TUE OKKUUAL RECOKD, OCTOBER 22, 1924 



A DIGEST OF THE NEWS 



Brief Paragraphs Boiled Down From 

 Material Issued by tke Deparbnent During 

 the Past Weck. 



PLAGUE IN TEXAS UNDER CONTROL 



Tlie outbi'eak of loot-aiul-mouth dis- 

 ease iienr Houston, Tex., officially cou- 

 flnued on September 27, was cousidered 

 undei- coutrol ou October 13, according to 

 tlie department. The disease lias been 

 found in ouly five lierds and there has 

 l)een no new iufection during the past 

 eight days extept in oue dairy lierd of 

 17 cows in an iuclosure adjoining an in- 

 feoted pasture. All the diseased herds 

 have been sUiughtered and buried, the 

 last one being disposed of the same day 

 tUat it was found iufected. This prompt 

 disposition of iufected aiiimals reduces to 

 a minimum the danger of the virus being 

 spread to other lierds. Cleaning and dis- 

 int'ection of iufected premises are being 

 l)ushed vigorously, usually being com- 

 l)leted within a few days after tlie 

 unimals have been put uuder ground. 



LARGER EUROPEAN SUGAR-BEET CROP 



Estimates of sugar-beet production re- 

 ceived by the department from six Eu- 

 ropean countries which produce about 

 one-fourth of the total European crop 

 give a total of 11,124,620 Short tons 

 compared with 9,248,045 Short tons pro- 

 dueed by the same countries last year, 

 or an increase of 20.3 per cent. 



TENTATIVE GRADES FOR SOYBEANS 



Tentative grades for soybeans have 

 been prepared by the department and 

 are being brought to the attention of 

 boards of trade and merchants eschanges 

 in the large soybean markets with a 

 view to having them used on this sea- 

 son's crop. The Grain Dealers National 

 Association at its annual meeting at Cin- 

 cinnati, September 24, passed a resolu- 

 tion to Support the department In the 

 issuance of tlie tentative grades. 



DECREASE IN POLISH CEREAL CROPS 



Large decreases in Polish cereal crops 

 are shown in revised crop estimates ca- 

 bled to the department from the Inter- 

 national Institute of Agriculture at 

 Rome. Whcat production is now placed 

 at 32,849,000 busheis, compared with 49,- 

 735,000 busheis harvested in 1923, a de- 

 crease of 34 per cent. The rye crop is 

 nearly 36 per cent below last year, pro- 

 duction being estimated at l,5O,r)ü3,OÜ0 

 busheis, against 234,730,000 bushels pro- 

 duced last year. The barley and oats 



crops are also considerably less than in 

 1923. An increase in the potato crop 

 may to some extent ofl".set the reduction 

 in hread grains. I'otato ijroduotion in 

 rciland is given as 1,004,.30(>,0(K) busheis, 

 compared with 973.."i()0.ü00 bushels, the 

 crop of l!)2;i. 



MORE CATTLE TESTED FOR T. B. 



During August 461,186 cattle were 

 tested for tuberculosis by the Bureau 

 of Aninial Industry in Cooperation with 

 tlie various States. Of this numl)er 

 13,780, or about 3 per cent, reacted tu 

 the fest, indicatiug that they were iu- 

 fected. Workers for the eradication of 

 bovine tuberculosis now have more than 

 8,000,0^0 cattle under their supervisiou. 



Binder-twine Fiber Outlook 



Future Not Satisfactory 



Many .Statements have been published 

 reeently about a shortage of binder-twine 

 tiber. According to the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, there is no actual shortage of 

 binder-twine Aber at tlie present time, 

 September, 1924. This Statement is 

 based on tlie reports of iniiiortations and 

 market quotations of fibers used for 

 binder twine. 



The importations of henequfin from 

 Yucatau and Cuba during the year ended 

 June 30, 1924, were 96,969 tons, as com- 

 pared with 97,582 tons during the year 

 ended June 30, 1923. The port of Pro- 

 greso, from which all of the henequen 

 of Tucatan is shipped, was closed during 

 January, February, and March, 1924. 

 The shipments of henequen from Pro- 

 greso and Campeche, aggi-egating 92,460 

 bales during July, were the largest of 

 any month since August, 1920. 



Tlie importations of abacu (Manila 

 liemp) from the Philippine Islands dur- 

 ing the year ended June 30 were 88,032 

 tons, or about 10,000 tons less than the 

 importations of the preceding year, but 

 the reduction was in the higher grades 

 used for cordage, and a larger percent- 

 age was used for binder twine. 



Domestic consumption of binder twine 

 is proviug larger than was auticipated in 

 July, wlien it was reported that many 

 local dealers canceled Orders for binder 

 twine, but thus far no reports have 

 reaclu'ii this oflice indicating even a local 

 shortage. 



There has been no change in the whole- 

 sale quotations of binder twine sincc-- 

 they were lirst announced last March, 

 and the relatively slight changes in tho 

 iiuotations of übers do not indicate that 

 the dealers anticipate a serious shortage. 



Henequen has advanced about 1 cent per 

 pound and Java and East Afrlca sisal 

 and abacä about 2 cents per pound since 

 last March, but these advances are not 

 greater than tliose of farni producls in 

 this country during tlie same time. 



While there is no present shortage of 

 biniler-twine tibers, the outlook for fu- 

 ture supplies is not satisfactory. This 

 department has pointed out repeatedly 

 the danger of depending on one limited 

 area like Tucatan for henequen that is 

 regarded as csseutlal for binder twine. 

 or a few limited areas in the Philippine 

 Islands for abaefl, which is essential for 

 cordage as well as binder twine. More 

 than 33,000 acres of henequfn are now 

 being grown In Cuba, where the condi- 

 tions of soll and climate are quite as 

 favorable for this crop as they are in 

 Yucatan. There are limited areas in 

 Porto Rico and in the Virgin Islands, 

 under our own flag, suitable for liene- 

 (juen or sisal, with labor less expensive 

 than in Cuba. 



It requires three to five years from 

 the time ö'f planting before tlie first crop 

 of leaves may be liarvested from sisal, 

 and four to seven years for henequen. 

 Abacä may be harvested in two years 

 after planting. The production of abacä 

 and Manila maguey is already estab- 

 lished in the Pliilippine Islands, and a 

 beginning has been made there with sisal. 

 The areas suitable for fiber production 

 are larger than in Yucatan. The prin- 

 ciiial efforts of this department toward 

 the production of fibers for binder twine 

 have been in Cooperation with the Bu- 

 reau of Agriculture in the Philippine 

 Islands, to check the threatened deeline 

 of the fiber-producing industry tliere, and 

 to encourage better methods in planting, 

 cultivating, and producing the fibers. 

 Experiments have been conducted In 

 Porto Rico with sisal since 1902 and 

 with henequen since 1907, and it has 

 been demonstrated that the plants will 

 grow well, but there is a lack of capital 

 to establish and operate plantations. 

 The prices paid for sisal, henequ6n, and 

 abacä fibers during the three years 1920 

 to 1922, inclusive, were too low to en- 

 courage new plantings during those years 

 and many of the old plantations of hene- 

 quen in Yucatan and sisal in East 

 Africa were allowed to grow up to weeds 

 and grass because of lack of funds to 

 operate them. The present prices for 

 these raw fibers, which may be regarded 

 as not out of proportion to the prices 

 of other farm jiroducts, will be the most 

 efflciont Stimulus to production, but the 

 effect can not be feit as early as it 

 niiglit be if the fibers were produced by 

 annual crops like the grain crops of the 

 United States. 



