8 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. 



very modest amounts, but which the Secretary reorards as of the 

 utmost importance, because they deal with constructive research 

 work, which the department — and I feel sure also the members of 

 this committee — believe to be absolutely fundamental to the future 

 prosperity, not only of the afrricultural industry, but of the entire 

 Nation. The work of scientific research, which has been so pro- 

 ductive in the past, in developingr improved practices and adding 

 year after year to the economic wealth of the Nation is the basic 

 work of the Department of Agriculture and the Secretary is very 

 hopeful that the committee will give the most favorable consideration 

 to the items in the estimates which provides small increases for cer- 

 tain lines of work under the heading. When it is taken into account 

 that less than a fourth of the total appropriation for the rcguhir 

 work of the department is available for scientific research it is clear 

 that this is the type of work which must receive increased support 

 if the progress of the industry is to be assured. 



The total amount of increases carried in the estimates is $664,080, 

 and as I have said before, these are offset, in the estimates as passed 

 by the Bureau of the Budget, by reductions totaling $1,561,640 below 

 the 1923 appropriation. 



In the Bureau of Animal Industry, for instance, we have increases 

 requested of $15,680 for animal husbandry investigation and $15,000 

 for the dairy experimental work at the Beltsville farm. 



Under the Bureau of Plant Industry we have listed here 10 proj- 

 ects which the chief of the bureau will take up in detail, totaling 

 an increase of $96,100. These particular increases have been selected 

 with the utmost care from a long list of items which the department 

 reality regard as necessary, all of which we would feel warranted in 

 taking up except for the present need for urgent economy in expendi- 

 ture. These particular projects have been selected as the most urgent 

 and we have kept them down to the very lowest amounts consistent 

 with effective work. This may be said with equal force of each one of 

 the items in the estimates. 



Under the Forest Service we have three items, an increase of 

 $43,000 which we are asking for absolutely necessary improvements 

 on the forests and experimental work on forest products. 



The Bureau of Chemistry items include an increase of $22,500 for 

 agricultural investigations along chemical lines; $20,000 for sirup and 

 sugar work: and an increase of $35,000 in connection with that im- 

 portant food and drugs act. The latter seems absolutelj^ necessary 

 in order to give the public and the better elements in the industries 

 affected the protection contemplated by the act. 



A small increase of $5,000 is asked for the ilejiartment library 

 in order to jMirchase books, the lack of which greatly hampers tlie 

 scientific work. In the Bureau of Agricultui-al Economics a total 

 increase of $251,200 is recommended to cover only the most urgent 

 and important tilings which linve ])een selected by the Secret:irv as 

 those which it seems to him should receive attention at this time 

 in connection with economic work. As you know, tiie Secretary has 

 devoted a great deal of personal attention to the economic work in 

 the time he has been in tlie (le])artment. and the increases asked 

 along this line seem \itally nei-essai'v at this time, 'i'he increases 

 referred to for the economic work include $90,000 for the inves- 



