Ng PSL LSID IIL AB Hie OG OGLE OL ERE AOL LICL LIX ISADORE I oe FFAS I a Sk ang Sarre aso. een nm eie 4 oy te RY rh * Aah ty: WOK : AK io yi 4 a i XK a ‘ AY aon tO fu? WSS RAN oY Aas VARA (( EAN N \ é, a BY OK CAG } Pres AN ‘n SEAS See iN Wrasse eae HANI ae ; i J NAT AG Shs BN 1 — = aa —< 5 es wars os tyetrcesee : Sten Saree Se UAN hh F i Seecp bevy : UNO: EEC a iG AROS Yah i a Neat SEN at ECR R NE Na Nyt Re a os ‘ SAAN AR oe y AN és LDA MACS Bane uy iN Nit ss + NRA RUE . er art ~~ 5 SS enactre oats = Sr ero Perea eee SABRES ras a rete s emeek Sooo Knee , ms = — Sears SI a, Seti See ae ent oo or ) 4 ) aE PPLE ED saeaiey Ny Sf AYE? aNd oe ‘i DMO Ayia aA St Sete ~ eas. : ; i as ay Naa ; ai 4 oe Nee ERE a : See ie a ‘ cee Hatin YI 74 . sn A a 145 RR OPAL ea ARCs Ee at ee Sees ai x b > SEs Te 5 i 7 a FERS ete a t [| 28 LIBRARY OF ee | : iinet I 2 » > L a = = ~—— +} Fi > mma ee jj : , s D ~GIivs YR’ We Cibson-iavies + y es amie re a “ a - et oe 4 oe ee be ‘ ea '*S eet Te ee es ee gee een te ee ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30 1923 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE REPORTS OF CHIEFS WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1924 [CHAPTER 23, Stat. L., 1895.] [AN ACT Providing for the public printing and binding and the distribution of public documents.] * * * * * ® * Section 73, paragraph 2: The Annual report of the Secretary of Agriculture shall hereafter be sub- mitted and printed in two parts, as follows: Part One, which shall contain purely business and executive matter which it is necessary for the Secretary to submit to the President and Congress; Part Two, which shall contain such reports from the different Bureaus and Divisions, and such papers prepared by their special agents, accompanied by suitable illustrations, as shall, in the opinion of the Secretary, be specially suited to interest and instruct the farmers of the country, and to include a general report of the operations of the Depart- ment for their information. There shall be printed of Part One, one thousand copies for the Senate, two thousand copies for the House, and three thousand copies for the Department of Agriculture; and of Part Two, one hundred and ten thousand copies for the use of the Senate, three hundred and sixty thousand copies for the use of the House of Representatives, and thirty thousand copies for the use of the Department of Agriculture, the illustrations for the same to be executed under the supervision of the Public Printer, in accordance with direc- tions of the Joint Committee on Printing, said illustrations to be subject to the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture; and the title of each of the said parts shall be such as to show that such part is complete in itself. II CONTENTS. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Seeercrapmominecpenrs. 2. © o0) 2). i = ee ee oe we AL A ee PadawneatSltlaAtione we 22 Jeo) Sa ee oe peda Cattle and sheep- poate ohagrieulture in general. _ . ...22.222252-5- -enelewwieut Leustivene lisxesiandmrnterest® 2.8 28 ease Us 2 ied aby tiaciee heen eee Poratnopvlation influenced . ... =... seeeeaool. wc fete le daeenelk minancialeaitncultiesss jo lsu oS. se ee ee So oiteeitencie Leable Mierdrifa towbhercitiess <= 23 a eae SEE Lesin alters Weclinevinimorale. ..... =... .. suet ab eee ee SL ed tee id ee WE ye Improvement and some reasons for jiteess Boe eenleeeiee so or ieetiess Need ofuroher improvements: 22) Pee eS a eck Lea Pie WHestiniuAtion ca 52%) ou)! te es are eg ce eet Helping farmers to/help, themselves: .....-9 === --.2 2 .-tauie4dssepewe Worldidemand! for farm products: 22 2248 ee oene tien ee we liel bad oat Survey of world agriculture and world markets____-.----------------- Forecasts of crop and livestock production_____-___-_-.-------------- Bradwistinp the farm program. .-_.....--22 2 deew-sabtesase loin mirineewieat- councils - eee teres | preg) aah water ees Wericulturalcreditese! os... ns eee ae ee ee el ere os Increased activity under-the:warehouse:aciet be a sseu4 oes Jo eck beee Market news, sekvice expansion=__ 5-55 tee eee gli _cupell Nocatee RMadioMews sehvices=2 {9558.6 ee Se aie hel Vp toe) Seg lzalabe Increased demand for information on agricultural situation____________- Skipping point inspection ‘services... 222 55_— = Sebadeels wep Ps_cemse Standardization of farm products universally accepted_________-_-____- Universal standards for American cotton_______.______-___-_-_-------+ Grain-cleaning demonstrationss22Lb tee ae fe Ss ssbh ses keeei_L eebedes Authentic farm population statistics.......1....-.--Ls.---.-_------- Harmers. standard of living studied_ 1 sitatee sd! fee othe Ja_eeee Hasmerssnubualsinsurance.._._. - - ee ere daee SE NS pele Gropyinsurance’ Af Theses ok oh ce yl pte BK. Ye pay) Ae ... 2. 92) Sen eine ceipsgqend dye aobpacco .erower benefited. »... 222282352 —2. = aoigio 1 gate eneyf bb Bossibilities of rubber production. <2 2 5522-352. badge beet Sessa Beader-twine fiberss..0 2 - =e eae OE eet abe St eheleeted Important manufacturing and handling._-_.........._-.+---.---.+--- @ite extensiom service. v3 sf ee Pe A Jota bel fenteglocd 3 Backers and. stockyardwacts sce meee eee EL aden: emi iigresra Gb ee jase Shee oe oe ek eet Joaberss.; bisecticide and fungicide act. = .2--.----c beatae tenet wsed see sds Ram vations) forests... oor ee ke re ee Me ere aes Housing situation General administrations... =. assed subtest ings deeeeke IV CONTENTS. Salary classification. | 22 22202. oon sk be 3 oa ee Rinancialistabemente 2. 222. 2s Pelee A ee ee ee Review of agricultural production and exports____-_..-------_--_-___- Publicationstof thevdepartmenti2. 2-3 ue Sas 2 Se Ee ee ee REPORTS OF CHIEFS. Report of the Chief of the Weather Bureau_-_-__....-_.___--_---_------_ Horecast: service... .FRACea as Str SO ROTA st eee Pruitt trost; works 522 sos s255 soso se eee eee Cooperationizs ss22 e052. obscene Saas eee Publicationsso.55242 9240 540 2ss2 32S Ssl0e oS eee Agricultural meteorology.-.......=+-2s+2+2-/ fe ee eee Stations.and Accounts Division. =... +=2.-22225s222222 ae Telegraph. Divisions.2. 22. ...52.s1222525..25 20S Soe Aerological investigations. 2.222 .2222222225542222-5. Se eee Climatological Division... 22.22. .-2552.- 25252 eRe eee tr The Monthly Weather Review and Printing. ___.-.__.__-_-_-1-__- Investigations in seismology and voleanology_____-_-_-___---___-- Dbrary 33 Ss sn oe es = See ee Oceansmeteorology, <5... +42 9s Seo 5 eee iisteumentsDivision...... +... - 1... 2 Ce eae Oe GS eee New services to the farm industry 2222.014_ 222 a) DIG Ose oe Expansion.of marketing -work-... ~~... S10 Aw EA See New workun:farm management... .~J..2....2.. 3. eee The mew, bureau.organization..2... 2.44 ee eee Organization of the Bureau of Agricultural Economies_-_-_-___-_-_--- Division/of Karm Management... ___-___- UU eae ee ee Division -of ‘Cost of. Production... =... ee Division of Crop and Livestock Estimates______._..___..._.---_-- Division. of CottonvMarketing__..... . 2 ee ee Grainy Division. 35... DSIgou se vies el 10 ALU CL ACN) 1 LA Division.of. Hay, Feed, and Seed. 0225 ea Ts BO Eee Marketing, Livestock, Meats, and Wool Division______.___-_-_---- Division of Dairy and Poultry Products__..__---.---------------- Division.of Fruits and Vegetables_... 242202 BEL SOs eee Division.of, Warehousing... 4 eee Divasionvof Cost.of Marketing... 4... ee Administration of Center Market. ~~ ._......--...SUV Gees Divisionvof Agricultural Finance. —_..._-_.._....- ee ae Division of Agricultural Cooperation_~—___.....-..1-.-.-1--L2-L22 Divisionsof. Land: Economics)... 32 eee Se Snes Division of Statistical and Historical Research____....------------ Division of Farm Population and Rural Life__...__.__....-._--_---- Division of. Information.._.—- ~~... 2-2 cc. - dS See Publications issued during the fiscal year 1923______.____-_-_-_---- Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry___-_-.---------- ‘ Some important features of the year’s work________--_------------ Animal tusbandry Division... 2.2 needle ededad oe 29 1eous Dairy Divisions. 22. 2----- yo oe OB eee Meat. Inspection -Division. .-.....----..--..<..._ 4 eee eee Hield Inspection -Division.... =.=... 2... een = POSUERE a Tick Eradication Division... ~~~... «=<. L022UL20u4 J9Ge ie souk Tuberculosis Eradication Division..................... 2599. 222 Division of Hog-Cholera Control__-_-__.....-------------------- Pathologieal Division.....-.-=-------.<--- <2 22 alae Tat Maporbiar poe Chemist... =... === 2 a ee pee ep Tra rO CNC GG rye at) SLE i a paraded eo eed = 6 ta Opp rvhs h Agricultural chemical investigations: = --+--+---4+---dseu-seiasiis Color, medicinal, and technical investigations_______-___-_-------- Work for‘other departments dsc =wiiaes tau. seen oes meee Fnforcement of regulatory laws. <2) - 82 be eee eres Sele he Slee Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Soils.________..----------------- NOUIsUnVeYa. oe VL Le i et eteils eek Be hye Chemical Division Olena bnyis les ee NEL oe oh eA hk ie a eb pe px oh ey meh gs Hercilizer resQurcese. 0 =o 2 = u's = i a ye os he 8 yr eee Report/of, the Entomologist. —_-._.=---+222. => bereser ove dep! speedos Deciduous-fruit insect investigations_______=i120+2-_42-2-uLL-4ss- Work on the gipsy moth and the brown-tail moth___-_--__-_-_----- Cereal and forage insect investigntionn sey 2) 2 0S Se OO Aad Insects affecting forest resources and shade trees_________-__------ Bee-culture investigations: <. 2) Se 2S Se oe eerefep spel leyepel beveee hieeaye eects Insect pest survey Report of Chief of Bureau of Biological Survey ___.___-_-_------_------ Organization of th (al ojb inet: ho ane St eee ee ere Heonomictnyestigations= - <'\ "== sae ses nee ds ce Ay epee Food habits research «i224 952 hes ep ke he ovis ee heed Gi ads Ss. Biologicalinyestigations . 1). 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Fe a t,he P de shetely hee “if wh me : + ne Whar ALAM, , Mv, 9 Shine wd by + 4 Ae ef lethea ih # A REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. aHT 10 THODA @AUTIVOINOA 1O YAATEROEA y ie aE woe i a p bh ey: O9A 192A JUN 2 LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARBEN REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. Wasuineton, D. C., Vovember 15, 1923. To the Present: It is a satisfaction to be able to record marked improvement in agriculture during the past year. Prices of many agricultural crops are higher. Cost of production has been lower, and there has been some reduction in prices of the things farmers buy. In 1923 farmers planted 341,000,000 acres of the 14 principal crops. This was an increase of more than 2,000,000 acres over 1922. The production of these 14 crops is estimated to aggregate 265,000,000 tons, which is about the same as in 1922 and 11,000,000 tons greater than the 10-year average. Taking the value of the 11 crops—corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, flaxseed, potatoes, sweet potatoes, hay, and cotton—as of October 1, except in the case of corn (which is taken at the December future prices as recorded for the first 15 days of October), we find that this value was $5,289,000,000 for 1921, $5,711,000,000 for 1922, and $6,947,000,000 for 1923. In neither year does the sum indicated include the total value of farm crops grown, but for comparative purposes the values of these 11 crops for the years mentioned indi- cate the substantial increase in the money received by farmers in 1923 as compared with 1922 and 1921. Not only will the total general farm income be considerably greater for the year 1923 but this income will buy relatively more of the things farmers need than for some years past. The purchas- ing power is greater. Hence farmers generally are better off both actually and relatively, and this is reflected in their increased pur- chases, which in turn has helped general business. The farm pro- ductive plant has seriously depreciated during the past six years, first because of war conditions and later because of forced econo- mies. As the farm income increases, therefore, farmers will buy _ more and more freely of the things they need. 2 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. THE CROPS OF THE YEAR. The wheat crop for 1923 is estimated at 782,000,000 bushels, com- pared with 815,000,000 bushels in 1921 and 862,000,000 bushels in 1922. The quality of wheat this year is somewhat below the aver- age, owing to weather conditions and the ravages of plant diseases. The corn crop is estimated at 3,029,000,000 bushels, as compared with 3,069,000,000 bushels in 1921 and 2,891,000,000 in 1922. The quality of corn in some regions has been materially injured by early frosts. The cotton crop gives promise of being a half million bales greater than that of last year, the October 25 estimate being 10,248,000 bales, compared with 7,954,000 bales in 1921 and 9,672,000 bales in 1922. The cotton acreage was larger this year than last, and the cotton production would have been appreciably above the October estimate had it not been for unfavorable weather and heavy rains, excep- tional damage to grown bolls by the weevil, and the heaviest aban- donment on record. An estimate based upon the first nine months of the present year indicates a slight increase in the number of cattle and calves slaugh- tered, and that a total of perhaps 78,000,000 hogs will be slaughtered in 1923, compared with 62,000,000 in 1921 and 67,000,000 in 1922. In some lines of production prices have been fairly satisfactory, while in other lines low prices have added to the accumulating financial difficulties of the farmers. The farm price of wool is more than twice the pre-war level. The farm price of wool in August, 1921, was but 15.4 cents per pound and in September, 1923, was 37.1 cents. The reduction in the number of sheep, the diminution of stocks of wool and woolen goods during the post-war adjustment, and last, but not the least, the resumption of a protective tariff have stimulated prices of wool. Cotton prices continue at a relatively high level.’ The farm price is now two and a quarter times the pre-war level. The huge surplus of cotton which was carried over at the end of the crop year, July 31, 1921, has been reduced to a point verging upon an actual short- age and the quantity carried into the new season was the smallest in a number of years. The world consumption of American cotton during the year (1922-23) was over 12,500,000 bales and American production was less than 10,000,000 bales. The present status of REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 3 the cotton farmer is not always fully understood. The planter is interested in the price and purchasing power of cotton per pound, but he is more interested in the returns per acre. The ravages of the boll weevil have reduced the production of cotton per acre suffi- ciently to discount to some extent the high prices paid for cotton. Elsewhere in this report reference is made to control measures of this pest. The purchasing power of cotton per acre, which is above the pre-war average, is a better index of the southern planters’ eco- nomic condition than the present high price of cotton. Districts in the South with a fair yield are in a splendid condition. On the other hand, districts like southern Georgia, suffering severely from the boll weevil, are in dire straits. The prices of dairy products did not suffer so much from the drastic deflation following the post-war period as did other farm products. Butter, cheese, and milk have sold at prices remunerative to farmers. Butter is now higher than the general price level. Cheap feed in western butter districts, and high prices and some curtailment of production in milk districts have enabled the dairy farmer to weather the storm with less adversity than those farmers producing commodities a part of which must be exported. Poultry and eggs have also continued on a fairly profitable basis. Besides wool, cotton, chickens, and butter previously mentioned, beans, apples, broomcorn, cabbage, onions, cotton seed, and lambs are higher than the general price level. Horses, rye, barley, timothy seed, oats, hogs, wheat, hay, veal calves, beef cattle, milk cows, corn, clover seed, buckwheat, sweet potatoes, flaxseed, and potatoes are still below the general price level, but many of these products have experienced appreciable advances in price this past year. Flax rose from $1.88 in 1922 to $2.12 in 1923. Oats rose from 34.5 cents to 38.6 cents. Hay from $10.58 to $12.42. Milk cows, $51.62 to $56.13. During no month of 1922 did veal calves sell for as much as in September, 1928. Corn prices have had a very appreciable advance during the past year. The low receipts at primary markets and the low visible sup ply of corn have resulted in rising prices despite the large farm stocks and heavy production during the three years 1920-1922. Corn prices advanced from 61.6 cents for October, 1922, to 85.7 cents in 1923. If all corn could be sold at this price the corn farmer would find him- 4, ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. self in a relatively fortunate position, but since it is the demand for corn to finish the large numbers of hogs in preparation for the market that creates the relative shortage of corn and makes this price possible, and since not over 20 per cent of the crop will be sold as corn, prices of hogs must always be considered in connection with prices of corn. The past year was characterized by enormous increases in hog production, marketing, and slaughter, and by large increases in domestic consumption and foreign trade in lard and pork. The liquidation in the industry that followed the decline in the price of hogs reduced our hog population to a very low point, and this reduction was immediately followed by three bumper corn crops in succession. This resulted in a surplus of corn and a deficiency in hogs and the hog-corn ratio was the highest in many years. As usually occurs after a period of large corn crops, hog production was given a great impetus, and the marketing of hogs for the year ending June 30, 1923, exceeded that for the preceding year by more than 9,000,000 head. As a consequence, hog prices receded sharply and corn fed to hogs is now bringing lower prices than corn sold on the market. BAD WHEAT SITUATION. The discouraging wheat situation is due in part to increased acre- age in response to patriotic appeals and the extraordinary demands for wheat by the war administration. By similar appeals the war administration reduced bread consumption in the homes and took it off the restaurant table. This has definitely reduced the per capita consumption. The evil results of these policies continue. The world wheat production is too great in proportion to the restricted consump- tion. The great wheat producing areas in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Australia increased their annual exports 336,000,000 bushels. At the present time the exports of wheat from these coun- tries are more than twice their pre-war exports and more than com- pensate the former exports from Russia and the Danube Basin and the decreased Indian exports. War has had a marked effect upon the bread grain consumption of some European countries as well as of the United States. The standard of living in some countries has been lowered and cheaper foods substituted for wheat. Wheat has been conserved by “ long REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 5 milling,” mixing, and by feeding less to livestock. The per capita consumption of wheat in the United Kingdom has remained re- markably constant during the last 14 years but declined slightly during the war. In France per capita wheat consumption, including seed, was reduced from an average of 9.3 bushels during the period 1909-1913 to an average of 7.4 bushels during the war period of 1914-1918. Since then the average has increased to 7.7 bushels. Mill- ing restrictions requiring the mixing of from 8 to 10 per cent of sub- stitutes with wheat flour are still in force. The per capita supply of bread grains has also been considerably below normal in Germany and Austria. Thus in selling their surplus wheat the farmers of the United States have to meet increasingly keen competition in a foreign market where the demand has declined. CATTLE AND SHEEP. The 640-acres-grazing homestead act and tariff reduction on wool some years ago depleted the number of sheep on the ranges and stimulated cattle production. The pre-war price of range cattle was. $6.74. In 1922 the price was $6.60. The war stimulation of the range-cattle industry and the consequent advance in cattle values led many producers of range cattle to overextend themselves and make large use of their credit, which was easy at that time. The shrink in values since, combined with unfavorable weather conditions. in some sections, have resulted in severe financial losses. As a result throughout the range country liquidation has been and still is being forced, and large numbers of cattle, cows as well as steers, have been. thrown on the market at ruinous prices. Loans on cows are being: called and new loans on cows very generally refused. This forces too. many cows on the market now and tends toward a shortage later. On the other hand, cattle feeders who finish on grain for market: have fared very well during the past year. Prior to the war cattle. ranging in weight from 1,200 to 1,350 pounds were about 17 per cent above the price of range cattle. In 1922 cattle of this weight sold’ about 36 per cent above the price of range cattle. In 1922 good to prime cattle were about 50 per cent above the price of feeder steers,. while in September, 1923, they ranged to about 70 per cent above. The high industrial activity has given a good market for good beef and has stimulated a demand for the higher grades of cattle which. come finished from the feed lots of the Corn Belt. 6 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. STATE OF AGRICULTURE IN GENERAL. The general agricultural improvement noted is most gratifying to everybody and gives renewed hope to millions of farmers who have struggled against most distressing conditions. This does not warrant the assumption, however, that the state of agriculture in all sections is now satisfactory, viewed either from the standpoint of the farmer or from the standpoint of national interest. In many regions agri- culture still is at a disadvantage. The adverse influences of which mention was made in my report of a year ago still exist, though less powerful than at that time. The ratio between prices of most farm products and prices of other commodities is still far out of line. Industrial wages continue at war-time levels and thus help to main- tain high prices for most of the things the farmer buys. High - freight rates still prevail, and, while not the cause of low farm prices, place one more additional burden upon the farmer which he can ill afford to pay in view of the prices he must take for his prod- ucts; also they place him at a disadvantage with his foreign com- petitors in world markets in the case of those farm products which we export. Unfavorable exchange rates with European countries, to- gether with financial difficulties in those countries which need our sur- plus, make it more difficult for them to buy, and our export outlet for farm commodities is narrowing. Aside from this difficulty, it is to be expected that as the countries of Europe get on their feet, they will strive to produce more of the things they need and buy less from us, and this must be considered in planning our own pro- duction. The costs of retail distribution of farm products are un- reasonably large, thus enhancing the price to the consumer and de- priving the farmer of the benefit of increased consumption which ought to follow lower prices which result from large production. Studies by this department indicate that 42 per cent of the farmers feel that their financial difficulties are due to low prices of farm products; to high taxes, 17 per cent; high costs for farm labor, 11 per cent; high freight rates, 10 per cent; high interest, 10 per cent; reckless expenditures during boom period, 6 per cent; and too much credit, 4 per cent. Too frequently persons who have not inquired into the matter express the opinion that the farmers’ difficulties are due to reckless expenditures for land, speculative securities, and other purposes REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 7 during the flush years. The percentage who suffered in this way, however, does not seem to be very large. The farmers’ troubles are due primarily to the low prices of their farm products and the high prices for the services and articles they must buy. TAXES AND INTEREST. In addition to the handicaps just mentioned there is underlying this agricultural situation the fundamental factor of