Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-02
oNDuDNs N we're
AMERICAN EXPERTS WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES

one The country lis large as all or
Europe and. while the Amazon affords
steam navigation with its various tribn-
taries to the extent Of i,'sp miles throuch
a most fertile land having innumerable
varieties of vegetable and anima life,
there is only one acre out of every 10
under cultivation. because OF the scarcity
of farmers and the Indifference 81 the
natives. Brazil is the home or the 'dout-
chouc tree, which furnishes rubber for
America.
Some years ago demand came Tor ex-
perts to go to Manchuria to organize an
agricultural college and experiment sta
ton at Mukden. The natives desired
more extensive knowledge regarding the
improved methods of cultivating their
cotton, tobacco, rice and bamboo.
Minister WI Ting fang conducted the
arrangements. which included, among
other things, a yearly remuneration 81
$1,000 Edward S. Parker. formerly o.
Minnesota, was secured for the post after
both the chief of the bureau and Mr..
degree examination, which included not
only a complete history of Mr.. Parker
mentally. morally and physically, but also
that of his parents and grandparents.
Minister WI. with his customary proPen-
sity for asking questions, even asked re-
garding the young mans social relations.
insisting that he should go out az mar
ried man. Mr.. ThomhaYe, who accepted
the position as Mr.. Parkers assistant ~
a salary of 5000. was also put through
the Chinese diplomats grilling.
Another Asatic post is filed by for
mer employee of the bureau of plant IN
dustry here. Leslie c. Coleman has made
a good record as a pathologist at Ny sore.
India, at a salary of $1,000 Here the
chief occupation of the people Is agricul-
ture. al two-thirds or ao0h,aop of them
are employed in II. The physical fea
lures of the country are so varied ami
interesting that IT has been called the
..epitome Of the whole earth" While two
thirds of the population engage In farm
ing, only one-tilrd Of tho land T. ava labta
for this purpose and consequently when
the crops fail through tho long drought
the terrible famines like that of 1890 oe
cur
The tobacco work Of Tho department
in the bureau Of plant industry has Al
tracted word-W ide attention, nun
her of exports connected with the depart
ment have been secured by foreign goy-
ernments. among whom may bo men
toned V. {. Brewer now at Pretoria.
South Africa, a salary of 5000, and
w. II. Scherffius, another tobacco ex-
pert. who is also at Pretoria in the ca
of their department OF agriculture. al II
salary of $4,000.
Another conspicuous figure in the for
eign agricultural field is that of Otis ".
Barrett, now in the service of the Portu-
guese government in East Africa, with
headquarters at Mozambique, at a sal
airy of 5000 Prior 10 his acceptance ~
the Portuguese service Mr.. Barrett had
occupied various important positions. lie
was in the employ of the West India I'M
provement Company. Jamaica in 1874.
agent for the commission Tor
the Mexican exhibit at the Paris exposi-
ton of 1900, Porto Rican entomol0gist
and botanist. and from 1906 until 1917 in
the United States Department of Agricul-
ture.
He became director OF the Mozambique
department IN 1908. He has made great
progress. especially in the introduction or
new foods.
Harmon Benton of this city is now in
Cuba as agronomist of their experiment
station.
Specialists are also often required 10
follow up some special investigation in
foreign fields. Several years ago James
Birch Rorer Of this bureau was secured
as specialist for the plant disease work
Of Trinidad, Port OF Spain. Mr.. Rorer
gave up a salary of 81 800 here as pa
biologist for one of So go. He has since
been promoted to $1,000.
Not only does this department receive
constant requests for their good men, but
also for seeds, slips, roots. plants. bulbs
and even bugs and samples of SOL The
is becoming one OF the busiest
branches of the work. There was time
when foreign letter was an event. Now
I Is practically daily occurrence and a.
he rate of fifteen TO twenty letters at
hat Each one receives careful atten-
Jon and all requests in this line are COM
,lied with If possible.