Evening star., 1933-05-02
WALLACE DEFENDS
PENDING FARM BILL
secretary, in Forum Address,
Sees Measure Designed
for Common Good.
Continued From Tenth Page.

Of research achievements reported by
one bureau Of the Department of Agri-
culture for the past year. Before me
is a summarized report for the Bureau
Of Plant Industry. and among their ac-
compishmentS / find these items:
Established the superiority OF five new
hybrid lines of corn in Iowa tests: re-
leased, for the use Of growers, two new
lines of hybrid sweet corn that will be
resistant to bacterial wilt; released, fer
the use of growers, a new wllt-reStStant
variety of tomato, known aSi the
Pritchard: introduced new blackberry
variety, the Brainerd. especially adapted
for the West and South. and also in
troduced three improved varieties of
strawberry: developed new root stock
for Satsuma oranges and found new
disease resistant stocks for California
grape vineyards; introduced new
sugar beet u S. No. l, that is re-
sistsnt to the costly. curlv-top disease
and that also greatly outyieldS older
varieties; tested some promising new
sugar cane seedlings. crosses of Amer
lean and New Guinea varieties: re-
ported distinct progress in breeding
alfalfa that will be immune TO bacterial
wilt: developed a new variety of
Egyptian cotton in Arizona.
Handling of Foods.
AS another part of its lob, this bu-
reau investigates the storing. handling
and processing of foods. For the year
under report the bureau scientists dis
covered among other things, that put
ting apples in cold storage Immediately
after picking almost completely pre-
vents soft scald; that adding sulphur
dioxide to the Sawdust packing of
grapes retards the development of mold.
and that treating fruits with carbon
dioxide before shipment is as effective
as preceding in preventing spoilage.
That is a partial report OF the re-
search accomplishments of one bureau.
II gives point to the statement that
research can stabilize crop production
and eliminate or reduce those hazards
Of disease. Of climate, even of soil
which make agricultural production un-
ce<ain. For it remains true that
though drouth or disease or insect pests
may raise the price of a crop by re-
ducing the supply, such higher prices
are cold comfort to the particular
farmer whose cotton mas been de-
stroyed by the boil weevil or whose
wheat has been hit by rust. I have,
! think, a proper scientific respect for
insects and diseases but l question
whether We ought to leave it up to
them to determine the size of our crops
and the level of our incomes. Nor can
! forget that every year. according TO
DR.. L. O. Howard the damage wrought
by insects nullifies the labor Of a mil
lion men.
If time and your patience permitted,
II would be possible to cite instances TO
show how recearch has affected all OF
our ma ior farm crops and classes OF
live stock. how the patience. the skill,
and the informed imagination OF sclen-
lists employed by the Department OF
Agriculture have altered the agricultural
map of this country and mOolhed the
farm pra acticPs of every farmer IN the
land. Many farmers are not aware OF
this. tor the results Of research reach
the individual farm by an intricate deVl-
Gus path, but they get there just the
same.
Towering SurpluseS.
If YOU will agree with ME on that. I
suspect YOU are at the same moment
questioning whether this research has
proved to be an unmiXed blessing. For
science and invention. you Will say,
have not only made it possible for us to
produce enough to go around; they have
made it possible for us to pile up tower
ing surplIses. which in turn seem
capable of bringing our whole economic
system crashing down around our ears.
We cannot deny that. When Scien-
lists in the Department of Agriculture
develop variety of wheat that pro-
duceS five bushels more per acre than
the variety commonly grown, one re-
suit may be. and often is too much
wheat When our modern knowledge
OF nutrition enables one buShel of corn
to go as far as two bushels did in the
pioneer days in feeding live stock. one
result may be too much pork and lard.
OF late years the Department of Agri-