The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-10-29
Government Documents
Useful In the Schools

cording to law all must be sold at
cost. regardless Of age or scarcity.
The new bulletin gives the prices OF
all the publications. and the author
has also added clear instructions ON
how to order from the lists which no
has compiled. As soon AZ the booklet
on teaching material In government
publications comes from the press It
will be sent free to all teachers,
school librarians and others who Will
write a postcard request to DR.. p. +.
Claxton, commissioner. United States
bureau OF education, Washington,
d. c.
More systematic efforts will be
made In the future to assist the farm
ers who have set
Reclamation tied on govern
Farming. ment reclamation
projects II plans
for cooperation between the interior
department and the department or
agriculture are perfected In accord.
ance with report made by q joint
committee representing the TIVE
branches OF the government. This
committee consists of Assistant Sec.
rotary B. T. Galloway, OF the depart
ment of agriculture; Chief Engineer
Arthur p. Davis and G. B. French. or
the United States reclamation ser.
vice; William A. Taylor and l. G.
Corbett, OF the bureau Of plant IN.
dustry.
Secretary Lane, of the interior do
partment: Secretary Houston ana
Assistant Secretary Galloway, of the
department Of agriculture, have con-
sidered the report together during the
past week, and agree that the bureau
Of plant industry and the reclamation
service have a fne opportunity for
profitable cooperative work to help
the farmer engaged in agriculture OH
the irrigation projects located In the
once desolate section Of the west
known as the Great American Desert.
The plan which perhaps will DO
worked out will be to have an "agri-
cultural adviser" connected with the
bureau Of plant industry on each OF
the 10 government irrigation projects
to cooperate with the officers or the
reclamation service In improving and
developing methods OF farming. II Is
planned that the work shall include
all the different phases of farming
and farm operations, such ~ the
growing Of staple crops, fruit grow
Ing, questions relating to animal hus.
bandry, methods Of marketing farm
products, and general subjects relat-
ing to rural organization.
Little systematic effort has hereto
fore been made In the matter of aid
ing farmers as they come upon the
reclamation projects In the arid and
semi-arid sections of the west. Such
farmers are usually In need of imme-
date advice and assistance In decid.
ing the kinds Of crops and systems OF
rotation. possibilities OF markets, and
other questions. On some projects
settlers have found government ON.
GERS who could give this information.
but on other projects the irrigation
engineers were not agricultural ex-
perts and the best advice was not al
ways easily obtainable.
Officers OF both the interior depart
ment and the agricultural department
agree that II is highly desirable that
well-informed person on the ground,
whose sole duty Is to give the best
advice and encouragement to settlers.
and to help the farmer In the fullest
way to help himself. In many re-
spects the kind of help given will be
In line with the principles of farm
demonstration work which has prov
ed so successful in the southern
states.
The agricultural advisers, who will
be assigned to each reclamation pro.
ject. will be high-grade men, who are
trained in all phases of work connect
ed with irrigation agriculture, and
who have a sympathetic viewpoint and
are wiling to help the farmer In
small things as we'll as large. The
preliminary plans call for the direc-
ton of this work by an efYicient lead
er who will be connected with the
bureau OF plant industry, but who will
always be In close cooperation with
the United States reclamation ser.
vice.
Up to the present time the lines VI
work which have been conducted on
the reclamation projects by the ex-
perts Of the department Of agriculture
have been restricted largely to tho
testing of different kinds OF crops
and experiments in systems Of plant.
ing. This work will be continued, but
the demonstration work and systc-
matte plan of assisting the settlers I'D
develop their farms will be the domi-
nant feature.
1914 Model.