The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-06-01
STATE DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
AND THE FARMER.
(fSon West Virginia Farmer 4
Grange Advocate


culture vas created 10 the year 1911
the first commissioner elected in tho
year 1912. AMI svorn into of!ce tho
9Th OF March. 1918 Tho present Com.
missioner. Mr ~ = Williams. came
Into Office with no library. w'ih no pre-.
cedents TO follow. and with 10 Office
equipment and has had tho difficult
TASK OF organizing Eu entirely rev de-
PARTNER; OF the State Government
with new objects nuh purposes. and
for the beuorm"n; not ouly Of tho
farmers. but OF the whole people OF tho
State who consume the products ~ the
farms.
There was no library today there
Is in the Department Library. properly
indeXcd and available for use BY any
citizens. library complete with Nil
the available bulletins and publica.
lions OF the state colleges Of aErIcul.
ture. tho agricultural experiment sta.
tons. and the u. S Department, o.
Agriculture. properly classified and
hound. There are many other vol.
umes ON agricultural! subjects OF gen.
erai interest There Is very com.
piete set Of stud. herd and flock books.
so that any breeder or dealer OF pure
bred live stock may have tho record
OF his animals verified Il; any time ~
writing 10 tho Commissioner. who says
that II Is his hope, rs rapidly rs time
and means will permit. to make this
library complete. and make Of 4; a
circnlatias library for general usc
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 10 the wcll.infornled
producer. as well as the prosperity.
purchaser. Three years ago. there
we're no reliable Statistics OF this ma.
ture. The state and Federal Govern.
ments each were conducting su.callcd
Federal Bureaus. but neither getting
Information OF reliable character
Some eighteen months ago. Nj VII
Hams conceived the FLEA that one
bureau. properly equipped and man
aged would get better results than the
two conducted IN the old way To this
cnd. he proposed 20 Mr.. Fstnbruok the
Chief in the Federal Bureau al Crou
Estimates that the Federal Bureau
and tho State Department ul ACricul.
turc cooperate. with IL" result that
today, West Virginia has the first and
only cooperative agricultural stats
tic and crop estimat" bureau In the
United States, In which IN" State and
Federal Governments wnrl. together.
each contributing 10 the success Of thu
other. II Is the Commissioner pu-
pose and desire 10 extend the work
just begun rs rapidly as possihi" until
the Department will have an accurate
record OF tho individual farmers pro.
duction which viii make conditions
right for thr hest cooperative system
of marketing farm products
Three years ago. III" State had no
Division OF Markets, and little. IL any,
systematic eTort had been made by
the State. either to increase produc
tion. improve the quality Of tho pack
secure better freight rates or better
markets. Ahout ono wear ago the III
vision ~ Markets was created In the
Department Of Agriculture. and
through its efforts much investigation
nj work has been carried on with tho
result that In the apple and peach dis
iricts OF West Virginia. n better and
more Uniform crop will be- secured
which means better product 4 little
advertising has been carried on. and
new and better markets found and
with an ovcr'productiou Of peaches
throughout the country last year buy
ers were more plentiful and compail
tion was much greater than would
have been expected under ordinary
conditions. But the greatest hcnCG' AZ
present derived from the market work
Is 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 tho
matter has been presented 70 the PRO
per authorities. II r. conservatIve,y
estimated. and the estimate is based
on facts, that the new Market Burcat.
while In existence only abOu, one wear
has occurred adjustments. which have
already saved our fruit growers thou
sands Of dollars. and when the rcduc
lions now being sought are made. th,.
saving VIII 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
hce. there was in West Virginia. nc
adequate Live Stock Sanitary Law.
and no legal provisions 10 prevent the
importation Of diseased animals OF
control and eradicate contagious dis
eases within our own state. Through
the persistent efforts OF Mr.. Williams
Mr. +. B. DAVIDSON. and others. there
y now in force In West Virginia, one
OF the best Live Stock Sanitary I.aws
In the country. Mr.. Williams has the
enforcement OF this law. and had oc
casion to test Its effectiveness imme
diately upon Its adoption by the LEXIS
lature IN the control OF two outbreak,
OF Foot-and Mouth Disease. supposed,
dropped from interstate shipment O,
live stock from Chicago TO baltimore
-