the lowered price level which has shrunk the purchasing power of the farmer’s income. Economic justice would require that the price level during the years when the debtor is paying individual and public debts should be as high as when these debts were incurred, thus making it possible for him to meet his fixed payments of taxes, interest, and principal with about the quantity of labor or the products of labor required to meet them at the time the debts were incurred. This is not the case now with the farmer. It is not possible to adjust the price level with that nicety which will do justice to everyone, but in so far as it is possible it should be done. Our investigations lead us to estimate the property taxes and interest combined paid by agriculture in the year of 1920 at about $1,457,000,000; in 1921 at $1,684,000,000; and in 1922 at $1,749,000,000. In 1920 practically the entire value of the wheat and tobacco crops, or about two-thirds of the wheat and cotton crops, were required to pay property taxes and interest charges. This was during the period of high prices and lagging charges for taxes and interest. In 1921 property taxes and interest were equal to the entire value of the wheat, oats, potato, and tobacco crops. The wheat and cotton crops combined would pay but five-sixths of the taxes and interest. This was during the period of low prices and rising charges for taxes and interest. In 1922 the value of the wheat, oats, and tobacco crops, and one- half of the potato crop, were required to pay taxes and interest. In that year although cotton was very high in price, taxes and interest charges were equivalent to the entire value of the cotton crop plus two-thirds of the wheat crop. Property taxes increased from $532,000,000 in 1920 to $797,000,000 in 1922. Unfortunately reliable estimates of taxes and interest charges are not available for the pre-war years. It is estimated, however, that 78007—aacr 19232 8 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. property taxes alone in 1914 aggregated about $344,000,000, which was equivalent to less than two-fifths of the 1914 wheat crop, while in 1922 taxes totaled $797,000,000, which was approximately equiva- lent to the total value of the 1921 or the 1922 wheat crops. The wheat crop is approximately equal to the pre-war value, but taxes have more than doubled. It should be kept in mind that the increase in taxes is due to local and State governments, not Federal. Under such a situation farmers who are out of debt can get along fairly well, but those who are heavily in debt, and especially those young farmers who have not become thoroughly established, are having great difficulty in meeting interest and principal on public and private debts. . It would seem to be distinctly in the public interest that the price level during these years when we are working out of war difficulties be maintained at from 60 to 70 per cent above the pre-war level. Just as sound money requires a gold basis so sound business requires an equitable and stable price level. RURAL POPULATION INFLUENCED. The result of the conditions which have prevailed during these years of agricultural deflation is reflected in the steady drift from the farms to the towns. Our estimates indicate that the net change in population from the farm to the town in 1922 was around 1,200,- 000. This drift is taking place not alone in those sections where agricultural depression is being felt most keenly just now but throughout the country. This is illustrated in a number of ways. For example, 4.7 per cent of the habitable farmhouses were vacant in 1920; 5.7 per cent in 1921; and 7.3 per cent in 1922. A recent study indicates that in 1922 farmers occupied 86.3 per cent of the habitable farmhouses as compared with 88.4 per cent in 1921 and 89.7 per cent in 1920. Because of the scarcity of houses available for them nearer their work, many farmhouses within reasonable distances of cities are being occupied by people who work in the cities. In Michigan a special survey made this summer covering a large number of farms indicates that fully 10 per cent of these farms were vacant, and about 13 per cent more were only partially worked. This survey also showed that there were also 16 per cent fewer workers REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 9 on the farms in Michigan than a year ago and that 91 per cent of those leaving the farms did so to better their financial condition, 6 per cent because of old age, and 3 per cent because of other causes. During the year ending February, 1920, it is estimated that 22,000 workers net left the New York farms; in 1921, 24,000 net. For the year ending February, 1922, this number had decreased to 3,000, the explanation being that the unemployment in the cities during 1921 caused many persons to move to the farms. For the year end- ing February 1, 1923, this movement had swung back, and the net movement to the cities was 26,000. It is reasonable to believe that a similar movement from the farms to the cities is general through- out the country, although reliable figures such as have been quoted with reference to New York are not available for other States. Perhaps the movement has not been so large in some other States as in Michigan and New York, which are so highly industrial. FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES. This year the Department of Agriculture instituted an inquiry through both bankers and farmers as to the number of farm owners and farm tenants who lost their farms or property through fore- closure or voluntary relinquishment. It was found that of the owner farmers in 15 corn and wheat producing States on an average over 4 per cent had lost their farms through foreclosure or bankruptcy, while nearly 4.5 per cent had turned over their farms to creditors without legal process, making a total of about 8.5 per cent who had lost their farms with or with- out legal proceedings. In addition, more than 15 per cent were in fact bankrupt, but were holding on through leniency of their cred- itors. Considered by groups of States, the percentage of owner farmers who lost their farms since 1920 was found to be as follows: For 5 east North Central States, nearly 6 per cent; for 7 west North Central States, over 9 per cent; and for 3 Mountain States, nearly 20 per cent. The percentage of tenants who lost their property ran materially higher. The records of the Department of Justice indicate that in the pre- war years 5 per cent of all bankruptcy cases were farmers, but in 1922 it had grown to 14 per cent. In some of these States, where in pre-war years the farmers’ bankruptcy cases represented about 7 per cent of all such cases, this percentage in 1922 had risen to nearly 30. 10 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. These losses have not been due to inefficiency on the part of the farmers. Practically all of them were incurred by men who had been doing fairly well until they entered the period of drastic defla- tion. Some few were caused by overexpansion in the purchase of land during the period of high prices. In general, however, the trouble has been due to the deflation in prices of farm products and the increased cost of production and of the necessaries farmers must buy. THE DRIFT TO THE CITIES. This drift from the farms to the cities is due in part to inability to make a decent living on the farm and in part to the fact that the Nation has been willing to pay higher wages relatively for workers in the industries of various sorts than for workers who are producing food. As long as the unfavorable ratio between agriculture and urban occupations continues an abnormal movement from the farms is not only to be expected but desired. It is one of the ways by which normal balance between agriculture and industry in time may be restored. : From the national viewpoint, however, this movement is to be deplored both because of the conditions which seem to make it neces- sary and because it is draining from the country such a large per- centage of the more intelligent and ambitious young farmers. Agriculture always produces a large surplus population, and under normal conditions feeds into the cities large numbers of the less intelligent, who because of this are not well adapted to modern farming, which requires intelligence of a high order, but are better off in the cities which provide them supervised work. It also sends many young men of superior intelligence who seek wider opportu- nities than exist in the country. In the past both classes have gone to the cities without detriment to either the urban centers or the open country, but conditions which have prevailed for the past three or four years have made drafts upon the best the country produces altogether heavier than is good for either the country or the Nation. DECLINE IN MORALE. The Nation has suffered in another way. The drastic economies which have become necessary on the farms have greatly reduced farm standards of living. They have compelled overwork by the farmers, unaccustomed farm work by farm mothers, increased work REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, 11 by children kept out of school—in too many cases the older children taken out for good. Continued disappointment on the part of all members of the family, worry and discouragement, added to priva- tions, have resulted in the breaking up of many a home. Retrench- ment in support of school and church and restricted recreation and public entertainment became necessary. The farm population of the Nation, although less than 30 per cent of the total, is carrying more than 35 per cent of the child population. The farm is charged with the duty of educating this excess of youth and turning it over to the cities at the producing age. During this period of depression both the children who are to remain on the farms and those who are’ to be turned over to the cities have been deprived to too great an extent of the spiritual and mental training which is so necessary to make them citizens of the right sort. The Nation has suffered equally in depressed morale. There has been no satisfaction in the minds of the farmer or in the minds of the city dwellers over this agricultural depression. The farmer has no challenge to heroism. The farm wife has no glory in her sacri- fice and disappointment and long days of toil. The result has been a social and political unrest which has not contributed to national welfare. The undeserved fate and the powerlessness to pull out of difficulties has lessened hope and developed an unrest which will be felt for a long time. The farmer does not wish to complain, but he is driven to it; and at the same time he resents the condition which makes it necessary to complain. IMPROVEMENT AND SOME REASONS FOR IT. In speaking thus briefly of some of the adverse conditions, it is not with the purpose of painting a dismal picture but solely with the thought that a bad condition can not be corrected unless it is understood. As I said in the beginning, the agricultural situa- tion to-day is very much better than a year ago, while the advance made over the terribly discouraging conditions which were pre- cipitated in 1920 and reached the climax in 1921 is nothing short of remarkable. In general there has been steady improvement since the low point in 1921. No small part of this improvement must be credited to wise legis- lation and to helpful administration. Agriculture and the needs of 12 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. the farmer have received more thoughtful and sympathetic con- sideration by legislative and administrative agencies during the past two and a half years than at any previous period in our history. It is not out of place here again to refer to some of this legislation. The emergency tariff, enacted promptly in 1921, checked the dumping on our markets of surplus agricultural products which had accumulated in other countries. The provision for emergency credit which was made available through banks and cooperative associations saved large numbers of them and their farmer patrons from bankruptcy. The extension of Government supervision over the livestock mar- kets and market agencies has resulted in putting a stop to innumer- able unfair practices, has given assurance of open and competitive markets, and gives opportunity to make a thorough study of the packing and distribution of meats. The law which brings the grain future trading markets under Government supervision has afforded an opportunity for an investi- gation and study of these markets which in time should lead to beneficial results. Cooperative marketing associations have been given protection from unjust prosecution and encouraged to function freely, with the view to enabling their members to reduce marketing costs and market their crops in an orderly manner. The agricultural credits act enables the Federal reserve system to handle agricultural paper for longer time, increases the amount which may be loaned on farm mortgage to the individual farmer, and provides a system of intermediate credit especially adapted to farm needs. This act when under full operation should not only vastly improve farm credit facilities but materially reduce interest rates. These and other laws of real but lesser importance than the ones mentioned have been very helpful in improving agricultural condi- tions. Those who may have hoped that the depression could be turned all at once into a period of prosperity by some sort of legis- lative magic have perhaps béen disappointed, but those who realized that our difficulties grew out of the period of disorganization result- ing from the terrible World War have been able to note beneficial results from this legislation. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 13 All the administrative agencies of the Government have been at work with vigor and good judgment to help overcome the farm troubles, through enlarging consumption at home, extending abroad the markets for the farm surplus, promoting the readjustment of production so far as practicable, gathering and making known infor- mation concerning world consumption and production, and in innu- merable other ways which it is not necessary to set forth here but which will be dealt with later in this report. NEED OF FURTHER IMPROVEMENT. Notwithstanding the progress made toward better times, and not- withstanding all that has been done so well by both legislative and administrative agencies, it ought to be understood clearly that there is still room for much improvement in the state of agriculture and that we can not reasonably expect to attain to that condition of national prosperity for which we hope so earnestly until the farm group, which comprises about 30 per cent of our total population gets its fair share of the national income and is able to sell the prod- ucts of its labor at prices fairly relative to prices of what it buys. Industry, commerce, and industrial labor may prosper for a time at the expense of agriculture, as indeed they have during the past three years, but the longer that continues the more hurtful to the Nation will be the results. The truth of the statement that in the United States national prosperity must rest on a sound and prosperous agriculture stands unchallenged. Producers of those crops which are practically all consumed at home are in the main finding themselves able to make such readjust- ments as are necessary to meet changing markets and prices and are doing so with a courage that commands admiration. In the case of some crops time will be required to make these readjust- ments, especially in regions remote from markets which were brought under production because of favorable freight rates covering long distances. The advance in freight rates has worked great hardship in some of these regions, and if maintained will make necessary a change of markets or of crops. By and large, however, growers of home-consumed crops will gradually adapt themselves to changed conditions, even though at considerable loss. 14 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The case is very different, however, with producers of those crops of which we export a considerable surplus and the price of which is largely influenced by large exports from competing countries which enter the world stream as it flows to points of consumption. Under present conditions these producers find themselves producing at costs beyond their control and which make it impossible for them to compete and live decently. The condition of the wheat grower serves to illustrate the difficulty. He has been producing at prac- tically war costs and is meeting competition which forces him to sell at prices well below the actual cost of production. The result is that those farmers who depend mainly, or evenly largely, on wheat as a source of income are going back steadily year by year. Thou- sands of them already have gone bankrupt, and more are well on the way. THE WHEAT SITUATION. Speaking of the wheat situation and proposals for relief of the wheat grower, Secretary Wallace says: There has been prepared in this department a very complete re- port on the wheat situation in all of its aspects. This report will be made available to those who may have occasion to use it, and it is not necessary here to add to what has already been said on page 4. Many suggestions have been made as to ways by which the wheat grower might be helped out of his distressing situation. Among these may be mentioned: Reduction of acreage. Since the acreage was largely increased to meet war demands, and since we now have a surplus, reduced pro- duction is looked to at once as the obvious cure. Diversification—the growing of other crops from which part of the necessary income may be derived. The organization of the wheat growers into a powerful coopera- tive. The fixing by the Government of an arbitrary price which will cover cost of production. Liberalizing the immigration law to bring in farm laborers and thus reduce cost of production. Also to bring in industrial workers in the hope of reducing industrial wages. An increase in the tariff. The purchase of the surplus by the Government and storing it against a time of short production. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 15 The sale of fifty to one hundred million bushels to European Governments whose people can not afford to buy, but who are in urgent need of food. The purchase of the surplus by a Government agency and selling it at a lower price in the world market. Combination of two or more of the suggestions made. Reduction of acreage has been taking place at a rate much greater than is generally realized. The acres of wheat harvested increased from 47,000,000 before the war to a peak of 75,000,000 in 1919, From that high point the acreage has shrunk to 58,000,000 the current year. This shrinkage has been due to the substitution of other crops for wheat where such substitution offered a possible profit, to the abandonment of wheat farms in regions where because of repeated crop failures or financial stress such abandonment was forced, and to the reduction of acreage on other farms and ranches because of shortage of labor at a price the wheat grower could afford to pay. The acreage in wheat is still larger than is necessary to meet the needs of home consumption, assuming that: we have normal crop years, and reduction is going on. It must be kept in mind, however, that in large areas of the West and Northwest soil and climate are better adapted to the production of wheat than any other crop. Farmers in those sections are fixed for growing wheat, their farm equipment is adapted to it. They can not all at once change to another crop, even if some other crop gave fair assurance of profit. On the whole, the shrinkage in acreage has been as rapid as could be expected. In many sections of the country which heretofore have specialized on wheat substantial progress has been made in diversification. A study of the tables and graphs which will be found in our special wheat report tells this story very clearly. But diversification in any large way requires that more of the land be fenced, more build- ings provided, more machinery of a different kind purchased. It also requires a better knowledge of general farming methods. In short, the wheat farmer must have both time and money to shift into more general farming, even in regions where that is clearly the best thing to do. Most of them, however, probably can and should pro- duce on their own farms more of the milk, butter, eggs, meat, and vegetables which they need for their own tables and thus cut down a 16 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. substantial part of the out-of-pocket expense. Cooperation of Fed- eral and State agencies with local committees to help worthy farmers help themselves ought to be productive of good results. The idea that the Government can arbitrarily fix a price that will cover cost of production and by this means restore prosperity to the wheat grower is no longer entertained by any considerable number. It is clear that such a course would simply stimulate pro- duction, not alone in the wheat country proper but in the great humid sections which can produce large crops of winter wheat and will if the price is more attractive than the prices of corn and oats. A Government fixed price would make it necessary for the Govern- ment to be prepared to buy at that price, and without some means of disposing of the surplus bought our last state would be worse than the present. The bringing in of foreign farm laborers with the thought of reducing production costs through cheaper farm labor seems vision- ary. The pull of higher industrial wages would operate about as effectively on them as on our own people. If they should stay on the farms and thereby increase production, that would hurt rather than help, for we already have more farm production in important crops than can be sold at a fair price. A large increase in labor in the industrial centers might tend to reduce costs of the things the farmer buys and would add that many more mouths to be fed here. The purchase and holding by the Government of our surplus wheat might prove of temporary help, provided an advance in price, which is the object sought, should be protected by the neces- sary advance in the tariff. The existence of a large surplus, how- ever, would exert a constant downward pressure on the price of the next crop, large or small. Unless production is controlled, an annual crop, except for a reasonable carry over, must be sold annually. The proposal to sell a considerable part of our surplus to some country which can not buy for cash but which is in urgent need of food is worthy of consideration. This would involve selling on long time and taking evidences of indebtedness, issued by State or municipal governments, calling for payment over a term of years. ©ommercial exporters can not extend credit for the length of time needed nor safely take the risks involved, but the Government, through some suitable agency, might well consider it. Such plan REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 17 contemplates the free distribution of the wheat, or preferably flour, by the purchasing government and the amount thus sold would be taken out of the competing market. The existing tariff has given a substantial measure of protection to the growers of certain varieties of wheat but not sufficient to make good the difference in cost of production and marketing here and in some competing countries when all factors are considered. Any effort which has the effect of advancing wheat prices at home must be supported by an advance in the tariff on wheat. A study of the conditions which influence the cost of wheat production in the United States and Canada has already been submitted to you. The organization of wheat growers into a successful powerful cooperative marketing association might enable them to control the flow of wheat to market more effectively and to reduce marketing costs. It ought to be possible, although admittedly difficult, to adapt to wheat marketing the methods which have proved successful in the marketing of many other farm products. But the amalgama- tion of the many existing associations into one powerful body and bringing into it the large number still unorganized is the work of years. Even if it were done now, the fundamental difficulties of the wheat grower right now are too deep-seated to be eliminated by such an organization. The proposal, which has been advanced and considered from time to time for two years past, to set up a Government agency with broad powers to buy and export wheat and other agricultural com- modities of which we produce a large exportable surplus, is in my judgment one of the proposals which like several others is worthy of renewed consideration at the present time. The objective to be attained is to secure for wheat and other agricultural products an exchange value approximately equal to what it was before the war. As has been said often, one of the chief causes of the agricultural depression is that farm commodities are relatively far cheaper than before the war. The price of wheat in dollars at terminal markets is not far from pre-war prices in dollars, but a bushel of wheat on the farm will buy much less of the things farmers need or desire than before the war. The end sought, therefore, is to put farm products on a price plane comparable with the price plane of other commodities. 