68 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. [J<ni. 2, 1908. 



I also called ii|i(iii I)r. ( 'uliW, wliu lia> a l>i-aiii-li iiihIci- I )r. ( ialluway. who is 

 only just iicll iiii: lliiuf^s toj;ctluT in iii> liram-li; In- wished to be reiuenihered 

 to all the iiiiicurs of oni- Department. Aiiolher luorninff was spent with 

 Drs. .Mueller. Dorset, and llas-ell. wIkj have charge of the l)ranehes of 

 l>ureau (if Auinial Industry, and deal with much ef the work undertaken hy 

 our Stock JJranch. The Jjioiira|)hical Survey deals with invest i^'ations as 

 to the spread and ranfi'e of nsefid and injurious birds and animals. In the 

 absence of Dr. .Mei-riiuan. Di-. Msher took me through the offices and 

 ex])lained the truuhle that t he\- hail in the north-west with the firuuiid- 

 squirrels. wiiich destroy grass and crops, just like our rabbits. Poisoning 

 with i)hosphorus or other mixtures is the chief method of extermination; but 

 it has been stated tliat a few years ago a contagious disease sprang up 

 amongst them, and in some places they all died ,>\\\. J)r. Tijier has been 

 investigating this matter. The Jhireau of Forestry was also visited, and the 

 officers in that branch gave me much interesting information about their 

 methods of dealing with the forest areas. Most of the I'nited States forests 

 are in the west and nortli-west. and consist chiefly of conifers. Keplanting 

 is not practised on a large scale, but the forests belonging to the Govern- 

 ment are waste lands, much of them in the free-range districts. The free- 

 range system has grown up into one of the greatest evils to settlement in 

 the States. There are millions of acres for whieh the State gets no rent in 

 the occupation of sheep and cattle men. who ai'e eating out the grass and 

 fighting among themselves to hold the land o|' whieh none of them have any 

 right or title. 



The Weather Bureau is also closely connected with the De])ai-tinent of 

 Agriculture, as they issue warnings as to rain or frost indications that are 

 carefully watched by fruit-growers, farmers, and others interested in agri- 

 culture. They issue two weather-charts ever.v day. The observations are 

 taken all over the States, from Edmonton in the fai- north of Canada to 

 Porto Rico in the West Indies, and at 10.30 a.m. the .same morning all these 

 reports are tabulated and ready for publication. 



Last week, 7th October, I went to Ithaca and visited Cornell I'niversity as 

 one of the most typical agricultural colleges in the Ignited States, where 

 Professor Comstoek showed me all their work, and the arrangement of 

 specimens for their teaching work. Professor Slingerland showed me his 

 methods of making lantern-slides and other work. Dr. Xcedham took me 

 down to his marsh lands experiments, whei-e all water insects, mosquitoes, 

 and fish can be continuously ob.st'rved under natural conditions, and tlie 

 reclamation of marsh lands studied. 



From there I went to Boston to study the work of the Cips.y J\lolli and 

 Browii Tail Moth Commission. The State Commissioners have a force of 

 1,000 men engaged bui-ning off underbrush, burning ogg clusters, bandaging 

 the trunks, and spraying the foliage of the infested forests. Tlie State of 

 Massachusetts votes part of the money, and each town in the infested 

 districts has to tax itself so natch i)er valuation of ))i'operty. and at the same 

 time the Federal Department has voted a sum to deal with the introduction 

 of jiarasitic enemies of these moths in their native home (Furoi)e), and 

 thousands of such parasites are being liberated in these inf"ested areas. The 

 resvdt of these parasites will be watched by the economic entomologists all 

 over the world. 1 went over about 200 miles of the infested area with the 

 State Connnissioner. 1 have now arranged to leave o!i tlie l.'th (next 



