The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1914-12-17
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
RECOMMENDS CHANGE IN
METHODS OF ADMINS
TERING FORESTS.
DAIRYING HAS BECOME
AN IMPORTANT BRANCH
Progress Of Agriculture Reveals Itself
More Particularly in Diversified
ton, in the Rise Of Minor
Crops, Than in Increased
Production of Staples.

Washington, Dec. II. David +.
Houston, secretary of agriculture, il
his report for the fiscal year ended
June 80, 1914, recommends a change
in the methods of administering the
national forests in undeyeloped sec
tons, 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.
enue from this form of public domain,
will, if 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 is 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
ritory, and that the forests, therefore,
should bear their share of the pioneer
ing expense.
In the 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 lettering
rural life.
Crop Production.
Dealing with the general cIop pro.
duction of the country, the report
finds:
The progress of agriculture re-
veals itself more particularly in its
Investigation, in the rise of minor
crops 20 large proportions, than in
the increased production of stable
products. For example, dairying in
the last generation has. become an
exceptionally important branch of the
agricultural economy, the annual pro-
duction including more than one and
a half billion pounds of butter, a hall
billion pounds of condensed milk, and
a billion pounds CO cheese, having a
'uiuO VI oppl oAlhidlCly. YUUb, ,UUU.
The production Of orchard fruits en-
ceeds ZIG, 900 bushels a year, with
a value of more than $40, 000, 1000. The
value of the annual production of veg
etables l. in excess of $400, 000, 900.
The production OF hay and forage ap-
proximates 100, 900, 900 tons, with a
value in excess of $500, 0O0, 900; the
poultry products of the nation have
reached a point where their annual
value is about one-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 hat in all
products except corn and meat ami
mails there has been a marked in
crease in production during the ten
year period. Continuing, the report
says;
I'VE know that the wheat crop of
1914 Of approximately 1872, coo, 000
bushels is the greatest eve produced
in u history, and hat the crops of
oats, barley, rye, potatoes, tobacco,
and hay are unusually large. The cot
ton crop, forecast in October at 15,.
100000 bales, is The second largest.
The apple crop, estimated at 59,OOO,-
900 bushels, is the greatest eve har-
vested. The total production of six
leading cereals is estimated to have
been nearly 10000 bushels, or
about 42S, 000, 900 bushels in excess of
the crop of 1913. For the country as a
whole the crop yield per acre was 2.3
per cent better than the average for
the last ten years. The average yield
per acre of all staple crops was 9.4
per cent greater than 1913, and except
for corn. cats. and flaxseed, greater
than the %ten-year average"