18 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The proposal in question contemplates the setting up of a Govern- ment export commission charged with the duty of disposing of the surplus in the form of wheat or flour in such a manner that the domestic price may rise behind an adequate tariff barrier to the point of restoring the pre-war purchasing power of wheat in the domestic market. Such an agency would need money with which to operate, and it is proposed to start it with a working capital of, say, $50,000,000, that being the approximate sum which the Government made in the way of profit by its war-time handling of wheat and flour when the price of wheat was arbitrarily con- trolled and held below the price at which it would have sold without such control. In case losses should be incurred because of the character of its operations, it is proposed to recover the losses through the levy of an excise tax on the crop of wheat itself. In the end the cost would be paid, not out of the Public Treasury but from assessment on the growers benefited and should not be large. That in briefest form is the essence of the plan suggested. It is not a proposal for price fixing, as that is generally understood. It might be described as a plan to give the wheat grower the measure of protection which is given to so many other groups by making fully effective the principle of the protective tariff on a commodity of which we produce a surplus and which is suffering from destructive competition in a depressed foreign market. Or it may be described as a plan by which the Government, without material loss to itself, undertakes to do for the wheat growers what they can not now do for themselves—bring them into a general wheat pool through the opera- tion of which they may secure a fair price. . The proponents of this plan suggest that it avoids the stimulus to overproduction which is a serious objection to arbitrary price fixing, and that the mechanism of marketing wheat now existent need not be seriously interfered with, assuming that exporters evidenced a will- © ingness to cooperate with the export corporation. This is impor- tant, because the reason for the corporation should gradually disap- pear as the reestablishment of normal conditions through natural economic forces restore normal price ratios. While the plan proposed could be applied more easily to wheat than to some other agricultural products, obviously if favorably con- sidered it should not be confined to dealing in wheat alone. It should REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 19 include all agricultural products of which we have a considerable ex- portable surplus and the prices of which are substantially out of line. Especially should provision be made for handling pork products, of which we export large quantities and which also were brought un- der Government control during the war. Many objections, some of real merit, can be urged against the scheme proposed. It is conceivable that there are some obstacles which may not be easy to overcome. However, there seems to be so much of merit in the proposal that it is worthy of the most pains- taking analysis and the most critical scrutiny. The principles in- voked are such as have been successfully applied in times past by private initiative by industries which have successfully disposed abroad of an embarrassing surplus. If farmers could control their production as does organized in- dustry, or if they could exact a price for their labor as does organized labor, unusual action by Government might not be demanded so urgently. It is just as well to keep in mind that both industry and labor are beneficiaries of Government action and that such action during the war and the two years following has added not a little to the farmer’s difficulties. It is well to remember also that our population is growing rapidly and that before many years there will be a home demand for even more of farm products than we are now producing. If, during this period of agricultural distress, we permit production to be shrunk to present needs by driving farmers from the land and into the cities, we shall be under the necessity of reclaiming at large expense the productive land which is now being abandoned. And if we should experience one or two years of short crops while this process is going on, the consuming population will find itself compelled to pay prices for farm products which will impose upon it a burden comparable to that under which the farmer has been groaning. On the assumption that it is the national purpose to keep our- selves on a self-sustaining basis agriculturally, wisdom would seem to justify going to some trouble to help farmers bridge over a period of depression caused by an economic cataclysm. Precisely that thing has been done in the case of labor and of some industries. Those who urge that economic laws should now be permitted to have free play with agriculture do not give full consideration to what hap- pened during the war and for two years afterwards. 20. ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. HELPING FARMERS TO HELP THEMSELVES. Whatever may or may not be done by government, it is perfectly clear that the success of the individual farmer will depend on his own efforts. That he must work hard goes without saying, but under present conditions it must be work with the head as well as the hands. The crops to be grown and the kind of farming to be fol- lowed must be determined not alone with an understanding of the conditions which influence production but with some knowledge of the prospective demand for those crops and some study of the con- ditions which are likely to influence the price. The Department of Agriculture is trying to help the farmer help himself both. in de- termining what to grow and how to grow it and in putting in his hands the kind of information concerning domestic and foreign con- ditions which he needs to produce and market to the best advantage. The change in railway rates has led to the necessity of readjust- ing the agriculture in the regions surrounding many of our cities. Food products which were formerly produced under more favorable soil and climatic conditions and shipped great distances can, with present freight rates, be produced on the neighboring farms and delivered to these cities with profit. A start has been made in help- ing the farmers around certain centers of population to solve their problems of readjustment to these changed conditions. Joint mar- ket demand and farm management surveys have been made for Altoona, Pa.; Boston and Springfield, Mass.; New York City, and Tulsa, Okla. It is believed that owing to lack of information with regard to local demands, foods are often shipped great distances when they might be sold with greater profit close at hand. The pur- pose of these surveys is to help farmers make the readjustments in their farming and marketing which will enable them to provide the local markets, so far as they can profitably do so, with such food products as have formerly been shipped great distances. In the larger cities the study of market demand has a broader significance than providing information for the near-by producers. The mar- ket analysis research which has been conducted for the past two years in New York City and Boston looks toward the development of methods of measuring and forecasting the market demand in these consuming'centers. Other consuming centers, particularly those located in the one-crop producing areas, should be surveyed in a REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 21 similar manner. It is hoped that State agencies will take up these studies, as it is impossible for this department to pursue them in any large portion of the country. WORLD DEMAND FOR FARM PRODUCTS. ‘To compete successfully the farmers of the United States need to know the world demand for the commodities of which they pro- duce a surplus for the world markets and the conditions under which their competitors are producing. To meet this need a world crop and market reporting service has been developed for the pur- pose of collecting, summarizing, and interpreting information as to demand and competition in foreign markets. The International Institute of Agriculture has greatly improved its reporting service to the Department of Agriculture in the past year. The institute has promptly cabled reports of conditions and estimates of important crops and livestock from all of the countries of the world reporting to the institute. For example, an estimate of the wheat crop in Argentina is cabled to the institute within a few hours after the estimate has been released in Argentina and in turn is cabled to the United States, and the same day this report is broad- casted from the Department of Agriculture by radio, telegraph, and press release. In this way the farmer may know as soon as the trader the size or condition of the crop in other parts of the world. Greater use will be made of this and other information on agriculture in foreign countries as its value to agriculture in this country is more fully recognized. SURVEY OF WORLD AGRICULTURE AND WORLD MARKETS. To continue to adjust American agriculture to meet the needs of an ever-changing world market situation, it is necessary to know the trend of production in foreign competing countries. The war had a profound effect upon many of our competitors as well as upon our own markets. As in the United States, the conditions of production in these countries are continually changing. To meet the need for such information a world survey of agricultural production has been inaugurated. A close study has been made of agricultural conditions in Europe with a view to a better understanding of the rapidity with which 22 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. the peoples of western Europe were reestablishing their pre-war normal in agricultural production, and particularly in order that the American farmers might be informed regarding the revival of those lines of agriculture in eastern Europe which compete with the American farmer on the western European markets. Detailed studies have been made of the agriculture of the Danube Basin, and a survey of western Europe is now in progress. Detailed reports have also been made on agricultural competition and demand in Argentina, Chile, and Peru. Representatives of the department are stationed in England and Germany for the purpose of reporting on agricultural and other conditions affecting the demand for farm products. These repre- sentatives, through their contacts with importers of farm products, with Government officials who know agricultural conditions, and through direct study of the agriculture of the countries in which they are located, have kept the department informed by radio and by cable of the important developments in foreign crop and market conditions. Representatives of the department are sent abroad from time to time to help our foreign buyers to a better understanding of the United States grades and standards which form the basis of com- mercial transactions in farm products exported from the United - States. Thus the foreign work not only provides information which facilitates the better adjustment of American agriculture to world conditions but services are rendered also which facilitate the mar- keting of our agricultural surpluses. FORECASTS OF CROP AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION. The value of accurate forecasts of crop and livestock production can not be questioned. The more that is known of what is likely to occur in the future, the more intelligently can plans be made. This is particularly true regarding agricultural production, for which the machinery, when once put in motion, must usually be kept going throughout the season, regardless of the fact that pro- duction may be greatly in excess of the demand at prices that will be profitable to the producer. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 23 INTENTIONS-TO-PLANT SURVEYS. Producers need information to guide them in making proper adjustments between the acreage planted to the various crops. The department began last spring to furnish this information. This was done by securing from many thousands of farmers prior to spring planting statements of the number of acres of various crops which they intended to plant. A similar report relating to fall- sown crops was issued in August. These reports will be issued semi- annually hereafter. When the purpose and value of these reports on intentions to plant are thoroughly understood they will exert an important influence and assist materially in adjusting acreage by preventing the over or under planting of particular crops. Although this is the first year that this work has been attempted, favorable results have already been noted. A study is under way to ascertain in a scientific manner the factors which should be considered in forecasting the price of a particular product. There are signs of price changes which appear before the changes occur and serve as advance indications of the price movements. The practical purpose of the price analysis work is to give the farmer the benefit of a scientific analysis of price movements so that he may be able to make the best estimate possible from the facts available. Farmers of necessity make production and price forecasts. On the basis of their forecasts they plan what they will undertake for the coming year, how much land they will use, the acreage they will put into each of the various crops, the livestock they will keep, and when they will market their products. While forecasts have always been made by farmers, it is believed that facts can be fur- nished which will make their forecasting more accurate than it ever has been. The “intentions-to-plant” reports are not in any sense fore- casts of acreage or yield, although they have sometimes been taken as such. They indicate what is in the farmer’s mind at the time the report is made. When the general intention is made known indi- vidual farmers can then change their intention in the light of the new information. Following the reports on “intentions-to-plant ” mentioned above, it was felt that a comprehensive estimate of the general outlook 78007—acr 1923 8 24 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. would be of special value to producers. A group of well-known economists and statisticians were invited to meet in Washington on April 20 last to consider the report on intended crop plantings and other materials relating to demand, and to prepare a statement on the general factors now underlying the agricultural situation with a view to furnishing all possible bases for intelligent adjustment of production to demand. This committee drafted a concise statement on the general economic outlook which it is believed has been of material aid to all agricultural interests. This group met again on July 11 to consider the foreign and do- mestic demands for farm products, the wheat situation, and the corn- hog situation. A valuable report was prepared, consisting largely of the presentation and interpretation of data collected by the Bu- reau of Agricultural Economics, which set forth the salient facts governing the agricultural outlook at that time. This report has been received with much interest by farmers, bankers, traders, and many others interested in the agricultural situation. COMPARATIVE ESTIMATES A GUIDE TO MARKETING. Producers also need information to guide them in determining when to sell their crops and livestock. This need the department is striving to meet by issuing promptly after harvest, as a supplement to the regular forecasts of production, an estimate of the quantity of each crop produced, together with comparisons with previous years. In order to give a more complete picture, information concerning foreign production is also gathered and published. Thousands of farmers study these reports from month to month and are guided in their marketing operations by them. PIG SURVEYS. The special pig report which was issued in June, a year ago, showed a marked increase in the intentions of the farmers to breed for fall pigs, the increase amounting to 49 per cent in the Corn Belt States. When the report was made in December showing the actual number of fall farrowings, it indicated that this intention had been practically cut in two. Undoubtedly the information furnished by the department as to the increase had an important effect in re- ducing the fall pig crop to a more reasonable basis. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 25 The report of July 1 of this year showing intentions to breed for fall pigs again showed an increase for fall farrowings, but judging from the large number of sows which have been going to market during the summer, farmers changed their plans when they learned the general intention and the actual fall farrowings will fall much below the expressed intentions of the farmers. That is the result to be desired from these reports. Receipts at the various markets, which permit the checking up of these estimates, indicate that it will be possible to forecast quite accurately the probable movement of hogs to market several months in advance of the actual movement. ACREAGE ESTIMATES IMPROVED. The problem of estimating acreage is one of the most difficult con- fronting the crop forecaster. In order to secure greater accuracy, therefore, a measuring instrument has been devised for attaching to an automobile by which the linear measurement of all fields in various crops bordering on highways can be easily and quickly made. By covering sufficient territory a very accurate ratio between the areas in different crops can be determined and by covering the same highways year after year, the change in acreages in various crops can be worked out. Successful experiments have been made with this instrument and it will be used in practically all States hereafter. LIVESTOCK REPORTING. This year a long step in advance has been taken in the work of livestock reporting. Practically a new service has been started for the purpose of estimating actual production for market, available supplies, and movement of cattle and sheep. Estimates were issued on December 1, January 1, and March 1, last, of the number of cattle and sheep on feed in the Corn Belt as well as in the western States. Weekly reports were issued during the height of the season of the lamb movement in the Colorado-Nebraska district, showing the actual movement to market. The total number of lambs shipped out of this district checked very closely with the estimates made at the beginning of the season. Reports of the available supply of feeder cattle for spring and fall shipment were made for a number of western States, and hereafter will be made for all States which 26 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ship feeders. Reports were also made monthly for 17 western States showing pasture and feed conditions, as well as the condition of livestock on the ranges. An immense amount of historical data for previous years was compiled from the records of railroads, stock- yards, concentration points, local packing establishments, and other such agencies, in order to secure a background for the quantitative estimates of movement. | COST OF PRODUCTION. Cost data form the basis of the selection and combination of livestock and erops so that the largest net return may be secured by the farmer. Through cost studies farmers learn how to reduce their costs through more efficient management. Cost of production data are being gathered in representative areas throughout the United States with this object in view. The material is being used by large numbers of producers in these areas in the organization and operation of their farms. The department is building a structure of index numbers of costs of production, national in scope, which will give the trend of pro- duction costs for all the important farm products entering into domestic and foreign commerce. The factors of production, such as labor, equipment, machinery, and fertilizer are being obtained in quantity as well as value units, which make possible a compari- son of the basic requirements in agriculture with those of manu- facture and public utilities. These agricultural cost trends should be very valuable to our legislators in deciding agricultural policies, to the farmers in helping them forecast probable cost trends, and to those industries directly dependent upon the farmer in planning their production programs. Knowledge of price and production trends helps farmers decide what to produce and helps to stabilize production. Standards of production are being worked out also from which farmers can judge the efficiency of their own operations. Cost studies are furnishing information of specific value at the present time in the boll-weevil-infested areas of the South. The gradual expansion of the boll-weevil area has led to a study of the cost of the cultural methods and practices and crop rotation sys- tems which best combat the weevil. On the basis of these studies systems of cotton farming are being worked out with a view to securing the highest net return per unit of expenditure. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULYIUBE. 27 The disastrous financial condition of so many of the range cattle producers at the present time has led to the general belief by many western cattle producers that possibly some changes in their methods of meat production should be made. In an endeavor to be of assist- ance to the beef producers, field work in ranch costs and manage- ment was begun in the spring of 1922. These ranch studies are being combined with similar studies on cattle using the national forest ranges. From this work the department will be in position to make known the methods of handling and systems of beef produc- tion which will produce the best results under present conditions. READJUSTING THE FARM PROGRAM. Hand in hand with the cost of production studies are the studies of farm management and farm practice. The work in farm man- agement in the past has been largely the studying of normal agri- culture. This year we have turned our attention to applying the results of our studies of normal agriculture to unusual conditions which exist in many sections. For example, the northern Great Plains area has suffered severely. The Department of Agriculture during the past year was called into conference with the agricultural colleges in this region with a view to devising some measure of relief for the farmers in the Northwest. This region during the last years of the war, when the price of wheat was high, suffered an unprecedented series of dry seasons which greatly reduced agricultural production, and more recently the price of wheat has been far below the cost of produc- tion. As a consequence land values have depreciated, farmers have become discouraged, and the prosperity of the region has been in grave jeopardy. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, a spring wheat regional council was organized in the department about a year ago. SPRING WHEAT COUNCIL. This council appointed two committees to cooperate with similar committees representing the agricultural colleges in the spring wheat States, one committee dealing with production and the other with the marketing of agricultural commodities in that region. At a conference held in St. Paul last January a report was prepared containing recommendations of measures which it was believed would help provide immediate relief to the farmers of the region. 