Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1916-05-25
STATE DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
AND THE FARMER.
(From West Virginia Farmer q
Grange Advocated

year 1912, and sworn into office the
ith of March, 1918. The present Com
missioner, Mr. H. E. Williams. came
into office with no library. With no pre-
ceSents to follow, aad with no office
equipment, and has had the difficult
task of organizing an entirely new de-
partment of the State Government
with new objects and purposes, and
for the hetterment not only of the
farmers. but OF the whole people of the
Stat who consume the products of the
farms.
There was no library; today there
is in the Department Library. properly
in6exed and available for use by any
citizens, library complete with all
the available bulletins and publica-
tions of the state colleges OF agricul-
ture. the agricultural experiment sta
tions, and the u. S. Department OF
Agriculture. properly classified and
bound. There are many other vol
umes on agricultural subjects OF gen
eral interest. There is u very com
plete set of stud. herd and flock books.
40 that any breeder or dealer OF pure
bred live stock may have the record
OF his animals verified at any time by
writing to the Commissioner, who says
that it is his hope. as rapidly IS time
and means will permit. to make this
library complete, and make Of 1t
circulating library for general use
among the farmers and prospective
farmers. so that information OF this
character may be sent throughout the
State at 4 nominal cost
Accurate advanced information on
crop production and prospective yield
Is Of importance to the well-informed
producer. as well as the prospective
were no reliable statistics of this ma
ture The state and Federal Govern
ments each were conducting so-called
Federal Bureaus, but neither getting
Information of reliable character.
Some eighteen months ago, Mr.. Will
liams conceived the idea that one
bureau. properly equipped and man
eyed would get better results than the
two conducted in the cid way. To this
end. he proposed to Mr. Estabrook the
Chief In the Federal Bureau OF Crop
Estimates, that the Federal Bureau
and the State Department Of Agricul-
ture cooperate, with the result that
today, West Virginia has the first and
only cooperative agricultural statis-
tic and crop estimate bureau in the
United States, in which the State and
Federal Governments work together,
each contributing to the success OF the
other 1t is the commissioners pur-
pose and desire to extend the work
Just begun as rapidly as possible until
the Department win have an accurate
record Of the individual farmers pro-
duction which will make conditions
right for the best co-cnerative system
OF marketing farm products.
Three years ago. the state had no
Division Of Markets. and little, II any.
the State, either to increase produc
tion. improve the quality of the pack,
secure better freight rates or better
markets. About one year ago, the Di-
vision OF Markets was created In the
department of Agriculture, and
through its efforts much investigation
al work has been carried on with the
result that in the anrle and peach dis
tricts OF West Virginia, better and
more uniform crop will be secured,
which means better product A little
Advertising has been carried on, and
rev and better markets found, and
with an over-production OF peaches
throughout the country last year. buy
ers were more plentiful and compet'
ton was much greater than would
have been expected under ordinary
present derived from the market work
"a perhaps noticed in the adjustment
Of freight and express rates and bet
ter shipping facilities. The Commits
sioner says that most OF the transpor-
tation companies have gladly made
any reasonable adjustment when the
after has been presented 10 the pro-
per authorities. It Is copservatively
estimated. and the estimate is based
on facts. that the new Market Bureau
while in existence only about one year,
has secured adjustments. which have
already saved our fruit growers thou
sands of dollars. and when the redrc-
tons now being sought are made, this
saving will very largely increase, sc
that this alone would pay the entire
cost of the Department of Agriculture
each year.
At the beginning OF this term Of Of
Zoe. there was IN West Virginia, no
adequate Live Stock Sanitary Law,
mo no legal provisions to prevent the
im portatfon Of diseased animals or
control and eradicate contagious dis
eases within our own state Through
the persistent efforts of Mr.. Williams,
Mr.. F. B. DAWSON. and others, there
is now in force IN West Virginia, ona
OF the best Live Stock Sanitary Laws
In the country. Mr. Williams has the
enforcement of this law. and had oc-
cesion to test its effectiveness imme-
diately upon its adoption by the Legis-
lature in the control Of two outbreaks
of Foot-and Mouth Disease ssnoosedlv
dr0ppnd from \ int -