Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-08-08
Helping the Farmer.

The vast work that the United States de-
partment of agriculture, with the cooperation
of the state and county organizations, is doing
for the country probably is not fully appre-
ciated. Results attained are taken as matter
of course The truth is that without these
agencies farming would be back pretty nearly
far it was so years ago and the farmer
would be having a hard time Of it trying to
cope with impoverished soil, greater inroads
from animal diseases, increased rayages Of in
sects, poor seed, unevenly distributed labor
and the encroachments-Of those who buy from
and. sell to him
This summer there has been visitation by
the army worm. Years ago they were real
scourge, but now, thanks to improved inspec-
ton of fields, prompt notice Of their presence
and the wide dissemination Of knowledge of
effective methods of combating them, they have
been made practically harmless The fight
that the state made four years ago against the
hoof and mouth disease is readily recalled.
great deal of livestock was slaughtered and
burned and it cost good many hundreds of
thousands of dollars, but the scourge hnal-S
was stamped out
This summer, in addition to army worms
and the regular train of troubles two dreaded
foreign diseases which affect wheat have bro
ken out in this state and also in Indiana. These
are flag smut and take-all. The United States
department of agriculture has just issued
statement that the measures taken by the two
states have been effective in eliminating
danger All the infected wheat in both is I'M
der control and will be disinfected before any
use whatever is made Of it. All straw and
stubble are to be burned threshing machines
are TO be thoroughly disinfected, and no wheat
is to be grown in infected areas for several
years.
Under these conditions full confidence is
felt that neither of the diseases will spread
from the diseased areas in Illinois and In
diana That does not mean, however, that the
fight against flag smut and take-all is over. 1t
is possible that both of the diseases
exist this year in places where they have not
been recognized. The department of agricul-
ture and its cooperating agencies have been
diligently the lookout for these two diseases
all summer and have found no evidences of
them except in the two areas.
Only prompt action prevented the placing
of a quarantine against all the wheat in the
two states, measure which would have meant
hardship, not only to all the wheat growers in
the two states, but to dealers, milIers and con-
sumers.
Other classes, as we'll as farmers are in
debted to the department of agriculture and
the agencies which prosecuting the work
in the state and county. Great as the accom-
piishments have been the field is being
stantly widened. Almost as fast as methods of
combating insects and animal and plant dis
eases are developed and put in deportation new
problems arise. the farther go in agri-
cultural development &he greater must be our
dependence upon scientific research and dill
gent watchfulness to ward of the enemies 10
animals and plants which constantly tend to
cut down production.
Like everyone else the farmer finds life
growing more complex and the pace growing
faster day by day.