28 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. A comprehensive study of farm organization and land utilization in the region has been begun by the department in order to deter- mine in just what parts of the region a permanently profitable agri- culture can be established and just what types of farming are best suited to the different parts of the region. AGRICULTURAL CREDIT. The agricultural credits act of 1923 established 12 intermediate credit banks, one to serve each of the Federal land-bank districts, It increases from six months to nine months the term of discount on agricultural and livestock paper by the Federal reserve banks. It broadens the definition of agricultural paper so as to include credit used in the preparation for market and the marketing of agricultural products by farmers’ cooperative associations. It increases from $10,000 to $25,000 the maximum mortgage loan to individual farmers by the Federal land banks. It gives the borrowers from the land banks a measure of control of these institutions. It authorizes the organization of national agricultural credit corporations which will prove of special benefit to the parts of the country where the live- stock industry is most prominent. While the law does not authorize direct loans to individual farmers, local agricultural credit corporations may be organized by such farm- ers in order to obtain discount privileges. In some States evidently the State laws must be amended before farmers can get the full bene- fit of the Federal Jaw in this way. Bankers and business men in com- munities where present facilities are inadequate may also organize such corporations. Only in localities where present credit facilities are inadequate or where local banks, by reason of the limitation upon interest rates provided in the law, or for other reasons, refuse to avail themselves of the facilities for intermediate credit afforded them by the new banks, is it believed necessary or desirable that agri- cultural credit corporations should be established. This agricultural credits act if vigorously administered should be most helpful in furnishing the sort of credit needed to meet the peculiar needs of the farmer. INCREASED ACTIVITY UNDER THE WAREHOUSE ACT. Changes have been taking place in methods of marketing and financing farm products due to the increased credit facilities which REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 29 have been extended to farmers and the development of the federally licensed warehouse. For example, the cotton which was formerly sold abroad quickly and financed abroad is now held in this country, warehoused and financed in this country, and sold gradually. The year 1923 marked the greatest progress in the licensing of pub- lic warehousemen under the United States warehouse act for the storage of agricultural products since its passage in 1916. This is shown in the following table: Number of licensed warehouses. To April 1, 1921. To June 30, 1922. To June 30, 1923. Kind of ware- ouse. Num- : Num- : Num- ‘ nec! Capacity. i Capacity. her Capacity. CoOLLOn sa ts ccdae- 238 | 429,975 bales......- 270 | 1,210,000 bales..... 331 | 2,639,200 bales. Grainkiecssnseoscs 56 | 2,108,400 bushels - . 265 | 14,450,000 bushels. -| 231 | 20,297,047 bushels. Wooless.20 es a2. 5- 5 | 24,375,000 pounds... 18 | 27,500,000 pounds. .| 15 | 32,100,000 pounds. Tobacco..........-|..c-.c2.|eceeeeeeeeee-----e--| 14 | 68,400,000 pounds..| 51 | 219,475,000 pounds. Much of the progress made is attributable to the attitude taken by growers’ cooperative associations and bankers toward receipts issued under the law. A number of cotton and tobacco growers’ cooperative associations refuse to place cotton or tobacco in any warehouse not licensed by the department. Resolutions favoring the licensing of warehouses under the United States warehouse act have been adopted by many banking and clearing house associations. The Federal Farm Loan Board, in administering the intermediate farm credits act of 1923, in its preliminary rules and regulations included a rule reading as follows: “Intermediate credit banks will accept the receipt of any warehouse licensed and bonded under the Federal warehouse act.” The formation of cooperative growers’ associations, the improved credit facilities made available by the Government, and the attitude of large banks are all encouraging the producer to hold his crops for a longer period after harvesting and thus encouraging more orderly marketing. The Federal warehouse act has clearly demonstrated its value in this movement. Until February 23, 1923, the act applied only to cotton, grain, wool, and tobacco. On that date the law was amended so as to apply to such agricultural products as might be considered properly stor- 30 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. able under the act. The department has since received requests from many sections for licensing warehouses for the storage of beans, eggs, and other cold-storage products, apples, potatoes, and many other products. Just as fast as the necessary trained men can be found to add to the staff, warehouses for the storage of additional products will be proclaimed licensable. MARKET NEWS SERVICE EXPANSION. This year marks the first substantial expansion in the market news service of the department since the funds were curtailed at the close of the World War. For the present fiscal year Congress increased the appropriation for this work by nearly $300,000, this increase being granted for the purpose of extending the service to the far West and to the South. On July 1 the leased wire was opened to San Francisco, passing through Denver and Salt Lake City, and or September 1 a similar wire was opened to Atlanta, Ga., passing through Richmond, Va., and Raleigh, N. C. Offices at Los Angeles and Portland, Oreg., were opened on July 1, and are reached ey radio and commercial wire service from San Francisco. New branch offices were opened in both the West and South to collect and disseminate market information. While this expansion does not restore the nation-wide system that existed during the war- emergency period, the extension to the far West and to the South are making our market reports available to a very large number of producers. This extension has imposed a heavy burden upon the working force in the larger market centers, however,-and further additions to these forces will be necessary in order to maintain the scope and quality of the work. Before the extension to the Pacific coast can be of the greatest usefulness it will be necessary to increase our program by reporting a number of crops, such as prunes, which heretofore have not been covered. Urgent demand has been made upon the department also for the reopening of branch offices in a number of important eastern markets, but until additional funds are made available it will not be possible to meet this demand. RADIO NEWS SERVICE. Radio broadcasting as a means of disseminating market informa- tion has been given a thorough trial during the past year and has REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 31 fully demonstrated its value. Through the cooperation of the Navy Department the high-powered radio stations at Arlington, Va., Great Lakes, Ll., and San Francisco, Calif., have been used in transmitting market information which has reached a large portion of the country. The secondary broadcasting by radio telephone has been further developed, an’ now any farmer who has an adequate receiving set may get full market reports from the air in practically every part of the United States. An inquiry among county agents showed that the number of receiving sets on farms is rapidly approaching a quarter of a million and that through the distribution of these reports by local schools, farmers’ organizations, business houses, etc., the market information is becoming available to a large proportion of our farmers. INCREASED DEMAND FOR INFORMATION ON AGRICULTURAL SITUATION. Conditions during the past year throughout the country have tended to increase the demands made upon the Department of Agri- culture for facts and figures which help to interpret the constantly changing situation. In line therewith the department has attempted to make still more effective its machinery for disseminating timely economic information. Through its extension organization it has succeeded in maintaining excellent contact for this purpose with farmers and farm leaders. Charts and statistical summaries have been sent out at regular intervals and these have been widely used by individuals and the press. A condensed summary has been prepared each month, showing the trend of important economic factors, such as production, consumption, movement, and prices. This monthly summary has been issued as a mimeographed circular under the title “The Agricultural Situation.” This circular con- tains a terse statement of the month’s developments in production, prices, movement to market, exports, cold storage, and business fac- tors reflecting demand for farm products. SHIPPING POINT INSPECTION SERVICE. For the fiscal year 1923 Congress authorized this department to inspect fruit and vegetables at shipping points. This opened the field for a new service of supreme importance to the fruit and vegetable industry, as it makes it possible for producers and ship- 32 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. pers wherever the service is available to secure an inspection by a Federal inspector before the product is shipped. This service is permissive only. The certificates issued are prima facie evidence in the courts of the United States as to the grade and quality of the product inspected. In many shipping areas the demand for this service was already loud and insistent. To meet this active and potential demand it is estimated that no less than 1,000 inspectors will ultimately be necessary, although a majority of them will be part-time men. It should be noted that over 550 inspectors have been licensed during the first three months of the current fiscal year. It is expected that this work will pay its own way through the fees collected, but these fees must be made reexpendable or there must be provided a fund of about $1,000,000 annually upon which to draw for salaries and expenses. The act, however, carried not a dollar of increase for the inspection item, although the work to be done at shipping points is fully ten times as extensive as that previously done in the terminal markets, where an average of 50 inspectors were employed. The department was therefore limited to such work as could be done through cooperative agreements with certain States, especially those whose officers could operate revolving funds. Under these agreements the inspectors have been employed and paid by the State, and the fees have been assessed by, paid to, and reexpended by the State. We have licensed these inspectors, supervised their work, and charged the State a fee, which has gone to the United States Treasury as miscellaneous receipts. Although active work has been possible in less than half the States, certificates were issued on 72,666 carloads of produce at shipping points and on 28,169 cars in terminal markets. This means that every one of these shippers held prima facie evidence of having made a good delivery if he based his sale on the Federal certificate. It means also that every buyer who demanded “ Government certificate attached to bill of lading” bought with assurance that a competent and impartial inspection had determined the variety and grade of the fruits or vegetables offered him. The economic results of this innovation have been spectacular in the swiftness of their development. They promise to be well-nigh REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 33 revolutionary in their ultimate effect upon fruit and vegetable marketing. First, the true meaning of standardization has been brought home to the grower as never before. Second, the growers’ organizations have improved the quality of their offerings and have found a new and acceptable basis for pooling. Third, potato growers especially have learned what sort of stock should not be shipped at all except in years of extremely high prices. Fourth, the shipper has a new basis upon which to offer his prod- uct and has no fear that the prospective buyer will discount his statements. Fifth, the buyer can order in safety without seeing the goods. Sixth, the certificate acts as a general insurance policy in case of loss or damage in transit. The trade quickly realized that this service made possible a new system of car-lot marketing. Auction companies have been formed in both eastern and western cities which sell only cars in transit and on which certificates have been issued. The success of this system has been marked from the start. On the first 500 cars of cantaloupes thus sold the commissions were only one-third as high as those generally prevailing at the time. The final destination of the car was determined during its first day on the road, and it moved without indirection or delay to the place of consumption. Meantime the shipper had his money, transmitted by telegraph, within 48 hours after loading his car. Thus has the road between producer and consumer been shortened and straightened, and a clear saving of 10 per cent of the f. o. b. price has been effected by the shipper. Prior to last year our inspection service in terminal markets had never earned in fees more than five-sevenths of the appropriation made by Congress for this work. Last year, without curtailing the city service and without a dollar of increase for this item, we more than trebled the number of cars inspected and have returned to the Treasury six-sevenths of the amount appropriated. When considered in connection with the profound reforms and economies to which the work has given rise, this is one of the most marked accomplish- ments of the year in our entire field of economic service. 34 ' ANNUAL REPORTS. OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. STANDARDIZATION OF FARM PRODUCTS UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED. The benefits from well defined and generally accepted standards for farm products are no longer seriously questioned. With pre- miums being paid for products of uniform grade, coupled with high costs of transporting and handling nonstandardized products, farmers have come to realize the value of this work. Standardiza- tion of fruits and vegetables received fresh impetus from the inau- guration of the shipping point inspection; as uniform standards are fundamentally necessary to the successful operation of an inspection service. At the present time Federal standards are being used for a large number of the most important fruits and vegetables, and many of these standards have been made mandatory under State laws. After several years of intensive work, Federal grades were rec- ommended for a number of the most important types of hay. These grades have been very well received on the part of producers and the trade, and are used as the basis for the inspection service on hay which was inaugurated on July 1 of this year. On February 23, 1923, the warehouse act was amended so as to permit of the storage of any agricultural product, considered by this department to be properly storable, in a federally licensed warehouse. As a preliminary step to the enforcement of this act, it is necessary to establish Federal standards for all products to be stored in licensed warehouses. Tentative standards have been established covering dark-fired, flue-cured and sun-cured types of tobacco of Virginia and the Carolinas and the dark-fired tobacco of Kentucky. Other tentative standards have been recommended and investigations are being con- tinued. The department’s market classification for livestock has been further revised and is without doubt the most complete classifica- tion for meat animals ever attempted and constitutes a long step forward in standardization. Classes and grades of dressed meats have also been prepared which are proving of great benefit to the livestock and meat trade. In response to strong appeals from both the domestic and foreign trade, Federal grades for rye were promulgated on July 1 of this year. These grades have received hearty indorsement from all REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 35 branches of the trade. The demand for these grades by buyers in Europe, as well as by the domestic trade, indicates a wholesome con- fidence in the value of inspection certificates issued by licensees of this department. UNIVERSAL STANDARDS FOR AMERICAN COTTON. An outstanding accomplishment of the year has been the estab- lishment of universal standards for American cotton. With the passage of the United States cotton standards act on March 4, 1923, requiring the use of the official cotton standards of the United States in interstate and foreign commerce, the desirability of an international agreement on standards became increasingly evident. Accordingly, a conference was called at Washington on June 11, 1923, at which representatives from the leading cotton exchanges of Europe met representatives of the American cotton trade and officials of the Department of Agriculture, and reached an agree- ment that the official cotton standards of the United States for grade and color with some slight modifications should be adopted as uni- versal standards for American cotton. It was agreed that in so far as commerce in American cotton is concerned the entire world will use identical names to represent standard qualities. Contracts covering the agreements and rules under which the foreign trade in American cotton is to be conducted have been signed by the Liverpool Cotton Association, Manchester Cotton Association, the Havre Cotton Association, Bremen Cot- ton Association, Barcelona Cotton Association, and Rotterdam Cotton Association. By this agreement the international cotton business will be greatly simplified and the cause for disputes and reclamations largely eliminated, as the same standard will be applied to the cotton throughout its entire course from the time it leaves the farmer until it reaches the spinner in any part of the world. The path between the farmer and the consumer will be shortened, with the result that the producer will receive a larger share of the proceeds from the sale of his cotton to the European spinner. GRAIN-CLEANING DEMONSTRATIONS, One of the most serious problems in connection with the grading of wheat has been the question of dockage. Records for the past 18 years show that wheat arriving at terminal markets has been 36 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. marketed with increasing amount of trash and foreign material. Fer example, with respect to hard red spring wheat produced in the central spring-wheat belt, records covering a recent crop move- ment show that there was marketed with the wheat over 10,000,000 bushels of trash and foreign material. This is a burden upon the producer of wheat and represents an economic waste which this department has been working to overcome with a view to putting more dollars into the farmer’s pocket for the wheat he produces. To accomplish this, the department has developed a cleaning device de- signed for attachment to threshing machines. Educational work is being carried on to bring about the general use of this device and to demonstrate the value of marketing clean grain, as it will insure enormous financial benefit to the wheat grower. AUTHENTIC FARM POPULATION STATISTICS. A detailed study of the movement of farm population in eight rural counties of the United States from census reports of 1920 is practically completed. This study, to be published by the Bureau of the Census, will furnish authentic information as to shifts of population from farms to villages and cities and vice versa, as well as “moves” from farm to farm in various sections of the United States. FARMERS’ STANDARD OF LIVING STUDIED. The main purpose in connection with studies on the farmers’ standard of living is to determine what farm families use and what they pay for the various materials such as food, clothing, rent, fuel, and other things. Another purpose is to learn what propor- tion of the expenditure goes for each of the various classes of goods consumed. Still other purposes are to obtain information concern- ing living conditions actually prevailing in certain selected areas and to determine the relation of success of farming, of value of house and its furnishings, and of several of the more social factors to the family living. Such information gathered from various parts of the United States is needed by institutions attempting to direct agri- cultural development on a sound basis. It will help to answer some of the questions regarding the advantages of city versus country life, so far as the material well-being of the families is concerned. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, 37 FARMERS’ MUTUAL INSURANCE. The department has aided and encouraged further improvement in the methods of operating the farmers’ mutual insurance compamies in all parts of the country and has brought about the extension of this sound and economical form of insurance protection to those of the Southern States where as yet little development of this kind has taken place. In many of the States of the South fire-insurance rates as quoted by commercial companies are so high as to make the cost of protection to a considerable percentage of the farmers well-nigh prohibitive. Experience has demonstrated that through local co- operation expenses can be materially reduced and the loss ratio can be greatly lowered by the elimination of all moral hazards, as well as the elimination of some of the physical hazards involved. CROP INSURANCE. Special interest has been evident recently in the problem of insur- ance on growing crops. Several of the larger joint-stock fire-insur- ance companies have in recent years been experimenting with a broader form of insurance coverage for crops than that involved in so-called hail insurance, which has been extensively written for a number of years. The department has been glad to cooperate with the Senate committee appointed to investigate the subject of crop insurance in the United States and to contribute to the statistical and other data sought by this committee. The growing of crops is sur- rounded by a wide variety of hazards. The uncertainty of weather conditions, plant diseases, insect and animal pests give rise to a risk against which it would be highly desirable for the farmer to be in position to protect himself. In commerce and industry insurance protection against hazards over which the individual has no control is now very generally available. It seems reasonable and proper that the producer of crops should also be in position to safeguard himself against total or serious loss of his annual investment of capital and labor after doing everything possible on his own part to bring about a harvest. AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION. During the past three years farmers in the United States have turned to cooperation for the solution of their marketing difficulties in ever-increasing numbers. In a period of rapid expansion it is 38 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. only natural that the essential principles and limits of cooperation at times should be overlooked. The department believes, therefore, that its most helpful activity in this field consists in collecting and compiling the essential facts with regard to the cooperative move- ment and employing these data as the basis of careful studies of the older and more successful cooperative organizations. In this way an understanding of the general movement may be gained, and the principles which have guided well-established organizations made available to newcomers in the field. The department has undertaken, consequently, to collect and com- pile the vital facts regarding existing cooperative organizations. Out of an estimated 10,000 associations in the United States in- formation regarding form of organization, financial status, kind of products sold and purchased, volume of business, marketing methods, and similar features is available for approximately 6,000. Information regarding well-established cooperatives is even more complete than the figures given would indicate. Current material is made available to those interested in cooperation through the publication every two weeks of a 16-page mimeographed circular containing economic, legal, and statistical information regarding cooperation in the United States and foreign countries. Detailed studies of a cooperative sales agency for cranberries and a cooperative citrus-fruit marketing agency were completed during the year. The purpose of the studies is to point out, first of all, the general principles which have made these organizations successful; to point out also the particular problems each organization has had to meet and the way in which these problems and other special con- ditions have affected its development. A study is also being made of cooperative organizations which have failed, in an effort to deter- mine the causes for failure of cooperation. The objective of the department’s work in cooperation, in brief, has been to collect the facts regarding the cooperative movement, to ascertain by