Evening star., 1933-05-02

puts it. man has done more In 5000
years to alter the biological aspect Of
the planet than nature has done in
100000 years
BY putting nature in harness. so far
as possible. we have solved mankind S
first great problem-the problem of pro-
ducing enough food to go round. We
have solved it too well, as matter OF
fact. but shall speak of that later.
When it IS possible for the farmers Of
a nation to increase production so per
cent. while crop acreage IS increasing
only % per cent. we know that science
has been at work. That is exactly what
has happened in the United States dur
ing the past 30 years. In large part it
is a result CT the scientific work of the
United States Department OF Agricul-
ture and the cooperating State insti-
tutlonS.
1t was for the purpose OF putting
science to work in agriculture that this
Federal Department of Agriculture was
established by act OF Congress II years
ago. Washington, Jefferson and Frank
lin saw the need for it even back in
their day. The department was created
primarily for scientific research, its
main Job always has been research
job. and l hope research will always
remain a principal outy.
Dissemina a ton Of Facts
OF course it is not enough to discover
facts. public institution has also the
obligation to see that the facts are made
available TO all who can profit by them
When plant breeder in the depart
ment develops a variety of wheat that
is highly resiStan to rust, the Job Of the
department has not ended with that dis
covery. The new variety has to be tried
out In various regions. in the field
Next. the results of those trials have to
be made known to wheat growers. That
involves publications, both technical and
popular. and articles for the press, and
radio broadcasting Then the seed of
the new variety has to be made avail
able to farmers. The county extension
agent may step into the picture at this
point and suggest that the interested
wheat grower SOW some of the new
Sesd In a test plot. alongside some of
the seed he and his neighbors have been
using i'll the past And when the old
and the new varieties of wheat are up
and are harvested. let the neighbors for
miles around come in to compare them
and decide whether or not the new
variety is better than the old, and
worth investing in.
Ihat Is a thumbnalt Sketch OF the
way science is applied to agriculture
in this country, and it portrays a sys-
tenn that is the envy of many another
nation. Sir Horace Plunkett. Ireland S
great authority OH agriculture IN 1928
was moved to describe the Department
OF Agriculture as the most widely
useful department. in the world" 1 am
inclined to agree. and 1 only hope that
its future will be as brilliantly successful
as its past.
Whether he knows 1t or not. every
farmer in the United States is farm
/ ing differently today-and better-be-
cause of the scientific discoveries re-
sultiEg from State and Federal appro-
priations. The average hour of man
labor and the average acre of land is
undoubtedly 20 to 80 per cent more
productive today because of this scien-
/ tific work. From the fundamental point
OF view-that of supplying the food and
iber needed by our modern civilization
the millions of dollars spent by State
and Federal agencies during the past
generation have been abundantly worth
while.
Cites Mendel and Faraday.
I appreciate that it is often difficult
for the layman to see any earthly use
in many of the things that scientists
do and talk about doing. OF what value
is it to you and to me. for instance. for
a man to spend his time trying to dis
cover the workings Of nature? How
can a man-we are inclined to say-do