Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-11-28

Is entitled to few bouquets
on this-its seventy NTH birth
L day.
OF late years few bricks and even
rotten eggs have been tossed in its
direction. 1t has been one of the
New Deal spending agencies and, to
judge from the papers, a lot Of Ameri-
can taxpayers haven't entirely agreed
with some Of the activities OF such
But the Department of Agriculture
the real Department Of Agriculture
can afford to smile at all this. The
country is so far in its debt that even
If it had wasted recklessly an amount
equal to the total national debt the
amount would be small change COM
pared with the benefits-even calcu-
lated in dollars and cents-Which it
has bestowed upon the people.
The late Sir Horace Plunkett re-
ferred to it as "the most useful in
stitution in the world" The praise
was rather mild. 1t leaves the i'm
preston that there might be some
other institution somewhere which
remotely approaches it in usefulness.
Set Up by Lincoln.
The real Department of Agriculture,
established by Abraham Lincoln in
1852 and continued with undertaking
purpose ever since, doesn't get many
headlines in the papers. 1t functions
with laboratories. test tubes, guinea
pigs. experimental farms. exploration
OF the widest corners of the earth II
investigates solemnly how far a flea
can jump-which, after all, is some
what more important than cotton con-
troll. That particular investigation,
which has been ridiculed at times
once saved the United States from a
cholera epidemic
Back in 1888 some of its veterina
rians started investigating a disease OF
cattle. They found that this particular
epidemic malady, splenetic fever. was
transmitted by q tick which sucked
an animals blood and that the dis
ease could be kept under control by
keeping the cattle free of ticks. Sc
what? Because Of that discovery, il
is highly probable, you and are alive
today. 1t was one of the great mile
stones Of medical progress.
A few years later the Army mad,
use OF this very discovery in eliminat.
ing yellow fever in Cuba and made
possible the building of the Panama
Canal. 1t led directly to the mean.
OF protecting the human race agains
malaria, typhus fever. African sleep
ing sickness. Rocky Mountain spottec
fever and lot Of other fatal diseases
II it hadn't been for the Depart
ment Of Agriculture there wouldn'
have been any blowing under of cot
ton or burning of corn. Their,
wouldn't have been any cotton Il
pillow under. or even to wear. Their,
wouldn't have been any corn to eat
Fights Deadlier Enemy.
The United States maintains al
Army and Navy to protect it agains
foreign enemies 1t maintains tn
Department Of Agriculture to protec
it against far more deadly and pow
erful enemy against which. it is oftel
predicted, will be fought the fina
Armageddon. This enemy Is tn
kingdom of insects. with its allies, tn
fungi. the bacteria and the viruses
There are no long intervals of peace
The battles are fought in test tube
and experimental greenhouses. The
are fought by lonely men trampin
| through the SHOWS of the Andes o
| risking their lives among the hea,
hunters of the Orinoco. They ar
fought In silence and their heroes ar
not decorated with medals of honor
Out of the Department of Agricul
ture laboratories have come some Q
the most fundamental discoveries il
the history Of science. 1t has bee
one of the corner stones of moder
civilization. It might be said, Q
course. that man managed to live i
the world for long time without an
Department Of Agriculture and eve
without any organized agriculture
science. True enough. but not yer
well. And the population was not S
dense. 1t was all very well when tn
United States was Nation of fe
million people and so much land this
there was no way of using it. 1t
different with 125 100000 people an
the land already badly exhausted {
its fertility.
George Washington. Of all Pres
dents, was most distinctly a farme
He depended on the soil of Mount Vel
non for his living. 1t is not surpri.
ing that in his last annual message
Congress, in 1896. he suggested estat
lishment Of Federal board Of agr
culture" The suggestion came
nothing. In 1877 an attempt, orig
mating in Massachusetts, was made
found a department in the FEEDER,
Government for the aid and encoul
agement of agriculture In 1888 cit
zens of Kentucky petitioned for tt
formation of Department of Ayr
culture and Mechanics" BY 1850 tt
House Committee on Agriculture hs
received resolutions from sever;
State legislatures and agricultural 81
cieties On the establishment of a
agricultural bureau in the Departmer
Of the Interior" President Filmol
repeatedly urged the establishment ,
such q bureau.
i State Farmers Organize.
Meanwhile State and local agricu
tural societies had been springing U
all over the country. starting with or
formed in South Carolina in 1874.
year later one had been Organize
in Philadelphia, with Benjamin Frank
lin as an active member Such
society was established in New Yor
in 1871. in Massachusetts, in 1892 an
in Connecticut in 1894. In 1860 thel
were over 900 such societies in tt
United States. There were sewers
thriving agricultural journals.
This activity is what might ha,
been expected. The United States VIZ
primarily an agricultural countr
Probably 80 per cent of its people live
directly or indirectly. from the Ian
} Even in those sections like Masss
| ctneAffe and rnppoctjc,,f uyhera In