Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1916-06-03
STATE DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
AND THE FARMER.
o,ror1 West Virginia Farmer &
Grange Advocated

,,s of March. 1913 The present Com
-,,ssieuer. Mr.. H. f. Williams, came
.rla caica with no library. with no pre-
cs5anfs TO fellow, and with no Office
eorjDment. and has had the difficult
tost of organizing an entirely new de-
,artnept OF the State Government
,,.i,b new objects and purposes, and
for the betterment not only of the
farmers. but Of the whole people OF the
state who consume the products of the
farms.
There was no library; today there
&c in the Department Library. properly
trdexed and available for use by any
citizens, library complete with all
fine available bulletins and publica-
lions of the state colleges OF agricul-
ture. the agricultural experiment sta
tious and the IT, S. Department OF
Agriculture. properly classified aud
hound There are many other vol
omes on agricultural subjects of gen.
eral interest. There Is very com
plete set of stud, herd and flock books,
"a that any breeder or dealer of pure
DTFU I'VE NtjtA may nave AilG itNbit u
Of his animals verified at any time by
writing to the Commissioner, who says
hat it is his hope, as rapidly as time
and means will permit, to make this
library complete. and make of it a
circulating library for general use
among the farmers and prospective
farmers, SO that information of this
character may be sent throughout the
State at a nominal cost.
Accurate advanced information on
crop production and prospective yield
is OF Importance to the well-informed
producer, as well as the prospective
purchaser Three years ago. there
we're no reliable statistics of this ma
ture The state and Federal Govern
ments each we're 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
aged would get better results than the
two conducted in the old 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 stats
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 Commissioner pur-
pose and desire to extend the work
just begun as rapidly as possible until
the Department will have an accurate
record of the individual farmers pro-
duction which will make conditions
right for the best cooperative system
of marketing farm products.
Three years ago, the State had no
Division of Markets, and little, IL any,
systematic emort had been made by
the State, either to increase produc-
ton, 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 apple 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
new and better markets found, and
with n 1F
throughout the country last year, buy.
ers We're more plentiful and competi.
ton was much greater than would
nave been expected under ordinary
conditions. But the greatest benefit at
present derived from the market work
Is perhaps noticed in the adjustment
OF freight and express rates and bet.
Ter shipping facilities. The Commits.
sloner says that most of the transpor.
tatlon companies have gladly made
any reasonable adjustment when the
matter has been presented to the pro.
per authorities. 1t is conservatively
estimated, and the estimate is based
on facts, that the new Market Bureau
whlle in existence only about one year,
mas secured adjustments, which have
already saved our fruit growers thou.
sands OF dollars. and when the reduc
IONS now being sought are made, this
saving will very largely increase, SC
mat this alone would pay the entire
cost OF the Department of Agriculture
each year.
Al the beginning of this term of of
nee, there was in West Virginia, nc
adequate Live Stock Sanitary Law,
ana no legal provisions to prevent the
importation of diseased animals OF
control and eradicate contagious dis
eases within our own state. Through
sne persistent efforts of Mr. Williams
ar. r. b. Davisson, and others, there
Is now in force in West Virginia, onel
vi me best Live Stock Sanitary Laws
N the country. Mr. Williams has the
enforcement of this law, and had oc
Oasloh TO test its effectiveness imme |
uiately upon its adoption by the Legis |
iatufe in the control of two outbreaks
~ Foot-and Mouth Disease, supposedly