Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-12
THE GOVERNMENT AT WORK.
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.
K--Departnent Of Agriculture

humanitarian chemist Dr. Harvey w.
Wiley. In addition to supervising the en-
forcement of the pure food law, the
bureau has many other duties. Recently
1t examined ITO samples of American
wines, with a view to ascertaining what
might be done in the direction of inn
proving the American product. Careful
studies are made for the solution of the
problem of impure milk. In the enforce
ment of the pure food law thousands OF
samples of food products are examined
every year. and many of these exami-
nations require the most exacting chem
1caI experiments. Few drugs formerly
/ were brought into the United States in
pure state, but through the activities of
the bureau Of chemistry drug adultera-
ton has almost ceased. 1t was Dr.
Wiley who established the now famous
poison squad" composed of young vol
unteerS from the various departments
They were given free board, agreeing to
eat only such food as was prescribed by
Dr. 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 COM
|
members 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
| miles of agricultural land has been sur
veyed in this way since the inauguration
of the work in 1892 Seven hundred
kinds of soils have been found on the
farms surveyed.
| lands of the nation becoming exhausted.
This is shown by the experience Of
+, European countries. In the middle OF
the sixteenth century European farms
to the acre as the American farm pro-
iuceS 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 yielding the neurological compost
| ton of the soils of Europe is not per-
ceptibly 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 crea-
ton to the
Cleared 300 Miles farm. 1t
of New England Roads. wrest, 1 n q
with the gypsy moth and other pests
which threaten to do vast damage. Last
year the bureau cleaned three hundred
miles Of roadway in New England to
make 1t impossible for the moth cater
pillars to fall upon passing vehicles and
thus travel to new fields. 1t has develop
ed a spraying formula in which arsenic
is used It imports parasites from other
countries for the purpose Of preying upon
| the pests Of various kinds. In exchange
for the parasites which are imported
from other countries, the bureau sends
some of ours to those countries. Lately
it has sent lady bug beetles to Spain to
eat the Spanish mealy bug. dog tick par
| to the Philippines. The bureau works
| for the subjugation of every harmful
insect, and has succeeded largely In its
efforts.
kingdom occupy the attention Of the
bureau of the biological survey. 1t
| strives to ascertain what birds and ami
mails are harmful to agriculture and to
| learn what species assist the farmer.
The bureau is waging a crusade against
| rats, mice, ground squirrels, prairie dogs
| and other rodents. 1t has made exhaus-
| tive experiments with traps, bats. and
! poisons. 1t estimates that the ground
| squirrels of California alone destroy $1O,
| 100000 worth Of farm products in the
course Of year. besides being carriers
Of the bubonic plague. The bureau is
pronounces their flesh highly edible. 1t
| has issued bulletins on such subjects as
| deer farming and fox farming. 1t SUI
pervises the importation Of birds and
mammals and has oversight over the
ffty-one bird sanctuaries of the country,
| into which no hunter may go. It also
has charge Of the twentythousand-acr
national bison range
=
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The bureau of statistics gathers and
publishes the crop statistics Of the coun-
try. It has q
Publishes Crop corps of 1885,,
c...x: n.A 600 crop re-
0'"'AS'aSo VI porters. Their
reports are summarized monthly by q
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 improvement in the
United States.
Tomorrow-THE GOVERNMENT AT
WORK.
x-DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
AND LABOR.