No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 317 



last fall. It had never before appeared in North America. It has 

 been known in the Philippine Islands and in South America. It 

 was carried to South Africa during the Boer War, and from 

 there carried into England and Ireland, but how it came into North 

 America, or into Pennsylvania, we don't know. The diagnosis is 

 there, but where the disease came from, we don't know. The suppo- 

 sition, however, is that it existed for a long time without being 

 known, and that outbreaks of it have occurred in other states. It 

 exists now in New York and Ohio, and we have about one hundred 

 and seventy-five cases of it under quarantine. 



Now, the other disease that is not new is the dysentery occurring 

 in cattle. It has existed in the State for quite a long while, but 

 until recently, it was not discovered. It has existed in Europe for 

 many years, but we did not discover it until last year. It is caused 

 by a bacillus that in some respects rather resembles the germ of 

 tuberculosis and in other respects ditfers widely from it. It occurs 

 in the lining of the large intestines. The effect of it is that it causes 

 dysentery, and brings about a decline in the general condition of 

 the animal. The animal becomes weak and aenemic, and is likely 

 to die. Now, since we know that it has appeared, we are making 

 every effort to control it; it exists in Chester county, and in the 

 parts of Bucks, Berks and Northampton. If it exists in other parts 

 of the State we are not aware of it. 



A BETTER AGRICULTURE AND HOW TO GET IT. 



BT Prof. John Hamilton, Farmers' Institute Specialist, Office of Experiment Stations, United States 



Department of Agriculture, WasMngton, D. C, 



The crop yield of the United States has reached enormous pro- 

 portions. The recent report of the Secretary of Agriculture, in 

 speaking of cereals, announces that in the year 1907 the corn crop 

 was 2,553,732,000 bushels; the wheat crop, 625,576,000 bushels; oats, 

 741,521,000 bushels; barley, 147,192,000 bushels; rye, 31,566,000 

 bushels; rice, 21,412,000 bushels, and buckwheat, 13,911,000 bushels. 

 The farm value of the cereals for the year is estimated at |2,378,- 

 000,000. Added to the cereal crops are hay, cotton, sugar and 

 tobacco, and the enormousincome from the dairy, poultry and live- 

 stock interests, making a grand total of addition to the national 

 wealth from agriculture alone of $7,412,000,000. These figures re- 

 present quantities of produce and an income of wealth altogether 

 beyond our comprehension. 



In the face of such figures how is it possible to justify the ex- 

 penditure of millions of money, and the employment of thousands of 

 skilled experts to secure a better agriculture, to improve that which 

 has already grown to dimensions beyond our ability to compre- 

 hend? 



