Evening star., 1927-10-29
FLYING WITH GEN. PATRICK
BY MAJ. GEN. M. NJ. PATRICK,
Chief Of the Army Air Corps.
Government Use OF Planes

Aside from its use as an instru.
ment of warfare and as a means
OF transporting mail, freight and
passengers. the airplane has been EN-.
ployed successfully and profitably in
various other activities of the Govern.
ment.
The United States Department of
Agriculture deserves credit for having
hrst undertaken crop dusting" or
spraying from the air. This work is
one or the most valuable phases of
aerial service and has been extended
10 a score or more crops. The Blu.
reau Of Entomology has instituted
regular practice Of busting for boil
weevil and cotton leaf caterpillar con.
troll. and the results have been de-
cidedly encouraging. Dusting has
been extended to the control Of the
sugar cane borer and to insects on
tomatoes and other truck and vine
crops in Louisiana and the South
west, as well as to the control OF
fungus and other diseases Of tomatoes
and grapes.
With the cooperation Of the Army
Air Corps, the department ventured
into an entirely new field, that Of
spraying alfalfa fields with a view
to exterminating the destructive al.
falfa weevil. Spraying from planes
mas been effective also in DESTROYING
the larvae Of the malaria bearing
mosquito.
Weather Reports a Feature.
Probably the most important aero
nautical activity Of the Department
OF Agriculture Is found in its weather
ton OF the Army Air Corps, the Naval
Air Service and the Bureau of Aero
nautics OF the Department Of Com.
merce. the Weather Bureau is ere.
ating system Of weather reporting
whereby 1t will be unnecessary for
aircraft to leave a field without the
pilot being in complete knowledge Of
the weather conditions Immediately
ahead and at his destination.
Airplanes are being employed by
the United States Forest Service in
forest fire control work, and in three
months OF last year a total Of 245
fires were discovered by airplane OBJ
servers. Most Of the planes used
In this service are in the West and
Northwest in the heavily wooded sec.
tions OF the country, where the great
est number OF forest fires occur.
The Bureau Of Public Roads has
used the airplane in the making Of
mosaics for proposed roads. This
work Is carried on with the COOP
Grafton OF the Army Air Corps. The
use OF the airplane in this work
has resulted in the saving Of time
and money and has enabled the bu-
reau to survey land that would be
very difficult to map or survey from
the ground.
Similarly, the Reclamation Service
or the Department Of Interior has
employed the airplane in making sur
veys to ascertain the feasibility Of
proposed reclamation projects. Aerial
surveys have been made Of the dam
site for the American Falls and a
considerable portion Of the Columbia
Basin as a part Of the Yakima River
project.
Factor in Coast Guard Work.
Other branches Of the Government
using airplanes in the execution Of
their work include the Coast Guard.
The airplane has become an integral
part Of this service. 1t has been EN-.
ployed in rescue work, in locating
wrecks and in guiding rescue boats
In the enforcement Of the eighteenth
amendment, aircraft has been used in
spotting rum-runners. The Bureau
Of Fisheries also has made use Of
aircraft in patrOlling fishing grounds
and in the enforcement Of fishery
laws.
The Coast and Geodetic Survey as
early as 1920 recognized the useful.
ness to which airplanes could be put
in the making Of maps. One Of the
first projects undertaken was the
mapping of the Mississippi delta,
which had not been previously map
ped because Of the difficulties Of the
terrain. The airplane was called into
action in the recent Mississippi River
flood. and rendered valuable service
in locating inhabitants who were
marooned in isolated places and aid
ing in their rescue.