River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1923-02-01
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICUL-
TURE PERFORMS WORK
OF INTEREST TO ALL
C. p. NOrgord, Com. of Ag.

{. i. N0TgOrd, Com. OF AZ.
It matters little where you are To-
Gated or what your occupation, some
branch Of work of the State Depart
ment of Agriculture benefits you.
This may be a broad statement, but
let us analyze one of the SO projects
carried on by the department to find
out what it does for you and me.
According to the duties of the de-
partment of agriculture as prescribed
by law, all cattle of any county are to
be tested for tuberculosis when sixty
percent of the cattle owners so petit
ton. This is done in cooperation
with the Bureau of Animal Industry,
without expense to the cattle owners.
Animals found affected with tubercu-
losis are then appraised and sent to
government inspected packing plants
for slaughter. The owners are paid
indemnity to reimburse them for one
half of their loss.
Nobody questions whether the
farmer gains through the removal of
tubercular animals. He not only pro-
tects his herds from becoming seri-
ously infected but because :he re-
mainder of his cattle are proven free
of this dread disease, his cattle auto
matically rise in selling value.
There is, however, another reason
for the eradication oe bovine tuhcr-
eulosis that every citiz II of the state
is vitality interested in. Reliable sta
tistics show that twenty-five percent
of tuberculosis among children is Of
the bovine type. This being a fact, is
it not true that the eradication CT To-
vine tuberculosis affects you? NIX
is a necessity in our daily diet. II is
something that children cannot dis
pense with, and thai physicians re-
commend to men and women tc build
up and keep the body in good physical
condition.
This project, that has for its pur-
pose the supplying C US of clean mix,
and thereby protecting The children
from disease, deserves not only our
endorsement but our whole hearted
support. During the last eight years
nearly million animals have come
under the inspectors needle, and as a
consequence the percentage of bovine
tuberculosis in Wisconsin has been
considerably lowered. Wisconsin
leads in the tuberculosis campaign
with 1887 accredited herds, and IA
counties once tested. The department
stands ready to finish the job. The
sooner it is done the better it will be
for the state.
Many Activities of Interest
Although the work Of the Depart
ment of Agriculture is to promote the
interests of agriculture, it also has
the power and duty to prdmote horti-
culture, manufacture, the domestic
arts and in general those things that
are for the development of the state.
To control animal and plant diseases,
and thereby lessen the economic loss
es caused are its greatest problems
If losses caused through insect and
plant diseases are lessened, the state
as whole is economically benefited.
The producer undoubtedly gains most,
but because of the lowering of haz-
ards in cost of production, he is put
in a position to sell for less, thereby
benefiting the consumer. 1t is in this
way that the departments work of
barberry eradication, bee disease con-
troll, grasshopper CONTROL, tobacco
wildfire eradication, animal disease
control and the remainder of the 80