EEPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 41 



show that the dust from blast furnaces is higher in potash content 

 than the cement dust and that it can probably be recovered more 

 economically. The potash that escapes from these two sources would, 

 if collected in marketable form, go a long way toward meeting the 

 normal potash requirements of the country. There is ample justifi- 

 cation, therefore, for the appropriation of sufficient funds adequately 

 to study those phases of the problem which properly come within the 

 scope of this department's activities. 



METEOROLOGY. 



Meteorology is coming into wider application in agriculture, 

 commerce, and navigation, and the rapid development of aeronautics 

 has opened up for it a very broad field. As a result, greatly in- 

 creased demands, which it has been difficult, and in many cases im- 

 possible, to meet, have been made upon the Weather Bureau. The 

 growth of the Nation places upon the bureau new obligations, and 

 appropriate recommendations have been included in the estimates 

 for the strengthening of its work, especially its studies in aid of 

 aeronautics, so that it may be in position to meet the responsibilities 

 imposed upon it by law. 



THE PROGRESS OP HIGHTVAY CONSTRUCTION. 



It required a great national catastrophe to awaken the American 

 public to the inadequacy of our transportation facilities and to the 

 fact that we must depend largely upon our highways, in conjunction 

 with motor vehicles, when a sudden expansion in transportation is 

 essential. Our experiences during the last three years have clearly 

 demonstrated that the failure earlier to inaugurate a sound road im- 

 provement program has retarded the effective development of one of 

 our most vital national requirements. The use of the motor vehicle for 

 highway transportation has increased tremendously within a short 

 period. In 1906 only 48,000 motor vehicles were registered in the 

 United States. By 1914 the number had risen to 1,700,000, while 

 the registrations now total nearly 8,000,000, exclusive of motor 

 cycles. The actual vehicle-mile use of our roads, it is estimated, 

 has increased more than 500 per cent in strictly agi-icultural com- 

 munities and more than 1,000 per cent near the larger centers of 

 population. These figures indicate the extent to which community 

 and short-haul transportation will be served by better highways. 



GREAT HIGHWAY PROGRAM UNDER WAY. 



The Federal-aid road act of 1916, as amended, has resulted in putting 

 in motion a great program of highway development, nation wide in its 

 extent. The original act appropriated $75,000,000, extending over a 



24435— AGB 1920 4 