careful study the principles which will serve as guide- posts for the movements, and the factors which point toward danger and possible failure. It is important to remember that there have been previous periods of expansion and decline in cooperative activity in the United States. Cooperative sentiment is always stimulated by agricultural depres- REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, 39 sion. The first great cooperative movement in agriculture reached its apex about 1874, but lasted for only a few years thereafter. Local work went forward in the later years of the nineteenth cen- tury, but it was not until after 1900 that the present period of ex- pansion began. It increased gradually for a number of years, gain- ing momentum about 1914, and is now at a maximum. There have been many failures of cooperative associations, al- though there is no reason to believe that the number of failures of such organizations during a given period varies materially from the number of failures in other enterprises under analogous con- ditions. It was only natural that the number of failures of co- operative associations should be especially large following the World War, during the period of falling agricultural prices, just as the number of business failures in cities should be and was very large. The causes of the failures appear to be similar to the causes of failure in other lines. The main cause was falling prices. Other causes were poor management, inadequate financing, and too small a volume of business in proportion to the overhead expenses. Some associations purchased, largely on credit, buildings and equipment at war prices, and the subsequent decline in the value of such prop- _ erty, coupled with the decline in the price of agricultural products, was largely responsible for their failure. Business failures in cities are a natural economic phenomenon which we record statistically from day to day. It is a barometer of business activity. It is taken as a matter of course. When a cooperative enterprise composed of farmers fails it flashes across the metropolitan press in glaring headlines. Business failure is the cut and dried method by which society has decreed that the un- necessary enterprises be eliminated. The Capper-Volstead Act, which became a law on February 138, 1922, specifically recognizes the right of farmers to associate for the purpose of marketing their products. This act clears the way for cooperative effort. A principle which can not be too strongly emphasized is that cooperative associations will succeed or fail in proportion as they are efficient. The measure of their success will be determined by — their ability to perform the marketing functions which they under- 78007—acr 1923 4 40 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. take fairly, economically, and efficiently. Success will necessarily be governed by the skill and energy of the management. The State agricultural colleges could render helpful service by strengthening their courses in economics and marketing and by offering special courses for the training of cooperative managers. OUTLET FOR MEAT WIDENED. Through efforts of this department and the Department of State during the past year a wider market for domestic meats, particu- larly pork, has been made available. The most recent evidence of this is the opening the Netherlands to shipments of pork. This new market, together with the English market, which was opened to the same products about 18 months ago, now gives the farmers of this country a considerable additional outlet at a time when production is at a high point. The Government of the Netherlands requires that fresh pork shipped to that country shall be handled under certain specified con- ditions. These conditions have been met as a result of modifications agreed upon after suggestions were made by this department. It is expected that this new arrangement will result in a great deal of new business, just as resulted from arrangements made with England which removed any doubts regarding the wholesomeness of Ameri- can fresh pork. Up until about a year and half ago there had been no fresh-pork trade between this country and England, but during the past year this trade amounted to practically 20,000,000 pounds, the equivalent of well over 100,000 mature hogs. It is hoped that other importing nations may come to understand the exceptional cheapness and wholesomeness of our pork and be willing to remove the restrictions which seem to work to the disad- vantage of their consumers as well as our producers. NEW ORGANIZATION IN EFFECT. Adjustment of the work of the department to the new plan of organization which went into effect July 1, 1923, has been going _ forward satisfactorily. Broadly speaking, the new organization provides for the coordinating of the three main divisions of depart- ment work, each under a directing head. The offices of director of scientific work and director of regulatory work were provided REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 41 for prior to the past year. The newly created office was director of extension work. The director of scientific work is expected to coordinate and super- vise all activities looking to the finding of new scientific facts. The director of extension work has charge of all branches active in the sending out of these new facts and other information to the public. This work is done largely through extension agents in cooperation with agricultural colleges. The director of regulatory work has charge of the administration of the numerous laws coming under the department. His work is very closely associated with scientific work, as research along scientific lines is necessary in the adminis- tration of many laws. Another important feature of the plan of reorganization is the establishment of the Bureau of Home Economics. This bureau is in charge of a woman, scientifically trained and experienced, and has a program outlined which will greatly strengthen our scientific knowledge of foods and problems affecting the women of this country. The editorial and distribution work, formerly the division of pub- lications, has been placed in charge of an assistant directly respon- sible to the Secretary. This position was provided for by the last Congress and makes it possible to materially strengthen this phase of our work. HOME ECONOMICS WORK STRENGTHENED. With the establishment of the new Bureau of Home Economics coordination and cooperation of the work already being carried on has been made possible. Plans have been made to begin research in new fields which must be explored scientifically if the department is to render the greatest service to the home maker. Problems will be undertaken according to their relative importance to home makers as far as the department is able to determine them. At a conference of home-economics specialists called by the de- partment last summer it was expressed and agreed upon that the new bureau should undertake research work in the following sub- jects: Food and nutrition, clothing and textiles, economics (includ- ing household management), equipment, eugenics, and art in the home. Among these recommended subjects we hope to stress par- ticularly economic studies, experiments in the field of textiles, and 42 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. clothing and equipment studies. Under the economic phase of this work standard-of-living studies appear to be greatly needed to fur- nish information of fundamental importance. The factors entering into clothing costs are not sufficiently established, and detailed study along this line is highly important. There is a wide field of work in the continuation and extension of the economic use of food. Studies of the cost of housing are at present acutely needed. Very little information is now available to the housewife to help her in choos- ing textile materials and clothing, and it appears very urgent that something should be done to furnish the housewife with reliable guidance in her purchases of household equipment. These are only representative of the many problems confronting this new bureau, and indicate the great field of research work which this department should explore if it is to be of the utmost help to farm and city women. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. In the field of scientific research many things have been done dur- ing the year which are valuable contributions to both scientific and practical agriculture, and to various industries. Many of the new discoveries are plainly contributions which should make living easier and more comfortable. It is not possible to enumerate all of these additions to knowledge which cover a great variety of subjects, in- cluding plants and animal breeding, cultural methods, means of fighting insect, animal fungous, and bacterial enemies of crops and animals, and new methods for handling crops after they have left the farm. The reports of the various bureaus contain much de- tailed information and are available in limited numbers. Results of research work on animal parasites afford striking evi- dence of the practical value of scientific experimentation. One of the most conspicuous examples is the discovery that carbon tetra- chloride is an effective remedy for the removal of hookworms of dogs, a discovery which has led to the wholesale application of this treatment against hookworms of human beings with great success in many parts of the world. Investigations regarding roundworms of sheep and swine have made it possible to overcome, to a large extent, the enormous losses caused by these parasites. A unique, practical method for the prevention of damage to the harvested fruit of Florida oranges and grapefruit by stem-end rot REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 43 during transportation, storage, and distribution has been developed to the stage of commercial application. The economic importance of this reduction of distribution hazard and prevention of waste of wholesome fruit is readily apparent when it is remembered that these two crops in Florida alone now yield from 13,000,000 to 16,- 000,000 boxes each year. Recent studies of the salts carried in irrigation water have given a ‘ Su somewhat different point of view for the consideration of alkali troubles in irrigated land. In many districts the chief concern of the irrigation farmer is to prevent accumulation of alkali salts in harm- ful quantities in good land, rather than to reclaim salty land for use in crop production. ‘These observations indicate the importance to the irrigation farmer of understanding the character of the soil solu- tion and of using irrigation water in such a way as to prevent the accumulation of excessive quantities of soluble material from the soil. Two different methods have been developed for determining the total quantity of colloidal material in soils and it has been found that colloids constitute a far larger part of the whole soil than previ- ously had been thought, some of the heavier soils containing from 60 to 70 per cent. Progress also has been made in determining the properties of the colloids present in different soils. With these facts established it should be possible to gain a more correct insight into the chemical processes of the soil than has hitherto been possible. It is now possible to get a better insight into the nature of soil composi- tion, and the new methods are applicable in the study of agricultural soils, of material used for building levees and foundations, of drain- age and irrigation conditions, and of geologic formations. By modifying the process ordinarily used in the preparation of ammonium phosphate so as to include the use of commercial potas- sium chloride, as well as phosphoric acid and ammonia, it has been found that a product containing all of the essential constituents of fertilizer, and of corresponding concentration, may easily be ob- tained. Chemical and physical properties of this material make the new method admirably suited for preparing fertilizer material for transportation. Manufacturing concerns have taken such an in- terest in this process as to express a willingness to test it out on a commercial scale. 44 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. A laboratory to develop work on the chemistry of crops was estab- lished during the year. There is need for work concerning the in- fluence of environment on the chemical composition of crops, including certain features of fertilization, such as the relation of composition of crop to the time of fertilizer application. Past work on the composition of agricultural crops has been directed chiefly toward what may be termed the quantity viewpoint. The new work is directed more toward the subject of quality. The chemist is now seeking to learn whether or not there is danger of producing quantity at the expense of nutritive quality. For instance, it is known that the application of a certain fertilizer, say, sodium nitrate, at a definite time, as one month after sowing, to a crop like corn will increase the yield quantitatively. However, practically nothing is known about quality relations; that is, whether the proteins, vita- mins, or mineral components of the corn so fertilized are superior or inferior for animal and human nutrition. The economic value of improvements in quality resulting from this research may exert a marked influence upon future agricultural practices. The physical investigations conducted at the Arlington Experi- ment Farm, Arlington, Va., and elsewhere with and without the cooperation of other agencies are fast providing a scientific basis for highway design, reducing uncertainty to a minimum and assur- ing a greater degree of economy in highway construction expendi- tures. As a result of observations made at the Bates road in Illinois, a design for one of the types of highway surface has been formulated which will reduce the cost by $1.500 a mile without decrease of strength. The department cooperated with the Illinois Department of Public Works and Buildings in this investigation. INSECT ENEMIES. The fight against insect enemies, which grows year by year, in- volves the use of various methods for eradication and control, and for preventing the introduction of new kinds from other countries. During the past year progress has been made in intro- ducing insect enemies of the corn borer from Europe. During 1922 more than a million specimens of one species were liberated in the New England area. Arrangements have been perfected with the Canadian department of agriculture to supply colonies of this parasite for possible establishment in southern Ontario, where the REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 45 corn borer occupies a large part of the peninsula bordered by Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Huron. Another parasitic species which first was liberated in Massachusetts in the fall of 1922 has been recovered from the field in several different localities in New England, and the establishment of this species there seems now assured. There were no developments of great importance in the corn borer situation during the past year. Study of calcium arsenate dusting methods for checking cotton boll weevil infestation showed that some success has been achieved by this means. Severe weevil infestation in 1922 caused a more ex- tensive use of calcium arsenate than ever before, and a shortage of this material developed. A special investigation was made of the results secured by approximately 1,100 farmers who dusted al- together 125,485 acres of cotton. These farms were quite uniformly distributed over practically all of the Cotton States. Slightly more than 96 per cent of the farmers using calcium arsenate were success- ful in controlling the weevil to the extent of making the operation profitable. The average increase in yield upon these farms was 339 pounds of seed cotton per acre. Special studies were conducted to determine the minimum yield per acre on land where dusting with ‘calcium arsenate would be justified by the results obtained. It was found that in general the season’s dusting on any particular farm should cost not to exceed the current value of 100 pounds of seed cotton per acre in order to make a profit by the dusting method. BLACK STEM RUST OF WHEAT. The barberry eradication campaign, the objective of which is the control of the black stem rust of wheat and other cereals through the eradication of the common barberry, which is the intermediate host of this destructive fungus disease, has been systematically prosecuted during the year in 13 States of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Plains region, where it was begun in the spring of 1918. The initial survey has been completed in Wyoming, and but few counties remain to be covered in Colorado and Montana. During the entire campaign more than five and three-quarters million bushes have been located on more than 55,000 properties. These are destroyed by thorough uprooting or by the application of common salt or diluted sodium arsenite where the conditions render these materials practicable and safe. 46 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. WHITE-PINE BLISTER RUST. Field surveys during the past season by Federal, State, and Do- minion scouts have disclosed that the destructive rust of five-leaved pines, which in western North America was first observed on pines and currant bushes in southwestern British Columbia in the autumn of 1921, is widespread throughout the coast belt of British Columbia. As several large areas in that Province have been found where the disease is epidemic on pines, and the advance infections have been found on pines within 100 miles of the international boundary and on cultivated black currants within 35 miles of that boundary, the situation must be regarded as serious. The climatic and topographic conditions of the western region and the host plants involved are markedly different from those in the east, so that eastern methods will presumably require considerable modification to adapt them to the western conditions. WAR ON TUBERCULOSIS. Rapid advances were made in the cooperative campaign to eradi- cate bovine tuberculosis. An increase of 76 per cent was made in: the number of herds of cattle officially accredited as free from tuberculosis. At the close of the fiscal year there were 28,536 such: herds, comprising 615,156 cattle, and there were under supervision more than 400,000 herds containing nearly four and a half million cattle. Unfilled applications for testing nearly a million additional cattle were on file. The plan of eradicating tuberculosis from circumscribed areas, with the county as the unit, has met with marked success. Fifty additional counties were freed during the year, raising the total to 81. Arrangements have been made to accord special facilities for shipping cattle from counties known as “ modified accredited areas” without the usual quarantine restrictions. In the course of the year’s work the tuberculin test was applied to nearly three and a half million cattle. Those found diseased were slaughtered under inspection, as a rule, and indemnity was paid to the owners. Larger financial support is being provided by States and counties, and the work is growing in favor with cattle owners. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, 47 IMPROVEMENTS IN BREEDING AND FEEDING. The systematic effort to improve domestic animals in the country, which began nearly four years ago under the slogan “ Better Sires— Better Stock,” continues to grow and is now a project of considerable size and importance. At the close of the fiscal year, 11,533 livestock owners had filed with the department written pledges to the effect that they have placed their farms on a strictly purebred-sire basis and agreed to use good purebred sires exclusively in their breeding operations for all classes of animals kept. Results of a questionnaire study on current livestock problems and how farmers are meeting them show briefly that in the ex- perience of nearly 500 livestock owners the general economy of rations, the cost of grains, and more specifically the cost of protein, represent more than half of all feeding difficulties. The question of balancing rations is next most important. Livestock of improved breeding were reported in the great majority of cases as making greater gains or producing more than scrubs or common stock when fed.in the same way. The average superiority of improved stock in the use of feeds, as shown by financial returns, was 39.6 per cent over common stock. WILD ANIMAL PESTS. From the beginning the department has maintained that eventually it would be practicable to destroy completely some of the worst ani- mal pests, and thus forever eliminate the heavy losses they have been causing. Through the campaigns against them, prairie dogs have been exterminated on considerable areas, and the large wolves, of which 4,900 have been killed, are being so reduced in numbers that over most, if not all, of the West their end is in sight. The best evidence of the growing appreciation of the practical value of campaigns against animal pests in the West was given by the legislatures of 13 States in the winter of 1923, which made total appropriations of about $647,000 for cooperation in the work during the following biennium. Improved poison combinations and their systematic distribution have been so successful that poisoning is rapidly superseding other methods of predatory-animal control. The great increase in terri- tory that can be covered by poisoning campaigns, as now conducted, 48 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. for the first time offers a possibility of eliminating coyotes over vast areas. This has hitherto appeared doubtful, owing to the numbers and wide distribution of these pests. More than 200,000 square miles were covered by organized poisoning operations during the year, and at carefully established poison stations on this area more than 1,703,000 specially prepared poison baits were distributed. Clearing the ranges of coyotes is proving a boon to the cattlemen as well as to the sheepmen, for with the practical elimination of the gray or timber wolf over much of the range country of the Western States, cattlemen have discovered that heavy losses of calves, hereto- fore attributed to wolves, have evidently been due to coyotes. A national drive undertaken against house rats, both through publicity and demonstrations, has developed widespread community sentiment against these destructive rodents, as evidenced by the steady growth of organized campaigns to destroy them and to elimi- nate their sources of food and harborage. IMPORTANCE OF WEATHER WORK. The department is making its weather work pay back to the Nation many hundreds of dollars for each dollar expended. The forecasts issued twice daily for all sections of the country and warnings of frosts, cold waves, storms, heavy snows, whenever con- ditions warrant, all of which are widely and effectively distributed through newspapers, by telephone, telegraph, radio, maps, bulletins. »cards, and other means, meet general requirements, but the rapidly increasing utilization of weather information by many business industries is resulting in requests for more special forecasts and direct service. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of receiving-set owners who receive the forecasts by radiophone, large numbers of whom can obtain them in no other way, many repeat them to their neigh- bors by telephone. This latter form of service has become so poten- tial that arrangements are in hand for a definite form of organiza- tion which will replace the telegraphing of forecast messages now sent to centers for distribution. It is expected that more effective service will be accomplished thereby and that considerable economy will result. It is estimated that the value of perishable products saved as a result of cold-wave warnings issued last winter for the Chicago REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 49 district alone exceeded $10,000,000, although the winter was not an unusually severe one. Reports from Alaska, made available through the cooperation of the Signal Corps of the Army and office of com- munications of the Navy, were an important factor in making the . warnings timely and accurate. Alaskan observations were an equal factor in the cold-wave warnings issued in other commercial dis- tricts. An organized unit of the Weather Bureau has been in operation in Alaska since 1916, and its activities have been of great value to the commercial and marine interests of the United States. Flood warnings proved of great value during the year. During the Arkansas Valley flood livestock and other property to the value of 31,350,000 was reported as having been saved by flood warnings sent out well in advance. The total reported flood losses during the year were $36,591,362, while the value of portable property saved by flood warnings was given, in admittedly incomplete re- turns, as $4,240,465. During the year schemes for forecasting river stages and floods have been completed for the Willamette River system of Oregon, the Connecticut River, and the Brazos River of Texas. Other schemes will be undertaken as time will permit, mainly for the smaller rivers, as those for the larger rivers and their tributaries are vir- tually complete. With the advent of the practical navigation of the air a whole new service is now demanded, a service of flying weather forecasts and weather advices to aviators. This compels the bureau to get above the surface and extend its observations, measurements, and advices into the free air, which is being done in a very limited way at the present time by means of kites and little so-called pilot balloons. HEADWAY WITH HIGHWAYS. Eight thousand eight hundred and twenty miles of Federal-aid roads of all types were completed during the fiscal year, which, added to the mileage completed prior to the fiscal year, brought the total of completed projects up to 26,536 miles. The projects under construction at the close of the year amounted to 14,772 miles and were estimated as 53 per cent complete. 