El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-11


contributed more to the well
fare Of the people Of the country than
the department Of agriculture. Under
the influence Of the gospel Of progress
sive farming the yield OF wheat has in
creased from ten bushels per acre in
1866 to an average Of Is bushels under
present farming conditions. Corn now
yields about 80 bushels to the acre
during an average year as compared
with 25 bushels half century ago.
Throughout all the list Of plant and
meat crops the same ratio Of expan-
sion has taken place
But great as has been the growth
in the past so years, it is believed by
the experts Of the department of
agriculture that this expansion will be
much more than duplicated during the
coming so years. A good farmer today
is able TO produce an average Of 70
bushels of wheat to the acre. 60 bushels
Of corn and a bale and a quarter OF
cotton. If the average farm crop OF
q half century hence is no better than
that produced by the good farmer or
today the total value of the crops at
that date will be many billions OF dol
lars greater than 1t is today
Big Crop Increase.
The increased value of cotton on
the szs.s ~. - yale and a quarter to
the acre as compared with the present
yield of twO-fifths of a bale would
show an increase in value in the cotton
crop alone amounting to more than
$3.50, 900, 600. Secretary James wilson
thinks there will be little difficulty
in increasing by half the yield Of every
staple crop grown in the United States
and that the remarkable progress In
educational work among the farmers OF
the country made during the past de-
cade vii grow in amazing proper
tions during the coming quarter OF
century.
While the department of agriculture
is developing the farms and vegetable
crops, it is not overlooking the inn
pOrtance Of expanding the live stock
industry. The live stock interests OF
the nation are looked after by the
bureau of animal industry. This bureau
has charge of meat inspection, national
quarantine regulations for live stock,
the study of animal diseases and their
relation to the human race, and in
YestigatiOns in stock raising and
dairying.
Dairy Cows and Feed.
One-fourth of the dairy cows of the
United States do not pay market price
for their feed If the average COW
in the United States can be Induced to
furnish just five pounds Of butter more
a year, it will add S3O,0OO,OO0 annually
to the productive capacity OF the
American farm II the hens or the
country each can be induced to lay
one dozen eggs more a year they viii
increase the annual value of the egg
supply to the extent of s5O.000,0 600.
The government expends about
$4,000, 600 a year on meat inspection.
inspectors being maintained at about
a thousand establishments in 237 cities
and towns. Each year about $4,000, 600
live animals are examined before
slaughter and approximately {, ZOO, 0OO, =
000 pounds Of meat are Inspected after
slaughter. Nearly a million animals
are condemned annually, either IA
whole or In part Tuberculosis is the
cause Of about 46 per cent OF the
cOndemnauOns Of cattle products and
96 per cent of the condemnations Of
hog products.
The bureau Of animal industry also
maintains an experiment station at
Bethesda, Nd. for investigations in ami
nal diseases and has an experiment
farm at Beltsville, Nd, where work
in dairying and the breeding and feed
ing of live stock and poultry is carried
on.
EradicRting Animal Diseases.
This bureau also has charge Of the
work Of graduating animal diseases
1t has been fighting the Texas fever
tick for years and is gradually sue
ceeding in discriminating this danger
Gus foe of the beef industry. The
bureau recently found that over Is
per cent of the cattle in the District
of Columbia were affected with tuber-
culOsis. A quarantine was estab lished
after the elimination of the affected
cattle, with the result that in a year
or two dairy stock in the district has
been practically free from the ravages
of this disease. The bureau has also
produced a highI effective serum
treatment for the prevention OF hog
cholera, by means OF which it is be-
lieved that the tremendous losses from
this disease may be greatly reduced
and in time entirely prevented. In one
experiment there was a lot Of 50 pigs
Twenty-Five OF these were vaccinatec
with the preventive serum, four were
inoculated with virulent hog cholera
blood, so as to give them the disease
and nine were untreated. The foul
inoculated pigs contracted the disease
and died as did all nine of the IN
treated ones. Every one Of the 2.
vaccinated pigs remained well. The
bureau also prepares and distribute.
vaccine for the prevention Of blackles
in cattle to the extent Of about
million doses a year Likewise it dis
tributes tuberculin for the diagnose.
. So