The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1914-05-08
How Agriculture Fared At the
Maryland legislature.

farming interests of the State Jared at the
hands of the recent disappointing Mary
land Legislature. We republish por-
ton of the article
On April 7, the day following the ad-
journment Of the Maryland Legislature,
Baltimore daily published a cartoon
Tabled The Harvest Field. 1t showed a.
farmer with big smile standing before a
shock of grain sheaves, labeled Penal
Reform. State Tax Commissions, Home
Rule, Reform In Legislative Procedure,
and Woringman's Compensation. The
farmer of the picture was either city
man in disguise or the city editor ex-
pected the farmers of the State to rejoice
over the passage of bills in which the citv
man rather than the farmer was in
terested.
Lime Bill Defeated. Meanwhile, this
same Legislature. at the instance of u. S.
Senator, John w. Smith, had killed the
Rlandford lime plant bill. which provided
two agricultural lime plants for the State,
one to be located on the Eastern Shore
aud the other in Southern MARYLAND.
The experience OF Illinois, which uses
convict labor TO furnish its farmers lime
at cost and the recent efforts of Virginia
in this direction counted for nothing
when it became necessary for the Sena.
tor to strengthen his fences in Western
Maryland. whose lime manufacturers or
posed the Blandford bill. without, how
ever. telling how to get lime.
College Bill. The bill granting a new
charter and an appropriation for the re-
building Of the Maryland Agricultural
College was defeated. President Patter-
son asked 81, 600, 900 in annual install.
ments of $25o,ooo each. with adequate
provision for maintenance. This was cut
in committee to $3.50. 900 with the UNDER
standing that the private stockholder in
teresss be removed from any part in the
management Of the college. A Baltimore
daily describes this as an effort to s.re-
pnblicanize" the college. forgetting that
college has as little right to be 'sDem.
ocratic" as Republican, " or any other
brand of politics. Another papers YER
sion of the unfortunate affair is much
more 10 accord with facts when it states
the scheme fell through the stubbornness
of some OF the directors, who preferred
that the College should go without money
than to see themselves eliminated as life
directors representing an interest that
they had agreed to surrender.
Roads. The Legislature made an an
preparation of Sc, 600, 900 for the contiu-
uance of the present policy Of road build.
ing by the State, without, however.
studying the question from the viewpoint
OF the farmer who is usually much more
interested in reaching a railroad or a
steamboat landing than in a smooth an.
tomobile road connecting two large
cities. If the question was studied at all
it was studied from the view point of the
city rather than that of the farmer.
Agricultural Appropriations. -Unusu.
ally liberal appropriations for various
agencies having to do with agriculture
were made. 1t gave $40. 1000 per annum
to the Live Stock Sanitary Board to fieh,
hog cholera. without stating just how the
money is to be used. 1t added ST., 900 to
the $1,000 appropriation now in the
hands of this Board for dairy inspection.
II gave the State Veterinarian $1s.oo
annually for the establishment of Board
of Control and for the indemnifyius Of
formers for the slaughtering of diseased
cattle. 1t did not, however. ask itself If
the work of these two Boards could not
be advantageously combined.
It passed a seed inspection bill and
gave an increased appropriation to the
State Bureau Of Immigration, which is
now branching out as State Aericul,ur-
al Employment Bureau. 1t also passed q
Statewide bill authorizing the County
Commissioners to appropriate $1,000 OF
the county funds to promote the Co.
Operative Demonstration Service in con.
junction with the United States Depart.
ment Of Agriculture. But it did not ask
itself if 1t might not be possible to CO.
ordinate and correlate all these agencies
under direction of a strong State Board
of Agriculture. Nor was anything of this
kind suggested By the trustees of the
Maryland Agricultural College, who were
made State Board of Agriculture in
1908. without any duties whatsoever
being prescribed for such Board.
IT the farmer looks at this legislative
harvest6eld. the smile depicted 10 the
cartoon mentioned win soon come off. Ii
be sits down nuder some shady tree to
scratch his head, he will soon find that
tue trouble e with bis own lack of organ