50 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The total amount of Federal aid actually appropriated for use up to and including the fiscal year 1923 was $375,000,000. Of this amount, $364,250,000 was apportioned among the States. The total mileage of highways in existence at the time of the passage of the Federal highway act, as certified by the State highway . departments, was 2,859,575 miles. Under the law the maximum mileage that can be included in the entire system is 200,170 miles. The mileage included in the 35 systems approved up to the close of the year was 111,699 miles, and-the total length of the whole system, when it is finally designated and approved, will probably not exceed 179,000 miles. , Analysis of the approved systems for the 35 States shows that of the 1,111 cities of 5,000 population or more in these States 1,049 of them lie directly on the approved system. When the Federal-aid system is correlated with roads constructed by the States and coun- ties, as it doubtless will be, the remaining cities of this class will cer- tainly be connected with the main interstate system, and one will be able to travel from any point in the country to almost any hamlet, however remote, without leaving an improved road for more than a few miles at most. The indications are that these roads, when they are completed, will pass within 10 miles of the homes of 90 per cent of the people of the United States, considering the country as a whole. In some States the percentage of the population thus served will be still greater, reaching close to 100 per cent in a number of instances. TOBACCO GROWERS BENEFITED. Field tests conducted on “tobacco-sick” soils in the Connecticut Valley have brought out marked differences in the effects of various crops on the growth of tobacco following in the rotation. In extensive field tests in the southern manufacturing and export tobacco districts it has been demonstrated that mixed fertilizers con- taining 2 to 3 per cent potash and applied at the usual rate of 800 to 1,000 pounds per acre frequently do not supply sufficient pot- ash for the tobacco crop. As a result, characteristic symptoms of pot- ash hunger are frequently observed in the field. On light soils, and especially in comparatively wet years, equally unfavorable results may be expected when a sufficient quantity of magnesia is not con- REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 51 tained in the fertilizer or otherwise added to the soil. The quantity of magnesia required by the crop, however, is comparatively small— perhaps not more than half that of the potash which is needed. With constantly decreasing supplies of cottonseed meal and other similar materials containing appreciable quantities of magnesium, it is apparent that there will be greater necessity for making special provision for magnesium in the fertilizer mixture. POSSIBILITIES OF RUBBER PRODUCTION. On the basis of a special appropriation for this purpose, more extensive investigations of rubber-producing plants are being under- taken to determine the possibilities of producing rubber in the United States or in adjacent tropical regions. The need of develop- . ing other sources of supply is shown by the rapidly increasing con- - sumption in the United States and the serious danger of supplies from the East Indies being interrupted. About nine-tenths of the world’s supply of crude rubber now comes from the East Indian plantations, while three-quarters of the total supply is used in the United States. These two facts are a standing challenge to both agricultural scientists and business men. In view of the large number of plants that are known to produce rubber and of the wide range of diversity among such plants in habits and conditions of growth, adequate determinations of cul- tural requirements and possibilities are not to.be expected until many observations and experiments have been made. Facilities for experimental work are being extended in the different regions where rubber-producing plants can be grown, and expeditions are being sent to foreign countries to study the habits of the plants under native conditions and to secure the best stocks for propagation and breeding purposes, so that vigorous, high-yielding strains may be developed as the basis of production. Under the existing world conditions it is clearly desirable that a thorough study of the potential rubber-producing plants of the world be carried forward vigorously and without interruption, with a view to ascertaining the most promising sources of increased sup- plies of rubber to meet the increasing requirements of our industries and of the users of rubber, who now constitute practically the entire population of the country. 52 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. BINDER-TWINE FIBERS. Some years ago cooperative work was organized by the office of fiber investigations and the Philippine Bureau of Agriculture, the purpose of which was to encourage the increased production of sisal and maguey fiber in the Philippine Islands. In view of the rapidly increasing consumption of abaca (Manila hemp) for binder-twine purposes, this cooperative work has been expanded to include nec- essary work with abaca. It is entirely possible, if not probable, that the ultimate solution of our binder-twine fiber problem will be an increasing substitution of abaca for henequen in the manufacture of binder twine. In cooperation with the Philippine Bureau of Agriculture and with the bureau of science and the college of agriculture, preliminary steps have been taken during the present year to organize this work. An increased use of abaca for binder-twine purposes will benefit both the United States and the Philippine Islands, and should be encouraged in every way possible. Continued improvement has been made in the quality of the Phil- ippine machine-cleaned maguey fiber. American manufacturers report that this fiber is now entirely satisfactory for binder-twine purposes. IMPORTANT MANUFACTURING AND HANDLING. Work on production of cane sirup of uniform quality was carried forward, as a result of which farmers producing cane sirup were enabled to consolidate their output on a sufficiently large scale and into such a uniform product as directly to interest brokers and whole- sale grocers in the distribution of their product in a systematic manner. A central blending and canning plant, with a daily maxi- mum capacity of 5,000 gallons, equivalent to 500,000 gallons for a 100 days’ operating season, was designed for the Texas Farm Bureau Ribbon Cane Growers’ .Association. This plant was erected at Lufkin, Tex., and operated during the season of 1922-93. Cane ‘sirup from various sections of eastern Texas was shipped by mem- bers of the association to the Lufkin plant, where it was graded, mixed to insure uniformity of grade, treated by the invertase process perfected by the department to prevent crystallization, canned, labeled, crated, and marketed. Technically the operation was an un- qualified success. A study was made of the manner of producing REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 53 cane sirup on the farms, and directions showing how the quality of the product could be improved were distributed to farmers. Work on methods for profitably utilizing cull and surplus oranges and lemons has been done. Investigations in previous years helped to establish industries manufacturing useful products from oranges and lemons that otherwise would go to waste. In the last (fiscal) year effort has been directed toward perfecting methods for the commercial production of pectin from waste orange and lemon peel. Pectins produced by various methods have been standardized as to their jellying power, and work has been done on the production of jellies of different consistency. Attention has been given to the preparation of marmalades and jellies from dehydrated oranges. As a result of the studies on the production of pectin, new methods for the preparation of marmalade and orange butter have been evolved. A method for determining the degree of maturity of cantaloupes, depending upon the sugar and solids content of the fruit, was de- veloped by the Bureau of Chemistry and used with gratifying results by growers and shippers of cantaloupes. sicin eet aeene ae rae eele oS slaiels 2 er | 34,372 5,342 438 During the year 67,579 interstate shipments were made of meat and meat food products from animals slaughtered by farmers on the farm, as compared with 69,815 shipments in the fiscal year 1922. The following table shows the products comprising these shipments: Shipments of farm-slaughtered products under exemption from inspection. | Product. ; | Number.| Pounds. . Beépf, carcasses (3,499 quarters) 7.26! /c'o(34 2409-4 PEERS OEE berg sek ctoss. | 800 277,135 Weall canaassesey.;. S25 ce icnehie wc cto sin dose os Sage. aoe ee ER gener sae cscs 98, 878 8, 618, 296 Sheep; Carcassess - 2. oc So ccisc seca an wesc nace sees er OE eee Ee rs. Ate frie 35152 110,010 MWINGSCALCASRESH ELEN SLE LCDs so oie ote od cs Soa cece Cee ee ee ee nies cee ee cs ocak 10, 912 1, 026, 924 Beek, TReS bers Sasa eee ce tiee 4 we 3, 889 Oi 8OT) leas Semouese 10, 786 Wie ees ceca nen cemasce esate eee tise = once iniacaicaele 41 i eee oe GOATS aa os cae ceca eee bs cee e eee ote sneaceance cease 49 PA Rea soeeoe ae 70 EVOTSUS ee asaa esi dntieatecicicia~ = iciseeeetics cia ace(sio ©» Gees ote 1,173 2, 414 7 3, 594 (CS - geE SEC BUG OBERE. COBO EERO EE CO COC EEE me Sco 115 VO4O we See et ees 2,055 TPROLAL Sein sem ee nesses saenewa. aicibie d bighern ecto ee 6, 235 18, 250 17,727 42,212 1 Animals of Canadian origin exported through United States ports. Inspection of 250 vessels carrying livestock were made before clear- ance. For shipment to Canada 1,173 horses and 115 mules were tested with mallein and 968 cattle with tuberculin, with 2 reactors among the latter, and 3,889 sheep, 41 swine, and 49 goats were inspected. For shipment to other countries, including Mexico and Cuba, 36 horses and 12 mules were tested with mallein, the tuberculin test was applied to 4,194 cattle, with 35 reactors, and inspections were made of 705 sheep, 7 swine, and 43 goats. TICK ERADICATION DIVISION. The Tick Eradication Division, under the direction of Dr. R. A. Ramsay, chief, continued its activities in the suppression of Texas or tick fever in cattle and the eradication of the ticks which transmit this disease. This work was carried on in cooperation with the State and county authorities in 10 Southern States. 230 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. TICK ERADICATION. The number of cattle inspected or dipped for the eradication of ticks, under the supervision of the cooperating forces, was greater than in any previous year, amounting to 74,937,657 inspections or dippings as compared with 48,089,005 in the fiscal year 1922. More than 31,000 dipping vats were used in the official dipping of cattle. Ten counties in Georgia were released from Federal quarantine. In deciding on the release of territory from Federal quarantine in the past it has not been the policy to require that the area be en- tirely free of ticks: Many counties where a large majority of cattle and premises were tick free have been released under an agreenient: on the part of the State and county authorities to control and eradi- cate the remaining infestation. During the past year special atten- tion was given by bureau inspectors to this final work in the released area with the view of completely eradicating the ticks from that area, and satisfactory results have been obtained in the main. In a few instances, however, it was found that following the release from Federal quarantine the local interest in completing the work had become so indifferent that instead of the remaining infestation being controlled and eradicated it had been permitted to spread. ‘This condition made necessary the requarantine of 30 counties and 5 parts of counties in 5 States. The following table shows the progress made in the 17 years since {ick eradication was. undertaken and the status of the work at the close of the fiscal year 1923. As the county is the customary unit in which the work is conducted, that unit is used in compiling the data: Progress of tick eradication since 'the beginning and status of the work , June: 80, 1923. ‘ < ne Released Jounties ‘ounties elease counties under under Brace counties | with one States. quaran- quaran- Tune 30 tick free or more tine July | tine June 1923.” June 30, infested A 30, 1923. : 1923. herds June 30, 1923. Alabama sc essecewresc re ene ee ee 67 5 62 18 44 Arkansas: 32. Git 1 see eer a oat 15 42 33 ‘ 15 18 California 2 ges ae eee eee ce sec 15 0 15 15 0 Florida? 2: oe ae eee Pa gs 58 By 4 |. 3 1 Georgiac2 S2LoME AS. SAAR SE RD Te AI 157 9 148 104 44 Kentueksy: - 4. ese hee ee eee cei erarecis 2 0 2 2) 0 ouisiana’. S300 Sae Seay ee seers | 65 32 33 3 30 Mississippi sy ¢ ase (ola be Pee. 81 21 60 37 23 MAISSOUTIE 3 6 2. Oe A ee eee ke 4 0 4 1 3 North Carolinal: tobe eo bei oe eke h 75 19 56 46 10 Oklahoma..../... ! 61 6 55 36 19 South Carolina. Jiao bs 44 0 | 44 30 14 Tennessee... ....- {seek ee. : 42 0 42 41 1 MORASS ese eee e 199 $0 109 42 67 Varpiniates.£ ALCL Ee SGU ee Saiie. ashi ohh 30 4 26 26 0 Lo'States A... 4 Ae ee ey cs 975 | 282 693 419 274 It will be observed from the tabulation that while more than two- thirds of the counties which were tick infested have been released, less than half of the counties included in the original quarantine in 1906 can now be considered absolutely tick free, and that there are 274 counties released from Federal quarantine in which tick infesta- tion still exists in one or more herds. The elimination of the last trace of infection in a county is frequently attended with considerable difficulty. In such areas the closest possible supervision must be given BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 231 by Federal and State employees, even to a greater extent than when the systematic dipping of cattle is first taken up in a county. For this reason released areas are sometimes again placed under Federal quarantine as a matter of economy. INTRODUCTION OF THE ZONE PLAN. State livestock sanitary officials, with the possible exception of one or two States, have adopted and are putting into effect what is known as the “zone plan,” recommended by the bureau as being the most effective and most satisfactory to cattle owners. This plan consists in State officials designating by law, regulation, or order certain counties or areas, contiguous to released area, in which active and systematic dipping of cattle will be required during a certain year until the work is completed in the State. It is found that in this way effort can be concentrated and tangible results obtained in minimum time. In addition it relieves county officials and cattle owners from embar- rassment and constant agitation on the subject of eradicating cattle ticks. ‘Some time during the year preceding the time when the cattle- dipping laws and regulations are to be enforced in a given zone pre- liminary information is carried to rural communities by means of a motion-picture outfit, equipped with a portable lighting plant, capable of showing good, clear pictures and properly illuminating rural schoolhouses. Appropriate films relating to agricultural subjects are shown, and especially films showing the life history of the cattle tick and the means found best adapted to eradicate the ticks. The motion pictures are in constant demand and seem to be very effective in bring- ing together practically the entire community for entertainment and recreation and at the same time conveying to cattle owners and their families some wholesome information about tick eradication and improved livestock. SUPPRESSING LAWLESS OPPOSITION. The difficulties mentioned in last year’s report as existing in Inde- pendence County, Ark., due to local opposition to tick eradication, have been satisfactorily adjusted, and it is expected that eradication will be finally completed in that county during the present year. Early in the fiscal year there arose in Echols County, Ga., a con- dition of defiance to State laws and regulations, necessitating drastic action in providing State and Federal employees assigned to duty in that county with means of defense. In spite of these precautions one bureau employee was killed and another seriously wounded while on official duty. The Department of Justice took vigorous action, with the result that the two men alleged to be responsible for the crimes, together with 19 others more or less implicated, all of them residents of Echols County, were indicted in June by a Federal grand jury and were placed under bond for trial in the Federal court. A detailed statement of the troubles in Echols County is given in the annual report of the Georgia department of agriculture for 1922. SHIPMENTS FROM QUARANTINED AREAS. The number of cattle of the quarantined area shipped under bu- reau supervision to market centers for immediate slaughter was 616,204. The steady decline, as compared with former years, in the 78007—aar 1923 16 Dae ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. movement of this class of cattle has been brought about by the impo- sition by several States of more drastic restrictions governing the movement of tick-infested cattle into or through those States, and by the desire of cattle owners of the quarantined areas to avail them- selves of the more profitable and unrestricted markets open to tick- free cattle, they having learned that it is feasible and profitable to ship cattle free of ticks. At public stockyards 77,795 cattle were dipped and certified for movement as noninfectious, for which 890 certificates were issued. In the field 190,022 cattle were inspected or dipped and certified for interstate movement as provided for in department régulations. To cover these shipments 2,400 certificates were issued. TUBERCULOSIS ERADICATION DIVISION. The campaign for the eradication of bovine tuberculosis conducted by the Tuberculosis Eradication Division under the direction of Dr. J. A. Kiernan, chief, progressed in a highly satisfactory manner, notwithstanding a shortage of funds for the payment of indemnity and operating expenses in a number of States. Harmony and coop- eration among the bureau, State, and county organizations existed to a marked degree, enabling supervising forces to lay more definite plans for the future. An effort was made, wherever conditions were favorable, to outline programs covering a number of years in advance. More active cooperation and assistance were given by the accredited practicing veterinarians, who are permitted to make offi- cial tuberculin tests. The eradication of tuberculosis from circum- scribed areas continued to be the most important feature of the pro- ara, 2 number of additional States having taken up this project actively. Gocparition with all of the 48 States and the Territories of Hawaii and Alaska was continued. An average of 230 regularly employed bureau veterinarians were detailed to 48 field offices of the bureau. State livestock sanitary officials maintained an average of approxi- mately 178 such men throughout the year, while counties, cities, and farm bureaus employed an average of about 63 regular men. These figures indicate a slight decrease in the number of bureau employees, while the State forces show a slight increase and the county and local forces a marked increase. The Federal appropriation was $850,000 for operating expenses and $2,027,600 for the payment of indemnity for animals slaughtered. The combined State appropriations totaled approximately $5,000,000. Efforts were made to conserve the funds, especially by obtaining the maximum salvage from diseased cattle slaughtered. Reports from all States indicate that considerably increased funds have been pro- vided for the ensuing year. Counties have also made larger appro- priations. The activities were carried on under four main projects, as in recent years: (1) Eradication of tuberculosis from herds of cattle under the “accredited-herd” plan; (2) eradication of tuberculosis from circumscribed areas; (3) eradication of tuberculosis from swine; (4) control of the tuberculin testing of cattle intended for interstate shipment through supervision of the work done by prac- ticing veterinarians on the approved list and at public stockyards, BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. Uap ACCREDITED TUBERCULOSIS-FREE HERDS. The tuberculin testing under the accredited-herd plan, which pro- vides for accrediting herds found free from tuberculosis on official test, was continued throughout the year. The uniform methods and rules governing this work were modified at the meeting of the United States Livestock Sanitary Association in December, 1922. The gen- eral changes as they affect the accredited-herd work are as follows: 1. Final test of any herd which showed evidence of infection on previous test shall be by a combination of recognized tests, applied at the discretion of Federal and State authorities. 2. A herd which has been removed from the accredited-herd list on account of a reactor being found may be reinstated on tests applied by accredited veterinarians in accordance with the uniform lan. i 3. The payment of Federal indemnity for tuberculous cattle tested by accredited veterinarians in accordance with the uniform plan is authorized, provided that the total Federal indemnity paid for such cattle in any State shall not exceed 15 per cent of the total allotment of Federal indemnity to that State. The effect of these amendments is to allow the participation of accredited practicing veterinarians to a much greater extent than formerly. The number of such veterinarians listed at the close of the fiscal year was 5,517. Tuberculin tests made by them are recog- nized as official and their work supplements that of the official veterinarians. At the conclusion of the fiscal year there were listed as fully accredited 28,526 herds, containing 615,156 cattle, an increase of 12,310 herds and 251,254 cattle within the year. In addition to the fully accredited herds 312,281 herds containing 2,724,497 cattle passed one test as a preliminary to being accredited, an increase of 150,748 herds and 1,176,314 cattle. The total herds under super- vision at the end of the year numbered 400,097, containing 4,449,722 cattle, an increase of 187,915 herds and 1,833,327 cattle. At the end of the year there were on the waiting list approximately 75,000 herds, containing about 1,000,000 cattle. In connection with this work and the area work (reported under another heading) the tuberculin test was applied to 296,138 herds, containing 3,460,849 cattle, of which 113,844 cattle, or 3.3 per cent, were condemned as diseased, The accompanying table shows by years the number of accredited herds and cattle and the number of herds and cattle that have passed one test. Progress of work of establishing accredited herds free of tuberculosis. | | ited. Passed st. | . Nucibeciieeerrennt Accredited assed one test Cattle of of tested.! Fiscal year. = = | Herds. Cattle. reactors. | reactors. Werist Cattle. | | | | | TOUS - SES yess ee? AZ } 20, 101 645 3.2 IIR Serres. | 134, 143 6,544 4.9 204 6, 945 883 22, 212 WQITPELELIE ATT Tt 8045 | 329,878 | 13, 528 41 782) 19,021 6,535 117, 243 EWS ie gs cates tad 700,670 | 28,709 4,1 3,370 | 82,986 | 15,599 197, 577 1.2) lope g he epeeinaegene ea | 1,3687358 | 53/768 3.9 ; 193,620} 49,814 643, 233 wma ied nov ieee 2,384,236 | 82, 569 3.5 | 16,216 | 363,902 | 161.533 1,548, 183 TBs pe, ey... |, 8, 460,840 | 11g Se 3.3 | 28,526 | 615,156 | 312,281 | 2,724,497 | 1 Includes testing under area plan. oor ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. _ The total number of cattle tested during the seven years was 5,396,235, of which 299,607, or 3.6 per cent, reacted. ERADICATION OF TUBERCULOSIS FROM AREAS. The eradication of tuberculosis from cattle within circumscribed areas, with the county as the unit, has proved to be the most effec- tive plan so far tried. Excellent progress was made. At the close of the fiscal year one or more tests of all cattle in 81 counties had been completed, being an increase of 50 counties during the year, and 117 additional counties were actively engaged in testing cattle. The status of this work is shown by States in the following table: Status of tuberculosis eradication from county areas at close of fiscal year ended June 30, 1923. | Counties | bets Counties | ocaving , |intensively| Total | Cattle State. aie = paar engaged in counties a Ay eC’ testing © engaged. eg tests of all attle | year. cattle. cat's. IN TAL EE sip see 9 25 oO JENS SA GED Tee See eee Cre 1 2 3 14, 206 Calitornidsery Ae. tee te alike Ae 3 3 105, 302 District of Columbiay. - fe. 3 5 ba. cece ee seed eee 1 | i358 seer 1 587 SUNG ah wt cle Stee els eee ae epee nee eerie te et 2 2 4 86, 199 Thinipishs appear a ay el iis vod. eee! oy 1} 5 | 6 65, 445 TT ee 1 ont Seo eee err Eee Serr err eere 2 5 | 7 62, 259 Tora oom TOS USI AEA ie AON en a 3 3 23, 702 ERGETU SERS ere eee terete rtaio leo aiengeyala/2)5 ate a) slorcic\eln's = 2 Siactt ea .2 ig eeeeere te eel alee eee Peeesrr aera 13, 631 BGG CR yer Man ame Malan itis aisicicis ees Seb ccc eo ecs oe aglos eames eee 4 | 4 59, 156 Mamie s: ae Pere. Pee ee. ss ose SE ol eB gga ee 12 | 12 51, 465 renylan de See prec e re ceeeinn ot SaRupige ne ap pee = Se Sees np tee od a 1 13, 357 Michipansee Peer ses SSI IE hs hfe IS 8 6 14 251, 832 MEISSISSIN Dla ee eee es | ee oh ah ae ee 3 ts ep.tetecat 3 (3) MESSOL IO ee ae en eN Cah. case Sa sce AS 12 6 18 149, 350 Aion Ganae seater ee eres eee ton ck. se bateh. 