The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-08-25

Making available in news form the interviews
and contributions, and extracting from scientific
treaties thoughts of real value, but which would
be lost in the mass of cirCumstantial evidence, con-
stitute a large portion of the work of the office.
Many of these articles, or stories as the boys
call them, go to the public through the Weekly
News Letter. This is sent to the newspapers,
which are urged to reprint freely with or without
credit, to crop correspondents, and to some others
of the departments co-operators.
But by far the greatest service is the mimeo-
graphed articles sent to the press of the country.
The office thus affords a vehicle for quick action
a sort of %rapid-fre gun quickly unlimbered while
the 42-centimeter ammunition, in the form of bull
letins, is being prepared. 1t takes a pot-shot from
the hip at insect or disease plaques and thus quiets
or greatly retards the outbreaks. 1t quickly issues
warnings of frauds or of pestilence, or decisions
and announcements connected with the enforce
ment of the meat-inspection law, the food and
drugs act, and the other 20 regulatory laws which
are administered by the department. During the
last year about 10 of these special items were
sent the papers interested. And, while I am on this
subject, l want to say that many a fake has been
exposed by such treatment. Through it's various
classified lists of the publications Of the country II
can reach them all on short notice, or it can reach
any group of city, farm or trade papers-in short,
any desired combination of publications is possible,
the distribution being governed by the range of APP
pncability of the information to be sent out.
"Now, gentlemen" continued Sam, you eat your
meal or it will be cold. Don't mind about me 1
would rather any day tell you about getting facts
to my people than eat a Thanksgiving dinner. You
all know that editors and reporters are busy men
these days and they welcome articles which re-
quire the minimum of editing to suit their particu-
lar paper. Many of the editors are too busy to
make a digest of bulletins, and their facilities for
getting special stories out of the department are
meager.
During one month last summer a test reading
of lI5 AGRICULTURAL DaDarS showed that during tha
month $50, or Sc per cent, contained material sent
by the department. The material so published,
some 600 o. more articles averaging q column in
length, reached directly a very large number of my
farmers. Before the European war news occu-
pied so much newspaper space, material furnished
by ormat appeared in one month on about
300, 100000 printed pages.
You all remember that hot fight against foot
and-mouth disease, how it got a start in % states,
and here in the District, and how it finally was
stamped out in February, 1916. Those days were
strenuous for Information as well as the whole
department. The office supplied to papers in the
regions affected exact and immediate information
of the outbreak of the disease, and to the press of
the section in danger information as to the best
measures for combating the disease and preventing
its spread. Daily the regions affected and all other
sections having traffic with quarantine areas were
kept Informed of each modification of the quaran-
tine, with the object of encouraging as free move
ment of live stock as was consistent with the
SaIeIyO OF the general or local cattle INDUSTRY. over
100 mimeographed statements in addition to the
departments formal publications on the subject,
conveying news and directions and recommending
precautionary measures were issued. Besides
these, the press associations and correspondents
here in the city were informed daily by telephone.
But 1t doesn't take an experimenting event like
foot-and-mouth disease to cause the Office to get
out a series of articles. Possibly this past year
you have read by installments of the control of the
Hessian fly, the army worm, the Gypsy moth, the
white grub, the Southern cattle tick, hog cholera,
and other pests, as well as conservation of food
supplies, hints for gardeners, live stock problems,
cultural methods with plants, harvesting, market
ing, and so ad infnitum."
But what about these stories? Do they play up
the personnel Of the Department." Interrupted the
congressman.
"Ahl l have been expecting that, son." replied
Sam with a satisfied smile. quite to the con-
trary, the names of individuals rarely are men,
toned unless essential to the story. The depart
ment is mentioned, as the authority, for 1t is back
of the but you won't find among its
stories any pipe dreams as to what the depart
ment hopes to accomplish, statements about half
baked experiments, freakish write-ups, or articles
written to influence legislation.
"'The boys showed me a year or so ago that
there were certain fundamentals in agricultural
practice which were not being regarded by many of
my farmers and which stood out like the buttons on
my coat.
"rWhv not nosteriza the factsy ero,ed rn+orma.
ton.
"'Your uncle is willing, as long as you stick
closely to the facts. You know ! wouldn't be
wearing this gardy outfit If I didn't believe in at
tracing attention myself
81 had been fighting the Texas fever tick for
some years and had made good headway, but as ]
was planning to throw that work into high gear /
needed to get before Southern farmers who live in
tick-ridden district the information about the toll
which the tick takes ON Southern agriculture. And
when / got her into high I wanted to step on her
tail and nail 1t down. Consequently, a new edu-
~cational campaign was launched with a large pos
ter. and the gist Of what it said was, Dip that
tickI
"This was followed by a whole brood Of smaller
posters, folders, primers, and news stories. Until
comparatively recently there had been much an
tagonism to the work OF Graduating the tick in