Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1914-12-17
SECRETARY or AGRICULTURE
RECOMMENDS CHANGE IN
METHODS or ADMINS
TERlNG FORESTS.
0AIRYING HAS BECOME
AN IMPORTANT BRANCH
Progress OF Agriculture Reveals Itself
More Particularly In Diversified
. ton In the Rise of Minor
Crops, Than In increased
p Production OF Staples.

Washington, Dec, IL. 49, David II.
Houston, secretary of agriculture, in
iis report for the fiscal year ended
June 80, 1914, recommends change
In the methods OF administering the
| national forests i'm undeyelcped sec
tt0ns, so that they will yield at once
revenue that can be applied to To-
cal development which will further
assist communities and aid In the set
Element Of the territory. Under this
plan the department instead Of wait
| Ing until timber Is actually sold before
the unsettled counties gain any rev.
enne from this form of public domain,
| will, Ii congress- grants the necessary
authority, underwrite Its proportion
OF expenditure for local Improvement,
especially for road construction, and
charge this against the counties
shares of timber sales when the TIM
Der Ii opened for commercial cutting,
The theory underlying the depart.
ment's proposal In this matter is that
the forests In these sections consti-
| tute a large part of the lands and
prospective public income of the ter
rttory, and that the forests, therefore,
should bear their share of the pioneer
ing expense ..~
In tile present report the secretary
OF agriculture has confined his discus
sion almost exclusively TO the press.
ing problems of increasing the food
| supply of the nation and of bettering
rural life. ...
s Crop Production.
Dealing with the general crop pro-
duction of the country. the report
finds:
THE progress Of agriculture re-
veals itself more particularly in it's
aiVersifieation. in the rise of minor
crops 20 large proportions, than in
the increased production of stable
products. For example, dairylng in
the last generation has become an
exceptionally important branch OF the
agricultural economy. the annual pro-
dnction including more than one and
half billion pounds OF butter, q half
billion pounds of condensed milk, and
billion pounds of cheese, having a
alue of approximately $500, 000, 900.
The production of orchard fruits ex.
eeeas 2i6.00o,0e0 bushels year, with
value of more than $14o,0o0,oO0. The
value of the annual production of veg
etables IL in excess OF 100000, 600,
The production Oh hay aud forage ap-
proximates 100,000,000 tons. with
value I'm excess Of $4,000, 600; the
poultry products OF the nation have
reached q point where their annual
value In about onc-half that OF the
cotton crop at normal valuations. and
marked increases are noted in the
quantity and value of the cereals"
Products SHOW Marked increase.
The secretary's report includes a
table giving the census figures for
1899 and 1909, showing that in all
products except corn and meat AMI
mails there has been marked In.
crease In production during the ten
year period Continuing, the report
says:
we know that the wheat crop of
1914 of approximately $4,000, 900
bushels Is the greatest ever produced
In our history, and that the crops Of
oats, barley, rye, potatoes, tobacco,
and hay are unusually large The cot
ton crop. forecast In October at l5,.
$4,000 bales, Is the second largest.
The apple crop. estimated at 25g,
600 bushels, Is the greatest ever har.
vested. The total production OF six
leading cereals is estimated to have
been nearly 100000 bushels, or
about aas.0oo,ooO bushels in excess of
the crop Of 1875 For the country as a
whole the crop yield per acre was 2.s
per cent better than the average for
the last ten years. The average yield
per acre of all staple crops was "a
rer cent greater than 1918. and except
| for corn. oats. and flaxssed. greater