U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 69 



it amounts to and what it will bring in dollars and cents, that is the best 

 argument that we can advance. And I would like to see our society take 

 hold of this and help show the people what can be done along these lines. 



Mr. Merrell: That certainly is a very worthy idea and one that I 

 would like to have impressed more; and this is certainly a good year to 

 show the people what can be done by spraying. 



The President: Next on our regular program is the subject, "The 

 United States Department of Agriculture and its Work," by Honorable 

 E. M. Pollard, of Nehawka. 



The United States Department of Agricnlture and its Work. 



E. M. Pollard, Nehawka. 



Mr. Chairman, Members of the Society, Ladies and Gentlemen: I am 

 very glad to be here with you today. I am afraid, however, that my sub- 

 ject is entirely too big to do it justice in the short time that I have at 

 my command. 



The United States Department of Agriculture is a large organization 

 and covers a very wide scope of work. Its work has to do with almost 

 every phase of farm life, and if I were to underake to describe the work 

 of the whole Department including all its bureaus I am afraid I would 

 have to stay here until six o'clock tonight, and I am sure you don't want 

 to be imposed upon to that extent. I will take up only two of the great 

 bureaus of the Department and refer in the very best way I can to the 

 work that is being done by them, — some of the work that is being done 

 by the government at Washington to aid the farmer. 



The first bureau that I want to speak of is the Bureau of Animal In- 

 dustry, which was established in the year 1878. The first appropriation, 

 $10,000, that was ever allowed for this kind of work was made that year, 

 and the work begun. The first work was a study of animal diseases^ 

 where they took up the study of such diseases as black leg, pleuro-pneu- 

 monia, etc., whcih had been working such havoc among the live stock 

 growers of the country. And this study and work has been progressing 

 from that day to this. The Department has practically eliminated 

 the black-leg among cattle, which in the earlier years was supposed 

 ■to be responsible for about fifty per cent of the loss in cattle, until now 

 among the live stock growers of the country the loss is less than ten per 

 cent. Pleuro-pneumonia too has also been stamped out by the work 

 of the Deipartment and many other diseases have been entirely extermi- 

 nated. This work of the Department of Agriculture is not confined to 

 the diseases of cattle either, nor to any particular section of the coun- 

 try, but is carried on in connection with the growing of all live stock 

 and in all parts of the United States. Each particular disease is studied 

 in connection with its locality and surrounding conditions and in every 

 instance the Department undertakes to find a remedy, — to Improve con- 



