EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Vol. XVI. .March, 1905. No. 7. 



Provision for the continued growth and extension of the National 

 Department of Agriculture is made by the agricultural appropriation 

 act passed by Congress near the close of the session. The total amount 

 carried by the new appropriation is $6,692,690, exclusive of a special 

 appropriation of $190,000, "to meet the emergency caused by the 

 ravages of the Mexican cotton-boll weevil and other insects and dis- 

 eases affecting cotton, to study diversification of crops, and improve 

 cotton by breeding and selection in the Southern States.'"' Excluding 

 this emergency appropriation, the act provides an apparent increase of 

 $790,650, the largest increase ever given the Department in airy one 

 year. 



A considerable part of this increase arises from the transfer of the 

 administration of the Federal forest reserves to the Bureau of Forestry, 

 and the reorganization of the forest service. Since the tirst national 

 forest reserves were created in 1891, they have been under the manage- 

 ment of the General Land Office of the Department of the Interior. 

 The bill providing for their transfer to this Department was signed by 

 the President February 1, and took effect immediately. The force of 

 superintendents, supervisors, rangers, and clerks connected with the 

 management of these reserves included over 500 persons, who have 

 now been transferred to the Bureau of Forestry, together with the 

 unexpended balance of the appropriation for their maintenance. 



There are unusual difficulties this year in making direct compari- 

 sons between the new and the old appropriations in the case of the 

 different Bureaus, owing to a readjustment of the. salary rolls. The 

 entire clerical force has now been placed upon the so-called statutory 

 roll, which carries a specific appropriation for each clerical position 

 under the Bureau or Division where employed. The scientific force, 

 on the other hand, is now separated entirely from the statutory rolls 

 and paid from the lump sum appropriation for each Bureau or Divi- 

 sion, the salary to be fixed by the Secretary, but in no case, except 



administrative officers, to exceed $3,000. 



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