The United States and Agriculture 



37 



their purpose the extension of the ex- 

 port trade in fruits and vegetables, and 

 improvement in methods of handling 

 these products for foreign and domestic 

 use. Several experimental shipments 

 have been made to European markets. 

 The results have been fully satisfactory, 

 the net returns in most cases exceed- 

 ing domestic values. The net returns 

 are largely influenced by the kind of 

 packages and methods of packing and 

 shipping. 



The examination of imported food 

 products for the purpose of determin- 

 ing whether they contain substances 

 injurious to life has been continued by 

 the Bureau of Chemistry. Particular 

 attention has been given to the adul- 

 terations of olive oils, with the object 

 of securing an honest market for do- 

 mestic oils now compelled to compete 

 with cheaper and adulterated oils. Im- 

 portant investigations have been made 

 in the sugar laboratory with a view to 

 improving the quality and quantity of 

 table sirups. 



WEATHER BUREAU WARNINGS 



The past year affords gratifying evi- 

 dence of the value of forecast warnings 

 of the Weather Bureau in saving life 

 and property. Ample testimony is af- 

 forded that the value of property thus 

 saved from loss amounts to many times 

 the cost of maintaining the Bureau. 

 The Secretar}' urges the desirability of 

 extending the distribution of daily fore- 

 casts coextensively with the rural free 

 delivery. Of the 10,000 rural free de- 

 livery routes existing August 1, 1902, 

 it has been found possible to serve only 

 1,000. To make the distribution co- 

 extensive with the rural free delivery 

 would, he estimates, cost about $100,000. 



APPALACHIAN FOREST RESERVE 



The Secretary enters an earnest plea 

 for the establishment of the Appala- 

 chian Forest Reserve. He states that 

 the water power, at an aggregate annual 



value of $20,000,000, is being gradually 

 destroyed through increasing irregular- 

 ity in the flow ; that the soils washed 

 down from the mountain slopes are ren- 

 dering annually less navigable the Ohio, 

 Tennessee, Mississippi, and other rivers. 

 These are' the results of the deforesta- 

 tion of these .mountain slopes. He 

 states that the rate of land erosion on 

 these slopes from which the forest cover 

 has been removed is as great now in a 

 single year as during ten centuries when 

 covered with primeval forests. 



WORK IN FORESTRY 



Interest in forestry and a perception 

 of its possibilities as a great national 

 resource have developed so swiftly in 

 the United States that the discrepancy 

 between the capacity for government 

 service of this branch of the department 

 and its opportunities was never so great 

 as now. During the past year the Bu- 

 reau of Forestry has notably increased 

 its store of knowledge on which all for- 

 estry depends and has made large gains 

 in introducing practical management of 

 forests of both public and private owner- 

 ship. Its field-work has engaged 162 

 men and has been carried on in forty- 

 two states and territories. 



Extensive studies were made of com- 

 mercial trees during the year, and studies 

 of the forest and its industrial relations 

 were made in Michigan, Kentucky, 

 Ohio, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, 

 South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, 

 California, and Iowa. 



STUDY OF SOILS 



The soil survey has been greatly ex- 

 tended, and the division of soil manage- 

 ment started during the year gives 

 promise of highly important results. 

 The Bureau of Soils now employs a 

 force of over one hundred persons, 

 sevent3'-five of whom have had scien- 

 tific training. The usefulness of this 

 bureau has been greatly extended by 

 cooperation with state institutions, ex- 