2 2 3 | 5 103, 536 IG) DEST SS Ae, ee = ye a a 1 P 4 8 12 72,037 Nevada ner! . SOE SPITE ES See. ole. ead. MES Ge eee. Ieee 13, 323 RS waMGxICOs-rty. = Je uRe ote. Geis) 4. 6c a th os od hee aoe ees i} 1 6,478 New Work. 2-0) 22. 2 12 14 159, 591 North Carolina. - . 10 ll 2 119, 114 North Dakota.... ik! Beresapiee Rss 3 | 1 26, 200 DEN OIG ee ESL PN ea hoe wt oles JOE SEs ALE LE Se a ee cose Fe 4,640 Oregon ..<. 22.22 10 2 | 12 62, 466 Pennsylvania........ ; i} 2 | 3 39, 702 Mennesseee sepa ee ee Aare esse dees ee scee-tek soos Pa Gy eae eree A 2 37, 964 Wig Sas inh ls = cen SaaBae Sess 54s Ane ake ne | 1 3 | 4 27,785 Wirpinials | ipa pit Fo Nee et eos). ceel tases 1 1 | 2 7, 684 Wishinie consi Seerinmme mi a AD 4 13 | 17 62, 447 Westin Vane ime ee terse eee nee se le OEE Pal cote eee | 1 10, 723 WRSCOnSIn Se eee mo tan ee SS ose bb sisms ee = emee nye Hig ee ee eee 11 90, 417 TUVRR OO RELR EY eee eee aren hati ae Ste ioe 2 oom creinic.s scans | eee ere ee 13 13 25, 166 Nor aes aaa 6 S55: oS8or SaaS aan eee eee 81 117 198 1, 765, 762 : Testing reported done under community or township plan. 2 Testing completed prior to fiscal year 1923. The greatest advances were made by the States of California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. In these States ma- chinery seems well laid for a systematic continuation. Area testing was begun in Arizona, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, while arrangements were made through State laws and appropriations to expedite the work in a number of States, including Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois. Emphasis has been laid on the necessity of obtaining as much assistance as possible from the counties. Such assistance has been provided in a marked degree in Michigan, Illinois, and North Caro- lina. In Michigan 36 counties have appropriated about $185,000, BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 235 while in North Carolina 27 counties have appropriated about $80,000, and in Illinois 34 counties have appropriated about $135,000. The money actually spent by all counties engaged in the area work increased from about $60,000 in 1922 to $133,000 in 1923. In the District of Columbia 587 cattle were tested and 14 reactors were removed, 11 of which were in one herd known to have been previously infected and to which additions from outside the District had been made some months before the test. There were also tested for admission to the District 211 animals, from which 8 reactors were removed. An advance step looking to future operations under the area project was taken in amending the uniform methods and rules by providing for what are termed modified accredited areas. Such an area is one in which all the cattle have been tuberculin tested under Federal and State supervision and in which the number of reactors: does not exceed one-half of 1 per cent of the total cattle. The in- fected herds remaining are to be placed under State quarantine, and the intrastate movement of cattle into such territories is to be con- trolled by proper State regulations. This amendment having been approved by a majority of the States and by the bureau, arrange- ments were made during the last part of the fiscal year for the re- lease of 17 counties as modified accredited areas, and an order to that effect (B. A. I. Order 283) was issued July 23, 1923. Cattle from these areas will be allowed to move interstate for a period of three years without retesting, provided proper certificates are used and the cattle are identified. The counties referred to are as fol- lows: Dearborn County, Ind.; Hillsdale, Charlevoix, Antrim, and Emmet Counties, Mich.; Scotland, Rowan, Pender, New Hanover, Davie, Davidson, Cumberland, Cabarrus, Buncombe, and Forsyth Counties, N. C.; and Bradley and Marshall Counties, Tenn. STATISTICS OF SLAUGHTER AND INDEMNITY. Statistics of the slaughter of reacting cattle, the indemnity al- lowed, salvage realized, etc., are given in the following table: Cattle slaughtered, appraised value, indemnity allowed, and salvage realized in work of tuberculosis eradication. pe yereee see 7 Cattle | Average | State ederal tate edera. verage State. slaugh- |appraisal| .; : eke é | indem- | indem- | salvage reread per head.| ‘demnity. | indemnity. | nity per | nity per |per head. head head | —- — | | JATIZONG ses oi sss == = 777 $92. 03 $18, 551. 35 $18,551.35 | $23.88 $23. 88 $11. 03 Colorado. 093.5-562>..2 123 252. 97 4, 988. 82 4, 988. 82 40. 56 40. 56 24. 98 Connecticut. :~|-..=---- 3,078 | 64.12 86, 751. 61 43, 451. 01 28. 18 14,12 21. 56 Delaware. 3... <-:=%- 1,097 76. 39 35, 308. 22 22, 067. 20 32.19 20. 12 13. 28 Wlonidaes!. S2226e he . 268 28. 35 3, 684. 48 1, 930. 13 13.75 7. 20 6. 70 Tdaboe osecange ee pists ia 898 61. 22 13, 265. 39 13, 265. 39 14.77 14.77 14.39 Dinos. 22 Sess... 4, 288 91. 56 92, 489. 18 92, 489. 18 PAW ay 21. 57 23.73 Inidisnayss sese2. Sere. 2,970 92,39 | 62, 828.95 | 58, 733. 88 21.15 19.78 21. 80 VOWS ecascduseseee se 7, 824 100. 28 187, 551. 40 176, 973. 23 23. 97 22. 62 21.10: ISCAS) Lege a rare a ote tere 551 106. 09 30, 079. 18 11,610. 60 | 54. 59 21.07 20. 91 Wentucky = 22 2-)-/-- =o = 1, 242 72.00 | 47, 457.75 19, 665. 89 | 38. 21 15. 83 15. 21 MAING Boe eclerererara's's 10 695 89. 55 | 39, 403. 70 14, 383. 03 56. 70 20. 70 11. 88 Maryland oe: 245: 3, 531 82. 09 74, 834. 84 74, 767. 43 21.19 21.17 17,77 Massachusetts .....-.- 1,715 | 145.09 | 53, 007. 29 52,557. 01 30. 91 30. 65 20.17 Michigan... 2 oth ies 2, 200 78. 67 | 82, 071. 20 38, 198. 46 37.31 17. 36 18.71 Minnesota...... Sete 1,811 56.16 | 40,995. 42 20, 430. 76 22. 64 11. 28 21.94 Mississippi - 33 14 67.50 | 549. 95 281. 45 39. 28 20. 10 7.19 Missouri... . 5 1, 406 118. 68 33, 569. 64 33, 569. 64 23. 88 23. 88 26. 05 Montana? 525.23. 604 46.63 | 19,198. 41 7, 798. 84 31.79 12.91 4.54 1 Salvage paid to State. 236 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Cattle slaughtered, appraised value, indemnity allowed, etc.—Continued. Average aoe i Cattle | Average State edera verage State. slaugh- |appraisal} ; Plea ijn indem- | indem- | salvage tered. | perhead.| *2¢e™mnity- ¥- | nity per nity per | per head. head. head. Nebraska........-.-.- 855 $92. 61 $17, 604. OL $17, 604. 01 $20. 59 $20. 59 $24. 66 INGyadarree eco csaee 157 71.40 5, 396. 63 3, 632. 26 34. 37 23.14 13. 03 New Hampshire. f 1, 567 73.91 | 49, 648. 82 28, 932. 94 31.68 18. 46 18. 01 New Jersey. 1, 808 154. 60 | 77, 626. 31 56, 268. 51 42.93 31.12 21.18 New Mexico 19 56. 71 359. 15 359. 15 18.90 18. 90'|. 22552222 New York.... 7,576 142. 84 671, 902. 26 193, 253. 24 88. 69 25. 51 17. 50 North Carolina 593 80. 44 11, 123. 53 11, 123. 53 18. 76 18. 76 14. 03 North Dakota. : 1, 204 39. 88 9, 360. 94 9, 360. 94 7.77 7.77 17. 99 ROT) Se Ses 2 GO n Se 1,694 114. 56 | 48, 259. 68 48, 259. 68 28. 49 28. 49 24. 98 ‘Oklahompasctcechs >. 177 133. 62 9, 589. 09 5, 253. 76 54.18 29. 68 19.17 Oregon: 2: $3.4 n2<'35.-/4 1,380 95. 92 30, 483. 00 30, 424. 09 22.09 22.05 16. 58 Pennsylvania.......- 2,647 122.16 110, 527. 33 72,011. 81 41.76 27. 21 12. 64 Rhode Island......-.-. 54 178. 80 3, 304. 50 1,655. 97 61.19 30. 67 29. 39 South Carolina......-. 108 66. 74 1, 922. 66 1,912. 66 17. 80 17.71. 14. 87 South Dakota...-.-...- 830 95. 96 | 28, 592. 52 17, 303. 06 34. 45 20. 85 21. 85 Wexas: -qes5-beeee Fie sate 252 176. 59 7, 755. 95 7, 755. 95 30. 78 30. 78 16. 23 i120 vies See ae ae ee a 367 73. 16 7,720. 85 7,553. 16 21. 04 20. 58 10. 00 WMermontoo- Lt) =. 3,124 81. 96 72, 563. 49 72, 563. 49 23. 23 23. 23 11.70 Wairoinia pe ss scr ere 509 94. 04 12,309. 99 9, 927. 64 24.18 19. 50 13. 85 Washington .....-.--- 1,023 109. 58 25, 294. 76 25, 294. 76 24. 73 24. 73 19. 80 West Virginia....---. 524 98. 79 28, 997. 10 13, 630. 90 55. 34 26. 01 13. 50 IWASCOnSING 52 ----~- 5, 992 102. 92 | 113,701. 93 113, 674. 01 18. 98 18. 97 17.90 Wiyomines 22s4---rec 250 81.65 3, 817. 86 3, 167. 80 15. 27 12. 67 10. 41 Lotales. $543- 20 67, 802 98.94 | 2,274,449.14 | 1,456, 636. 52 33.55 21. 48 18. 57 ERADICATION OF TUBERCULOSIS FROM SWINE. Attention has been given in practically every State in which the swine industry exists to: tracing the sources of infection of swine with tuberculosis. Frequent tests of known infected herds of swine have been made with good results. It is believed that the area eradi- cation work among cattle will eventually eliminate tuberculosis from swine, as the greatest source of infection in swine is known to be through following diseased cattle or drinking unpasteurized skim milk from creameries. Continued attention is being given to pub- licity regarding modes of infection and means of prevention, with such tuberculin testing as is deemed advisable in the breeding stock. REGULATION OF INTERSTATE MOVEMENT. Regulation 7 of B. A. I. Order 273, governing the interstate move- ment of cattle so far as tuberculosis is involved, has worked smoothly. The 8,389 veterinary practitioners authorized to make tuberculin tests of cattle for interstate shipment tested for that purpose 199,789 cattle, of which 2,443, or 1.2 per cent, reacted. Regularly employed bureau inspectors tested at public stockyards 37,801 cattle, from which there were removed 601 reactors, or 1.6 per cent. Permits were issued for the interstate movement of 34,232 known reactors for immediate slaughter and for 12 animals which were returned to the original owners for breeding purposes. TUBERCULIN TESTING. Advantage was taken of the large number of tuberculin tests of cattle (3,460,849) to gather and study data as to the results with the various tests and combinations so as to enable the veterinarians to improve their knowledge of the subject and to standardize methods throughout the service. Statistics of tests by the various methods are BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. eM as follows: Subcutaneous method, 129,058 cattle, with 8,238 reactors, or 6.4 per cent; intradermic method, 2,689,313 cattle, with 70,718 reactors, or 2.6 per cent; ophthalmic method, 1,593 cattle, with 59 reactors, or 3.7 per cent; combination tests, 572,883 cattle, with 32,598 reactors, or 5.7 per cent. The intradermic test has largely superseded the others because of its economy and practicability for area work. About 47 per cent of the tests were made by bureau inspectors and about 53 per cent by the State and county men and the accredited practitioners. Information regarding the occurrence of tuberculosis in calves was obtained by compiling figures of results of the testing of calves in herds subjected to the tuberculin test. Among 66,504 calves under 1 year of age there were 2,390 reactors, or 3.6 per cent. The percent- age of reactors among calves under 6 months of age was 2.6, while among those from 6 months to 1 year old it was 4.3. A study of delayed reactions (at and after the seventy-second hour following injection of tuberculin) indicated that in the intra- dermic test observations should be made in every case at the seventy- second hour, and in nearly all cases where infection is disclosed in the herd another observation should be made between the one hundred and twentieth and the one hundred and fiftieth hours. Department Circular 249, The Tuberculin Testing of Livestock, published during the year, was widely distributed among veteri- narians and has helped to set a standard for the application of the various tests and their combinations. Close supervision was again given to the slaughter of reacting cattle with a view to investigating the cases in which no visible lesions of tuberculosis were found on post-mortem oxa:aination. It is signifi- cant that nearly three-fourths of such cases were from herds in which infection was found. Of 107,250 reactors slaughtered, 17.3 per cent were classified as undoubted spreaders of the disease, and 13.3 per cent of the carcasses were either condemned as unfit for food or sterilized. An endeavor has been made to conserve funds by systematizing the work and grouping the herds or confining the activities to cir- cumscribed areas so as to reduce the cost of testing per head. The average cost of testing by bureau inspectors, including salaries and expenses of field veterinarians, but not office expenses or salaries of supervising officers, was 35 cents a head, as compared with 46 cents during the preceding year and 57 cents the year before. SEGREGATION NOT WIDELY USED. Information was collected through bureau stations as to the extent to which cattle which have reacted to the tuberculin test are being held as segregated herds in the United States. This system involves retaining for breeding purposes tuberculous animals of high breed- ing value instead of slaughtering them. By separating the calves from their dams and pasteurizing the milk before feeding it to them an effort is made to raise healthy offspring. The bureau was able to learn of only 201 such herds, containing 2,461 cattle, which were being permanently maintained for breeding purposes, and about two- thirds of these herds were in six States in which tuberculosis in live- stock exists rather extensively. In 18 States no quarantined diseased herds were being maintained. It is evident that the more direct and 238 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. effective methods of eradication are regarded as more practicable and find greater favor in this country. CONFERENCES AND PUBLICITY ON TUBERCULOSIS ERADICATION. One major conference on tuberculosis was held at Concord, N. H., June 12 and 13, 1923, and was attended by bureau and State officials, practicing veterinarians, livestock owners, representatives of breeders’ associations, public health officials, county agents, and others. Numerous State and other local meetings of veterinarians were attended by representatives of the tuberculosis eradication division. Farmers’ Bulletin 1069, Tuberculosis in Livestock, was revised during the year, and its distribution is being continued as a means of giving information on this subject and arousing interest in tuber- culosis eradication. Circulars, entitled Sidelights on Tuberculosis, were issued at irregular intervals and were distributed to veterinarians actively engaged in tuberculosis eradication. Numerous other articles relative to tuberculosis eradication were prepared in the division and published in livestock and veterinary periodicals. DIVISION OF HOG-CHOLERA CONTROL. Efforts to control losses from hog cholera and to reduce the num- ber of outbreaks and centers of infection were continued through the Division of Hog-Cholera Control, under Dr. U. G. Houck, chief. From reports gathered in the field the percentage of hogs de- stroyed by cholera was indicated to be about 80 per cent of all hogs killed by diseases of all kinds. On that basis the mortality rate in swine due to hog cholera was 40.5 per 1,0U0, a reduction of 8.2 per 1,000 from the rate of the year before. The number of hogs on farms January 1, 1923, was 63,424,000, according to data gathered by the the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, at an average valua- tion of $11.46 a head. During the year ended April 30, 1923, there were destroyed by hog cholera 2,564,837 hogs, which, at the valua- tion mentioned, made a total monetary loss of $29,393,032 from the disease. These figures show the necessity for continued efforts to control and reduce the still serious ravages of hog cholera. Approximately 80 veterinarians were maintained in the field up to March 1, 1923. A considerable reduction in the appropriation for 1924 made it necessary for the division to reorganize its force and reduce the number of men to conform with the funds available July 1, 1923, and to curtail and consolidate its activities in some States. By the end of the fiscal year the force was reduced to about 47 inspectors. Bureau inspectors continued to assist practicing veterinarians in the diagnosis of swine diseases and in the technic of serum admin- istration. In sections where veterinary services were not readily available they performed the inoculation of hogs. Advice and information were given to swine growers as to the methods of pre- venting infection and cleaning and disinfecting premises. Cooperation on the part of State officials and educational forces in general was quite satisfactory. County agents and other extension workers lent their assistance in reporting outbreaks of cholera and conducting educational work. It is regrettable, however, that many BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 239 farmers do not take prompt action in calling for assistance when trouble appears in their swine herds. ‘Too often there is a long delay from the time the hogs sicken until trained assistance is sought, and in many cases when cholera is present the disease has advaneed to such a stage when the inspector reaches the outbreak that many hogs are dead or b> yond receiving benefit from the serum treatment. The year had the usual quota of misguided information, incorrect chagnoses, and improper methods of handling outbreaks of cholera. “ Breaks,” or the recurrence of hog cholera in herds supposed to have been immunized against the disease, continued to give some trouble. While special attention was given to these breaks, in many cases no positive causes could be determined as being wholly respon- sible for the return of susceptibility in the herds. In other cases bureau inspectors were able to trace the unfavorable results to non- virulent or attenuated virus, underdose of either serum or virus, and improper care of the animals following inoculation. In the course of the year bureau veterinarians held or attended 1,418 meetings, at which there was an attendance of 84,896 persons, and 4,855 demonstrations in the use of serum and virus were given, in which 108,472 hogs were treated before 21,547 persons interested in the control of hog cholera. Investigations were made on 51,306 premises, 5,182 autopsies were held and cholera was diagnosed in 4,081 cases, and 1,632 farms were quarantined. Interviews to the number of 183,545 were had with farmers, swine growers, veterina- rians, merchants, bankers, and others interested in the control of hog- cholera losses; practicing veterinarians were assisted in treating 892 herds containing 34,820 hogs. There were reported during the year from all sources 7,074 outbreaks of hog cholera. PATHOLOGICAL DIVISION. The Pathological Division, under the direction of Dr. John S. Buckley, chief, has continued the investigation of animal diseases and factors connected with the control of disease. A great many specimens have been examined throughout the year for the purpose of diagnosis, and while in a measure they have ham- pered research studies, they have also furnished clues that have ad- vanced our knowledge of special diseases. RESEARCH ON, DISEASE PROBLEMS. BOVINE INFECTIOUS ABORTION. In studying the value of biological products in combating infec- tious abortion of cattle, a practice has commonly been made of esti- mating their action by considering the calving or abortion records of nested subjects. During the last year the problem was attacked in a somewhat different manner. An experiment was undertaken with the object of ascertaining whether, by repeated injections of abortion bacterin (suspensions of | killed abortion bacteria), the multiplication of abortion microorganisms in the udders of affected animals could be overcome. ° Seven cows which eliminated Bacterium abortus in their milk were given 6 subcutaneous injections of abortion bacterin at weekly intervals, while 8 cows which also eliminated the organism were 240 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. held as untreated controls. The milk of all these cows was tested for the presence or absence of the organisms after the lapse of ap- proximately 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and 11 months. Five of the treated animals and five of the controls were still carriers of the microorganism when the last test was made. The 15 cows pro- duced 10 seemingly healthy calves. Four were dropped by the treated group of 7, and 6 by the control group of 8. One treated subject and one control aborted, and the abortion organism was iso- lated from the fetuses. Gestation periods of the 3 remaining animals are incomplete. While these results reveal no information as to what bacterin injections may accomplish in the treatment of abortion-free subjects, they furnish a certain amount of evidence that carriers of the in- fection derive little or no benefit from bacterin therapy. The fact that 5 of the 8 cows which received no treatment produced healthy calves, although the infection persisted in their udders, indicates, as has frequently been observed, that animals may become tolerant to the microorganisms to a marked degree and may readily yield mis- leading data as to the value of any remedial agents that may be employed if the methods of evaluation are not carefully controlled. The agglutination test was applied to approximately 1,500 samples of bovine blood serum as a means of more definitely determining the cause of abortion losses in numerous herds or ascertaining to what extent the disease had become disseminated. Correspondence furnished a means of acquainting many stock owners with informa- tion for combating the disease. RABIES. As two Japanese investigators reported favorable results in the control of rabies by a single injection of a vaccine composed of fixed rabies virus that had been attenuated, and as this subject has considerable importance from both economic and public-health stand- points, experiments were undertaken by the Pathological Division to determine the value of this method of immunization in dogs. While the work is not complete, sufficient evidence has been obtained to show that this method fails to protect dogs against an artificial ex- posure with street virus obtained in Washington, D. C. Some pro- tection was afforded to dogs exposed to a certain virus from another source. The studies are being continued. FEEDING MOLDS TO ANIMALS. In cooperation with the Bureau of Chemistry, experiments were undertaken to determine the effect of feeding oats infected with various molds to horses and sheep. Oats infected with pure cul- tures of Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, and A. tumari have been fed for a period of 6 weeks each without causing any apparent ill effects. The experiments are being continued with other molds. DIAGNOSIS OF DISEASES. RABIES. Specimens from 144 suspected cases of rabies were submitted for examination, with positive results in 91 cases, comprising 78 dogs, BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 