No. 7. • DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 5 



Association brings together the most practical and successful fruit 

 growers of this and other states, and its published discussions of 

 questions relating to this industry possesses great educational value. 

 I would respectfully recommend that a reasonable appropriation be 

 made to this Department by the General Assembly for assisting 

 the Association in its work. Its members, prompted by patriotic 

 moiives alone, are willing to give to the work of their organization 

 their time and contribute their expenses while attending its meet- 

 ings, and it is only reasonable that the charges necessary to secure 

 thoroughly competent instructors, as well as to publish a complete 

 Journal of their proceedings for public distribution, should be borne 

 by the State. 



LIVESTOCK AND SOIL FERTILITY. 



In my last report, reference was made to the good work that is 

 being done by the State Livestock Breeders' Association in en- 

 couraging the production of more livestock and a corresponding 

 improvement in the quality of the same. The meetings of this Asso- 

 ciation are increasing in interest every year and the value of the 

 literature it distributes relating to the livestock industry, entitles 

 it to the favorable consideration of the law makers of the State 

 when they come to make disbursements from the State Treasury for 

 the public good. A few hundred dollars appropriated annually to 

 assist this Association in carrying on its work will, I am sure, if 

 made, yield a substantial return. 



It is true that Pennsylvania does not possess equal advantages 

 with some of the Western States for the production of livestock. 

 The great ranges of cheap pasture lauds that are still to be found 

 in some portions of the West and Northwest give to those sections 

 advantages for stock raising that we cannot claim to possess, and 

 yet we know" that there are stockmen in Pennsylvania who, by study- 

 ing our markets, and by devoting their efforts to producing nothing 

 but the best, succeed in obtaining fair profits. One of the advan- 

 tages secured by raising livestock upon the farm is that of being 

 able to keep up the fertility of the soil with more certainty and less 

 trouble than can be done by producing any other commodities for 

 market. Of course I do not wish to be understood as claiming that 

 stock raising possesses any advantage in this respect over Dairy 

 Husbandry. 



We may not have reached the period when it is absolutely neces- 

 sary to husband the fertility of our soil with the same carefulness 

 that must be observed in many of the countries of the old world, 

 but the sooner we come to a full realization of the faf^t that the 

 American farmer, if he would be faithful to his trust, must be pre- 

 paring to feed in the near future a much greater population tlian 

 we are, with all our resources able to maintain at the present, th" 

 better it will be for us. W^e must, therefore, come as speedily as 

 possible to a realization of the importance of so conducting our 

 farm operations as to enable us to return to the soil, for the support 

 of )>lant life, as much as is possible of the plant food withdrawn by 

 the crops we raise. 



It is important also that we come to an early appreciation of th^^ 

 fact that there is much needless waste going on of matter that we 

 cannot afford to lose. In some sections of the State, where but a 



