The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-09-07
COMBED WORLD
FOR NEW SEED
Let Own Farm Go to Rack
While Boosting
Farming.
SOUGHT EVERY CLINE
Man Who Made Agriculture
Department a Real Benefit
to the Whole Nation.

The death OF James Wilson Of
T4rn county, Iowa, brings 10 mind
to the historian OF the Kansas CITY
star a review of the work this man
has done tor agriculture In the
limited states When Wilson became
ssrr,tary Of agriculture in the Cabi-
moi NJ President Mckinley In 1897,
II was generally believed that he
was setting out TO lead "A for!orn
hone. The nation and the farmers
had lost confidence in the depart
ment. and they never had much. II
had accomplished little since It's or
r1ri7ation In 1852 aud Wilson's pre-
1ogcssors had doubted It's need as
much ms had the farmers themselves.
one OF them in his annual report.
instead OF recounting the activities
OF hts department during the pre-
cediug twelve months, set out his
reasons for believing It should be
abolished.
But "Tama Jim" so called after
his county 10 distinguish him from
the other illustrious James Wilson's
OF the days when he entered politics.
took over the portfolio with no such
preconceivod ideas OF it's futility. lie
had lived his So years on a farm,
first in his native Ayrshire, Scotland.
then a couple of years on truck
farm in Connecticut, TO which the
older Wilson emigrated when James
was years old, and finally on the
homestead the family took in Iowa.
lie was a practical farmer--a hay
seed" he called himself.
lie was one OF the orga anizers OF
IN re- -
was elected supervisor of Tama
county by farmers. He served a
couple Of terms in the Iowa legis-
hture, and later in congress from a
fsrmer constituency And finally.
though his own education was linn
tied to the public schools and one
year in a small college, he became
a professor OF agriculture I'm the
Iowa Agricultural college and di-
rector Of the state agricultural ex-
pertinent station. It was from this
job that Mckinley elevated him to
the cabinet
His experience as n farmer, teach
er ana eNperimenter had given him
a clear idea of what should be the
apartments mission and he set out
TO make it fill 1t. He brought to-
n
lists OF America in his department
as bureau chicfs-chemists. biolo-
glsis, bacteriologists, representatives
OF every branch of science in any
way concerned with agriculture. He
ootalrNd other scientists as their
assistants, and finally, thousands OF
Iaghen Tor clerical work. In 1913,
When lie retired at the end of tho
"a 80 tAVa
mated 10 be three thousand men Of
science ana twelve thousand other
employees In the department. When
Wilson entered the cabinet. there
were -'59O employees, all told.
Got Results.
lie nolds the record for service in
lhe cabinet. He held his office IS
5ydrS through the administrations
q Mckinley Roosevelt and Taft. He
was one OF the oldest men in point
q years, as well as the Oldest in
service to sit in the cabinet. But
u Is on a firmer foundation than
thlS that his fame rests.
wilson got results. He was bluff.
aggressive, free spoken. His Scotch
temper brooked no Interference with
ms plans. lie was an organizer, and
ne refused to permit The parsimony
OF an economical congressional an
Preparation committee TO hold up
MS organization. He went before
congress armed with facts--the facts
aus scientist assistants had gathered
tst him-and he battered down all
opposition, There were a lot of
'hlngs Wilson himself didn't know
"bout farming, but he gathered
ABOUT him assistants who did know,
ana h-s department became one OF
real service to the American food
growers, and, through them, to the
Whole American public. In 1897 the
iarm products Of the United States
We're worth S4,000.o00. IN 1919
hey were worth $9,532, 900.
lie established farm experiment
siauons throughout the United
states, in Alaska, Porto Rico, Ha-
wall ana Guam. He sent an army
OF men into the field to work with
he farmers. 10, plan and supervise
experiments by the farmers them
selves lie broadened the scope and
creased the efficiency of weather
and crop reports. He sent men
throughout the country to study
prm management, and acquainted
The farmers. through department
WII"llns. with the results of these
surveys He encouraged putting
farming on a bdsiness ba sis. In his
administration n national forest pol
Icy Vas inaugurated and millions Of
acres set aside for forest reserves,
under charge Of the department OF
agriculture. Tho meat inspection