Evening star., 1914-07-18
AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT


July 1 the name was changed to the ou-
reau of crop estimates. ihis puieao
n,,blished monthly a magazine called the
Cron Reporter from May. 1899. to June,
1913. Then was begun the publication OF
nra ctically the same thing in a series OF
farmers bulletins. of which 6O4 numbers
have been issued. The new series Of crop
reports is known as the Agricultural Out
look. and is published once a month, as
soon as possible after the publication Of
the official estimates made by the bureau.
The June q number gave general re-
view of crop conditions, and devoted con-
siderable space to the outlook for the
1914 foreign wheat crop.
Inspector Ernest Virgins, having fin
ished his inspection work in Virginia,
Maryland and West Virginia, is in the
city this week making preparations to
continue his Investigations in Pennsyl-
vania, New York and the New England
states.
James G. Shibley, executive officer of
the insecticide and fungicide board. left
Thursday for Wildwood. N. j., to stay
three weeks with his family.
Barrels, bottles. electric fans, worn-out
laboratory apparatus. fruit jars, old
desks old rugs. water stands, filing fur
niture and many other articles, piled in
a heap in the space just south of the
main building Wednesday afternoon at
tracted the attention Of many visitors
and even a few of the regular employees
of the department
1t was the departments monthly rum
mage sale" Once month each bureau
gathers up all the material for which it
has no further use.
The collection is then looked over by
the board of survey. This board con-
,~h, tu$p pv,f hi tnf
clerk. chairman: j. r. Cochran Of the
bureau of animal industry. F. E. Meloy
of the bureau of plant industry. s. A.
Postle of the bureau of chemistry and
r. Augusterfer. chief engineer. The
board decides what is to be sold. The
different bureaus are invited to look over
the collection and see if there is any,
thing they can use. Since this plan has
been adopted. it is stated that often one
bureal is able to use to excellent advan-
tage an article that another bureau has
been forced to discard. BY this system
of exchange many articles that would
otherwise find their way to the junk pile
come into active and honored service in
the department again.
Thursday the remaining articles were
sold at auction. The money gained by
this action cannot be used by the De-
partment of Agriculture, but is turned
into the U. S Treasury.
Uncle Sans jolly tars eat the best but
ter in the world. according to officials
of the bureau of animal industry Each
year the navy buys large quantities of
butter for the use of the sailors. and it
must be of the best. The navy require
ments are very rigid. They require that
butter shall be made from sweet cream
that has been pasteurized. They re-
Quire not only to get good butter, but to
get butter that will keep
Butter made from sweet pasteuriZed
cream will keep for fourteen months and
ing to the report Of the investigations
made by the bureau of animal industry.
Two dairymen of the bureau. S. c.
Thompson and Thomas Corneliusen, left
this week to inspect the packing of but
ter for the navy Mr. Thompson has gone
to towns in Pennsylvania and New York
and Mr.. Cornelusen to Hutchinson.
MINI.
These men aim to buy the butter for
Uncle Sam at about the time when it is
the cheapest The time of the cheapness
of butter varies each year. it seems.
but this year-well, the dairymen are
buying the butter for the navy.
DR.. A. ]. Pistor of the meat inspec-
ton division of the bureau of animal in
dustry is absent this week on trip to
New York city investigating the handling
of imported meats.
Miss Laura Shipe of the bureau Of
chemistry is on annual leave of three
weeks, visiting in Pennsylvania.
F.. p veitch, in charge of the leather
and paper laboratory of the bureau OF
chemistry, has been in Hamilton. Ohio.
for few days this week on official busi-
ness.
Arthur F.. Paul. assistant chemist in
the Chicago food and drug inspection
laboratories. is detailed to Washington
for few months service.
Paul Dunbar of the bureau of chem
istry has been attending this week
meeting of the state and federal food
commissioners at Portland, Me.
j.. Louis Monarch. chief clerk of the
insecticide and fungicide board. spent
the last week end at Harper's Ferry
with his family
A. I. Mudd. chief clerk Of the di-
vision OF publications. in commenting on
the question of sick leave. said he was
i'll eight days in February, the first sick
leave he had taken in eighteen years in
the department. and the first time he
had been i'll In over forty years.
Mr.. Mudd is former newspaper man.
For eighteen years he was day manager
here OF the old press association undeg
+. V. De Graw. When the United Press
went out of existence April Z, 1897, Mr..
Mudd entered the service Of the govern
ment.