their importation have not been
entirely satisfactory, yet they are suffi-
GENTLY SO to justify further work along
| these lines.
l
| instruction in the methods of road
! building has continued through the mo
T, dunn Of object-lesson roads, built at To-
cal expense, under the supervision of an
! engineer of the Office of Public Roads
More than one million square yards Vf
| road, equivalent to about II miles of
| road u feet wide, were completed during
the year. Viewed as a construction rec
| ord alone this would constitute an ex-
| ccllent showing, but when it is consid-
cred that this mileage was made up of
80 object-lesson roads, each constituting
q miniature school of road building, COM
| prising 10 distinct types of construction,
| it must be evident that this feature of
| the Departments work is a powerful fac
\ tor in the promotion of the movement
| for the betterment of the public roads.
Advisory work relating to road pro-
| blems necessitated about $50 assignments
| for the Departments consulting engi-
neers and experts. This was an increase
| of about 10 per cent. over the amount of
| like work performed during the preceding
| fiscal year.
Oil-Cement Concrete.
An important investigative work dur
| ing the year has been the development