854 
dairy products. The investigations of the 
Bureau which have resulted in the prepara- 
tion and distribution of serum for the pre- 
vention of hog cholera, swine plague, and 
blackleg have proved to be very successful. 
The loss from these diseases has been ma- 
terially reduced when the treatment recom- 
mended by the Department has been fol- 
lowed. 
The Division of Statistics has studied the 
condition of the agricultural industry of the 
country ‘‘as indicated by the area of land 
devoted to the cultivation of the principal 
products of the soil; the actual volume of 
production and the value of particular crops, 
both on the farm and in the principal mar- 
kets; the cost of production per acre and 
per unit of quantity and the cost of trans- 
portation ; the number and value of farm 
avimals and the losses annually resulting 
from disease and exposure; the volume, 
condition and prospects, according to the 
season of the year, of such of the crops of 
foreign countries as compete with those of 
the United States in the world’s markets.” 
The Secretary reviews at some length the 
subject of seed distribution. He warmly 
defends such distribution in so far as it ad- 
heres to the original intention of Congress, 
which was to search for and gather in vari- 
ous localities of the Old World useful seeds 
and plants to be distributed in the United 
States to the several regions where they 
would be most likely to succeed. The De- 
partment is at present endeavoring to bring 
back the practice as much as possible to this 
original intention, a larger per cent. of the 
$130,000 ‘appropriated being now spent in 
securing, importing and distributing rare 
and useful seeds and plants. 
The tea growing experiments in South 
Carolina are commended and their intelli- 
gent prosecution advocated. The interest- 
ing fact is noted that the tea gardens at 
Summerville produced 3,600 pounds of tea 
the past season. Irrigation experiments, 
SCIENCE. 
DN. S. Vor. X. No. 258. 
improvement of varieties by importation 
and by hybridization, are indicated as im- 
portant steps to be studied. 
In regard to public lands, the Secretary 
deplores the ill results of injudicious graz- 
ing due to the indifference of the occupiers 
under the present system. He advocates 
leasing in large areas and for a sufficient 
time to invite improvement, and suggests 
that the revenue from such leases might be 
turned over to the States for educational 
purposes or irrigation. 
The Secretary concludes his report with 
important recommendations on a variety of 
subjects. 
Of the abandoned farms of New England 
he says that they are not abandoned on ac- 
count of sterility ; that they will be studied 
by the soil physicist, agrostologist, and the 
forester, and the valuable suggestions re- 
sulting from their studies will be distributed 
throughout New England. 
He urges that means be adopted to pro- 
duce in Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the Philip- 
pines many of the tropical plants which 
this country now imports to the extent of 
$200,000,000 annually—more than four 
times as much as the total exports of the 
islands in question. 
Our import of oranges, lemons, cocoa- 
nuts, bananas, and especially coffee, of 
which in 1898 we imported over $65,000,- 
000 worth, could, in large part, be produced 
in Puerto Rico. The Secretary especially 
recommends experiments in the production 
of india rubber, for which we are now 
largely dependent upon Brazil. The im- 
port of india rubber and gutta-percha in 
1898 exceeded in value $26,000,000, of 
which three-fifths came from Brazil. After 
discussing at some length the methods of 
collection and treatment and the character 
of the Brazilian product, he indicates one 
tree in particular, known as the Ceara, as 
likely to be the first to produce an im- 
portant addition to the natural supply of 
