Miscellaneous. 



02 



fJuLY, 1908 



value of agricultural science. I propose 

 to mention briefly some of the more 

 striking achievements. 



" The Department up to May 1st, 1906, 

 cost $60,110,836, or less than $1,500,000 a 

 year. The chief question is what return 

 did the nation get for its money. It is 

 claimed that the Department has spread 

 information which has enabled agricul- 

 turists, (1) to-pay their taxes more easily, 

 (II) to protect their property, (III) to 

 largely increase the vaiue of then- 

 property." 



About the time the work of the Depart- 

 ment began it was necessary to import 

 large quantities of agricultural products. 

 This -was partly due to careless and 

 ignorant methods of culture. Artificial 

 fertilizers and even farmyard manure 

 were little used and the rotation of crops 

 was little practised. 



Certain census figures indicate the 

 increasing effectiveness of superior culti- 

 vation. In 1839 the production of corn 

 (maize) was 23 bushels for each person 

 in the United States, in 1899 it was 34 

 bushels. 



This does not, of course, show with 

 certainty that there was a corresponding 

 increase in the production for each acre 

 cultivated, but a comparison of the crop 

 of 1879 with that of 1889 justifies that 

 inference. The comparison of the pro- 

 duction of wheat gives a similar result. 

 The quantity raised for each person 

 in 1839 was 5'3 bushels : in 1890 it was 74 

 bushels. 



It is impossible to estimate the mone- 

 tary saving to the country of the work 

 done, but the saving has been immense. 

 The suppression of diseases of cattle and 

 sheep has increased the foreign trade 

 of the country enormously in export of 

 live animals and probably of tinned 

 meats. The Division of Chemistry has 

 shown the way to a large economical 

 increase of production of cane sugar, 

 and the introduction of the beet sugar 

 industry is flourishing. I could point 

 out many other agricultural investi- 

 gations which have been profitable to 

 the country. This is perhaps unneces- 

 sary, but I can say that investi- 

 gation regarding plant breeding, inju- 

 rious and beneficial insects and plant 

 diseases have given results which are 

 quite beyond calculation as regards 

 profit to the country. The California 

 Orange Industry was rescued from anni- 

 hilation by the introduction from Aus- 

 tralia of the enemy of the Fluted Scale 

 Insect ; and the establishment of the 

 Smyrna fig industry was rendered pos- 

 sible by the introduction and culture of 

 the Blastophaga insect, whose activities 

 are necessary to the production of the 



finest class of fig. The introduction of 

 uew varieties of crops and of new agri- 

 cultural methods has in many casses 

 been immensely successful. 



Specific examples of money saved 

 through the warnings of the Weather 

 Bureau are numerous and easily estab- 

 lished. Frequently throughout a year 

 the services of the Weather Bureau 

 cause savings in all sections of the 

 country which are far in excess of annual 

 expenditure. 



I have only referred to a tithe of the 

 advantages of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. It returns to the 

 country full value for its cost. — Agri- 

 cidluralJournal of India, Vol. III. Part, 

 I., January, 1908. 



EFFECTS OF GRASS ON APPLE 

 TREES. 



An experiment was commenced in 1902 

 at the Harper-Adams Agricultural Col- 

 lege to compare the growth of trees 

 when planted on grass or on cultivated 

 ground. The grass upon which the trees 

 are planted is manured regularly with 

 farmyard and artificial manure, the 

 grass mown and removed, while special 

 artificial manures are used for each crop 

 on the cultivated portion, in addition to 

 farmyard manure, thus giving equal 

 conditions as to manure for the trees on 

 both plots. The difference between the 

 trees on grass and those on cultivated 

 ground has been very marked, as will 

 be seen from the following table, show- 

 ing the average diameter in inches of 

 the trees at a distance of 4£ ft. from the 

 ground. 



Average Diameter in inches. 

 Variety of Apple. Grass. Cultivated Ground. 



i ' \ i * ■ ( 



1905. 1906. 1907. 1905. 1906. 1907. 



Bismark .. ~ V03 1-05 1-18 1-31 1-62 «*1 

 Bramley's seedling ... 0'7K 0-31 1-04 1-20 V50 1'91 

 Cox's orange pippin . 0'82 0'8) V01 1*11 1'4'J 1'83 



The wet season of 1907 benefited the 

 trees on grass to a marked extent, for 

 while in 1906 the proportionate increase 

 was one in the trees on grass to ten in 

 the trees on cultivated ground, the 

 increase in the past year was four in the 

 trees on grass to ten in the trees on 

 cultivated ground. Insufficient moisture 

 sterns, therefore, to be one of the causes 

 of the poor development of trees planted 

 in grass. 



At the commencement of 1907 the ex- 

 periment was modified by removing 

 f rom around the stems of alternate trees 

 on grass a square of turf. The surface 

 ground laid bare (4 square yards to each 

 tree) was forked without disturbing the 