241 6 cats, 4 cattle, and 3 hogs. The rabid animals were said to have bit- ten or scratched 72 persons, 2 cows, 1 horse, and 19 dogs. Most of the specimens came from the District of Columbia, although Vir- ginia, West Virginia, and Maryland contributed a goodly share. The number of positive cases was 35 more than in the preceding year. In April, May, and June 55 cases of rabies were diagnosed, and of these 23 occurred in the District of Columbia, where dogs are not, muzzled during those months of the year. TUBERCULOSIS. Specimen tissues taken from 476 cattle which had reacted to the tuberculin test but had shown no visible lesions of tuberculosis on autopsy were examined microscopically, and 88 of the samples were found to contain organizations having the characteristics of tubercle bacilli. Of the total number of samples 435 were Aediph glands, in 65 of which the organisms were found. There were 27 samples of skin lesions, of which the organisms were found in 21. In addition tissues from 20 calves, ranging from 2 days to 3 weeks in age, were examined, and 17 proved to be tuberculous. A calf belonging to a tuberculosis-free herd reacted to the intra- dermic tuberculin test. No source of bovine infection could be found, and it was suspected that the animal might have acquired the dis- ease from a caretaker who was thought to be suffering from advanced pulmonary tuberculosis. The calf was slaughtered and at autopsy a small, pea-sized nodule containing dry, gritty material was found in one of the mesenteric lymph nodes. In this lesion were found many acid-fast organisms which were proved by animal inoculation and culture tests to be typical tubercle bacilli of the human type. GLANDERS. Cooperative work in the control and eradication of glanders in the various States was continued. The complement-fixation test was applied to 237 samples of serum from animals suspected of being affected with or exposed to glanders, and 23 gave positive reactions. DOURINE. In the course of the campaign for the control and eradication of dourine 11,530 samples of blood serum from horses in districts where dourine exists or is suspected to exist were subjected to the comple- ment-fixation test for that disease. Three hundred and sixty-four of the samples, or approximately 3 per cent, gave positive reactions. TESTING ANIMALS FOR IMPORT, Blood serum from 174 animals offered for import, including 50 Army horses returned from overseas duty in Germany, were subjected to the complement-fixation test for glanders and trypanosomiasis. In a lot of 15 dromedaries offered for import, 5 were found to be affected with trypanosomiasis. Work on the identity of the trypano- some is still in progress, but there are indications that the organ- ism is of the type that produces surra, a disease of high mortality and one which does not exist in this country. All the affected animals were destroyed. The remainder are being held in quar- 242 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. antine until their freedom from trypanosomiasis is definitely established. The discovery of trypanosomiasis in this importation of camels emphasizes the importance of the bureau's quarantine and laboratory service in keeping out of this country diseases such as surra, which, if it gains a foothold, is likely to cause inestimable losses to the live- stock industry. AUTOPSIES ON WILD ANIMALS. The carcasses of 27 birds and 33 mammals were received from the National Zoological Park for post-mortem examination. Of the birds, 3 were affected with aspergillosis, 2 with tuberculosis, 1 with congestion of the lungs, 6 with enteritis, 2 with gastritis, 1 with gastroenteritis, 1 with lead poisoning, and 11 with undetermined affections. Of the mammals, 4 were affected with tuberculosis, 2 with anemia, 4 with enteritis, 1 with gastritis, 4 with gastroenteritis, 1 with goiter, 2 2 with internal hemorrhage, 9 with necrobacillosis, 2 with pneumonia, 1 with pleurisy, 1 with pyemia, and 2 with dissemi- nated tumors. An affection commonly called jaw disease has existed for some time among the kangaroos kept at the National Zoological Park. This year the disease appeared in particularly virulent form and 9 animals died. A study of these cases revealed the presence of Actinomyces necrophorus in all of them and led to a diagnosis of necrobacillosis. TESTING BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS. The testing of commercial veterinary biological products prepared under Government licenses, as well as of the cultures from which they were prepared, has been continued, with samples submitted through the Division of Virus-Serum Control, in connection with the enforcement of the virus-serum-toxin law. Samples of 47 prod- ucts were examined, of which 9 were found to be unsatisfactory by reason of lack of potency or contamination. There were also ex- amined 141 cultures, of which 15 were found to be unsatisfactory. INVESTIGATION OF POISONOUS PLANTS. Investigations of poisonous plants and their effects on livestock have been continued along the same general line as in the last few years. The field experiments have been carried on almost entirely at the experiment station on the Fishlake-Fillmore National Forest, near Salina, Utah. It has been shown to be entirely feasible to use in feeding experiments at this place dried plant material from other localities, in addition to the plants which are available in the imme- diate vicinity. An investigation of losses from eating lupine on the Glenwood division of the Fillmore National Forest was made in the summer of 1922, and a survey of a poison area in the Weiser National Forest was made in the spring of 1923. In the latter case there seemed to be no doubt that the loss was caused by wild cherry and death camas, and was occasioned by the fact that the sheep were obliged to pass over a driveway where there was little to eat except these injurious plants. The woolly-pod milkweed, Asclepias ericarpa, growing in Calitor- nia, has been shown to be very poisonous, and its characteristics have BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 243 been worked out. Department Circular 272, giving results in popular form, has been issued, and a technical bulletin has been prepared. Two loco plants, Astragalus notoxys and Astragalus wootoni, in addition to others previously investigated, were shown to be poison- ous. Preliminary work was done toward determining which species of lupine are poisonous and to what extent and which are harmless. A detailed chemical study of several species is under way. The possibility of poisoning by greasewood (Sarcobatus vermicu- Zatus) has been demonstrated experimentally, and it has been shown that the poisoning is caused by the oxalates of sodium and potassium in the plant. Some questions remain to be cleared up in regard to losses under range conditions. Chemical investigations to identify and isolate the poisonous prin- ciples of stock-poisoning plants have been continued. Alkaloids have been isolated from some of the lupines. In an extended investi- gation of white snakeroot (Hupatorium urticefolium) enough in- formation has been obtained to give a fairly good idea as to the chemical relationships of the toxic principle. Experiments on sheep with extracts of this plant leave no room for doubt as to the decided toxicity of the plant. BRANCH LABORATORIES. The work of the branch pathological laboratory at Chicago con- sisted largely of making diagnoses of pathological conditions en- countered in meat inspection. In view of the large increase in the slaughter of cattle which have reacted to tuberculin and the failure to find visible lesions of tuber- culosis at autopsy in many cases, an experiment on 12 cattle was earried out to throw light on this condition. The results indicated that cattle after exposure to tuberculous infection become sensitive to tuberculin and react to the test before lesions of sufficient size to be seen on autopsy have developed. Tn an experiment to test the possibility that some of the tuber- culous lesions found in and beneath the skin of cattle might be caused by tubercle bacilli of the avian type, 7 chickens tested with avian tuberculin and found to be free from tuberculosis were allowed to feed on tuberculous lesions of the skin in 113 cattle during a period of five months, but autopsy showed that infection had not been trans- mitted. The branch laboratory at Omaha, Nebr., received 921 specimen tis- sues for diagnosis and study, of which 696 were from tuberculin re- actors showing no lesions. The remaining specimens represented a wide variety of diseases and conditions. The branch laboratory at Denver, Colo., received 783 specimens for examination. Besides aiding the meat inspection, cooperation was extended to the city and State health departments and to veteri- narians and stockmen. BIOCHEMIC DIVISION. ‘Lhe work of the Biochemie Division, under Dr. M. Dorset, chief, consisted chiefly of laboratory research relative to meat products, investigations concerning hog cholera, studies of dips, disinfectants, and insecticides, and the preparation of tuberculin and mallein. 244 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. INVESTIGATIONS OF MEATS AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS. ‘he investigations relating to the nutritive value of meats and meat food products have been continued, particular attention being given to the vitamin content of the muscle tissue of beef, pork, and mutton, with an extension of the work to include the meat and eggs of several species of fowl. A part of this work has been conducted in cooperation with the Animal Husbandry Division. VITAMIN CONTENT OF PORK, BEEF, AND MUTTON. Further studies in extension of the work reported in Department Bulletin 1138 confirmed the results there reported and showed that hog muscle is relatively rich in the antineuritic vitamin (vitamin B). For example, 5 per cent of dried hog muscle, corresponding to 3.4 per cent of fat-free muscle, protected a pen of 4 pigeons against polyneuritis for 8 weeks, while 5 per cent of one lot of baker’s dried yeast or 4 per cent of one lot of brewer’s yeast which were tested at the same time failed to protect the pigeons. A study was made of the vitamin A content of the lean meat and of the fat rendered from the fatty tissues of the best grades of beef, pork, and mutton purchased on the local market, but had not been completed at the end of the year. VITAMIN B IN POULTRY FLESH AND EGGS. A study of vitamin B (antineuritic vitamin) in poultry flesh and eggs resulted in finding that, in the samples tested, the lean flesh of frying chickens and of hens and turkeys was relatively deficient in this vitamin. The guinea-hen flesh seemed to have a slightly higher value, while the duck flesh contained a fairly large proportion of the vitamin. Hen’s eggs did not appear to contain a very large amount of the vitamin, although they have been generally considered by other workers to be fairly rich in it. The tests were all conducted on pigeons. . ee ULES Aa eee 40, 000 Regulatory work. £2 _10_S See es re ees 10, 000 Congressional seed distribution-___-_______-_---___-__ 360, 000 Total 2-2-4 Ja Sees 3, 770, 000 255 256 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The work of the bureau is carried on by the follow:ng organi- zation: Officerof. the chiche eee eee ae Laboratory of plant pathology______-_ Plant-disease survey and pathological collections. Fruit-disease investigations ___------_ Citrus-canker eradication ________-_--_- Forest-pathology investigations_______ BiSterc-custrcomproleun sete a Cotton, truck, and forage crop disease investigations. Crop physiology and breeding investi- gations, Soil-bacteriology investigations_____-~_ Soil-fertility investigations___________ Crop acclimatization and adaptation investigations. Fiber-plant investigations__________-_ Drug, poisonous, and oil plant investi- gations. Plant physiological and fermentation investigations. Agricultural technology______-_---____- Seed-testing laboratories ; enforcement of seed-importation act. Carealinvestisablons. 6 Tobacco and plant-nutrition investiga- tions. Alkali and drought resistant plant in- vestigations. Sugar-plant investigations _-_-_________ Economie and systematic botany_____ Dry-land agriculture — et Western irrigation agriculture_______ Horticultural and pomological investi- gations. Gardens'and jgroundss2)=—- Demonstrations on reclamation proj- ects. Arlington Experiment Farm_________ Foreign seed and plant introduction__ William A. Taylor, physiologist and pathologist and chief of bureau. K. F. Kellerman, physiologist and as- sociate chief of bureau. H. KE. Allanson, assistant to the chief of bureau. Erwin F. Smith, pathologist in charge. C. L. Shear, pathologist in charge. M. B. Waite. pathologist in charge. Directed by the associate chief of bureau. Haven Metcalf, pathologist in charge. S. B. Detwiler, pathologist in charge. W. A. Orton, pathologist in charge. W. T. Swingle, physiologist in charge. ¥. Lohnis, bacteriologist in charge. Oswald Schreiner, biochemist in charge. O. F. Cook,. bionomist in charge. L. H. Dewey, botanist in charge. W. W. Stockberger, physiologist in charge. H. L. Shantz, physiologist in charge. N. A. Cobb, technologist in charge. i. Brown, botanist in charge. C. R. Ball, cerealist in charge. W. W. Garner, physiologist in charge. T. H. Kearney, physiologist in charge. Directed by the associate chief of bureau. Frederick V. Coville, charge. EK. C. Chilcott, agriculturist in charge. C. 8. Seofield, agriculturist in charge. L. C. Corbett, horticulturist in charge. botanist in BE. M. Byrnes, assistant in charge. A. C, Cooley, agriculturist in charge. BE. C. Butterfield, assistant horticul- turist in charge. David Fairchild, agricultural explorer in charge. C. V. Piper, agrostologist in charge. R. A. Oakley, agronomist in charge. G. N. Collins, botanist in charge. Forage-crop investigations___________ Congressional seed distribution_______ Biophysical investigations_____-_______ NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES. On August 31, 1923, the numerical strength of the bureau was as follows: In Washington, 706; outside of Washington, 1,637; mak- ing a total of 2,348. Of this number 1,645 were permanent employees and 698 temporary workers. Of the total number of employees 1.457 were technical workers. BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 257 From September 1, 1922, to August 31, 1923, changes in the per- sonnel of the bureau were as follows: Appointments, 1,184, of which 308 were permanent and 876 temporary; retirement, 1; resigna- tions and terminations, 943, of which 229 were permanent employees and 714 temporary workers. There were 22 transfers, and 40 fur- loughs were granted. Five employees died during the year. PUBLICATIONS. The new publications of the bureau (Department Bulletins, Farm- ers’ Bulletins, Department Circulars, and miscellaneous documents, with contributions to the Yearbook and to the Journal of Agri- cultural Research) numbered 119, of which 16 were joint contribu- tions with educational institutions, State agricultural experiment stations, or with other bureaus or offices of the department. These 119 publications contain 3,802 pages, 404 full-page plates, and 8538 text figures, and were issued in first editions aggregating 1,169,585 copies. The contributions of this bureau to the series of Farmers’ Bul- letins numbered 17; Department Bulletins, 385; Department Cir- culars, 16; and to the Journal of Agricultural Research, 36. These - publications show in considerable detail some of the activities of the bureau. The following statement outlines the work of the bureau not other- wise recorded, summarizing the status of the most significant accom- plishments during the past fiscal year. FIELD CROPS. WHEAT. Bunt—Strains of wheat immune or highly resistant to bunt, or stinking smut, have been obtained from hybrids and selections of commercial varieties in cooperation with the State stations in Oregon, Washington, and California. These now are being tested for yield, milling and baking quality, and other factors. In ad- dition to Ridit, which is being commercialized, two immune strains, Hussar and Martin, and several other very resistant strains, includ- ing White Odessa, Sherman, and several selections of Turkey, are being extensively tested. Flag smut——Numerous varieties and strains of wheat were grown in connection with flag-smut studies in cooperation with the Illinois station. In addition, about 200 head rows were grown to determine resistance to the disease. Notes recorded by the pathologists show several of the lots tested to be highly resistant to or immune from the disease. Several hundred heads were selected for continuing the experiment. The Shepherd variety is being increased, and several other strains are being increased on a smaller scale but as rapidly as possible. The results show the possibility of controlling flag smut by the use of resistant varieties. What was looked upon at the time of its discovery a few years ago as a very serious and threatening disease has been deprived thereby of much of its menace. Serious losses from it can be avoided in the future by growing strains known to be immune. 258 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. During 1923 flag smut of wheat was found in one new State, Kansas, and in nine additional counties in the States of Illinois and Missouri. In [Illinois the State department of agriculture found the disease in the counties of Macoupin, Greene, Scott, Logan, and Hancock. In Missouri this bureau, cooperating with the Missouri State College of Agriculture, discovered flag smut for the first time in St. Charles, Warren, Platte, and Buchanan Counties. In Kansas infestations were found by men from this bureau and the State Agricultural College in four counties in the northeastern part ot the State, namely, Wyandotte, Leavenworth, Atchison, and lami. FRosette.—The rosette of wheat, the cause of which is as yet un- known, recurred in Illinois and Indiana, both in experimental plats and commercial fields. Extensive sowings of wheat strains on soil infected with rosette, in cooperation with the Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin stations, have shown that many of them are immune. Se- lection of disease-free plants in a badly infested field resulted in im- munity from the disease in the progeny of these plants. This mass- selected lot is similar in appearance to the very susceptible variety from which the selections were made. Attempts to establish strains of this and other varieties resistant to both flag smut and rosette are under way. Scab.—By studying both healthy and infected wheat and corn seedlings grown in parallel series at different soil temperatures, it has been found that at comparatively low soil temperatures the wheat seedling develops very sturdily, with thick cell walls, which soon become lignified and suberized and as a result are highly resistant to the attacks of the fungous parasite. At higher temperatures it was found that wheat seedlings developed with much less vigor, with cell walls much thinner and largely pectic in nature. As a result they are readily penetrated by the parasite. The reverse was found to be true in the case of corn seedlings; that is, weak, susceptible plants developed at the lower temperatures and vigorous resistant plants at the higher soil temperatures. This is in accord with the behavior of these seedling blights under field conditions. Special studies also were made on the head-blight development of wheat scab. It was found that high humidity during the blooming stage of the wheat head is most favorable for infection. This was found to correlate perfectly with the greatest losses from wheat scab during 1919 and 1920; that is, in the areas where summer rains came at such times as to produce high relative humidity during the flower- ing stage, there the greatest losses from wheat scab occurred. Take-all.—The true Australian take-all of wheat, caused by the fungus Ophiobolus graminis Sacc., was found in the States of Ore- gon, Washington, California, Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and New York. During the past year the disease was not reported from Virginia, although it had been found at one point in that State previously. In Tennessee it was found to a limited extent at one point. In North Carolina it was found only sparingly in four counties. Barberry eradication to control black stem rust.—The campaign for the eradication of the common barberry to prevent or materially reduce epidemics of black stem rust is conducted in cooperation with the State agricultural college in each of the 13 States in the eradica- BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 259 tion area, with the State department of agriculture in most of them, and with the Conference for the Prevention of Grain Rust, located at Minneapolis, Minn. It was begun in the spring of 1918 and is now in its sixth year. From the beginning of the campaign to June 30, 1923, almost all cities, towns, and villages in the 13 States were surveyed. The orig- inal survey has been completed in Wyoming, and but few counties remain to be covered in Colorado and Montana. The survey in the other 10 States has progressed rapidly, and an area equivalent to 484 counties has been covered. -Resurveys are made from time to time of each property on which barberries have been found. Prop- erties in the vicinity of large bushes, either cultivated or escaped, which are old enough to bear seeds have been designated for es- pecially careful resurvey. During the entire campaign 5,847,979 bushes have been located on 56,747 properties. Of these, 3,437,178 were escaped bushes on 3,340 farms. aoe toa eee 277 177, 280 Wooly Countys. 5225 -eeeeeseseea- eae 397 254, 080 Jenkins County. ssc- enema ee eer 1342 218, 880 BoE Velels RA chee We ee | 2 ee a Minidoka ‘area: . 25:24 255et 43.20 22s a | 340 217, 600 Ube (obi siiy Mie aaa Sa fe ee Tawrence County). .2.c. nae saem-n)- noes 455, 291, 200 Monroe County... 22... .5- BOs TIA 1 298 ~ 190,720 LOCI GR OO ene CoE EI ioe ae Delaware Count. .£-2. -pockcee pees 1 466 298, 240 Floyd Countys: :22.2.3.242238. 2 Sas. 1 388 248, 320 Jefferson. County... tee. saeset eee = 431- 275, 840 Winneshiek Countiy =o) ss sashes oo 617 394, 880 Benrien Countys.,-) -. «S43. sss els 150 32, 000 Ottawa’ Countiye. en oe oe eee 129 18, 560 Minnesota £50222 S22 227.2. SEL A Olmsted County: eA et ees 1337 215, 680 Mississippi =. 34 -2\5.i¢¢ =. = -byesoen ee ae Perry, Gountyyis----(20-! . 2 Ciek © 6. ose 1 445 284, 800 Harrison County: .oo-me- 505 serene eae ee 296 189, 440 Jackson! County i. Wi. 2 A. ae a 156 99, 840 SMUISSOTIEM EE 2 eek ees let ee nia a on Te Boone, County = 2 5p on-base = pe eee 406 259, $40 Ray County ss sess. eee eee eee ee 571 365, 440 Lawrence County....-;.--.. ee oa ee 228 145, 920 WGDIASKSA St Sink woe csee sce sees Burt County. Saoce. agetes se eee cesta 375 240, 000 Cuming Countyi.wiilhs. Loeli O18 577 369, 280 Dawson County oe hae eer ane ce eree 985 630, 400 Merrick County S724 atthe RSL AES 463 296, 320 Nance, County seu- a: $s-.scheeicyeser see 1 346 221,440 INBVAG St oo cowie nica ep peas sige sicitacs Las Vegas area. :----s5qe-s- Pats © hekess 302 193, 280 Moapa'Valley area: ii2/22...205.8..0... 115 73, 600 IN@W Jersey a.5 3s he cee fens bas a! Bergen afea..- So. esece taceen ep 1 502 321, 280 Salem'area! 2. 2 Ald | eta tak ae See 1185 118, 400 New rk... 24: od feo dee cveds-mseey Genesee County is. -tjecie da snrt cogs. - dee 1161 103, 040 ! Herkimer Gounhyes seect- = seeeeee ee seat 483 309, 120 Worth Carolinas. 52 240). £2 Be La Camden and Currituck Counties...-.... 512 327, 680 Haywood, County. = sa---na---4aaseb nee 546 349, 440 Sampson (Countye 12532 Ae ee 597 382, 080 Cass Countywarisn fT eT. bees 1, 006 6438, 840 Madison County,..-22-ssaee nee eeceee eee 282 180, 480 Fulton Coiintyer!..2i 44. eter 1 202 129, 280 Polk; County. a7 - beac ec peneriaee- ere 709 453, 760 Minn Count ysss9. eo a et aa 350 224, 000 Grant County: ..<.....-s<.ssygeesoece ee 1511 327, 040 Vivian area.) <0) 5sn eee er 325 208, 000 Tennessee. '. <:.oacesenios = Gaines ances = Dickson. |County:.,3:--)- 22k e ee eee eee 549 351, 360 Tekasrisl. osg. Ses. IHS SAE Se Cameron, County2 bs isletus. 226 5h. Jake 625 400, 000 Dickens @ounty=. <.5. Socse eo ee eee 1 435 278, 400 Rockwall’ Cotnty 4 so.c cscs seoee essen 149 95, 360 Wichita County osc. osc o-ces eee ecoee 169 108, 160 Henderson County..6- sees ee eee eee 1 633 405, 120 IWS VAnginia (35 eset see eaiae Stee asec | Grant and Mineral Counties............. 810 518, 400 WiSONSINs po-caede os: toe seeecose eee lg@reen County. 20). soa aeeeeees aoe 1176 112, 640 Green Lake: Countys.. s)oeereeceeee ene 1113 72,320 Manroe' County): =< sctesceeucsseecenone 513 328, 320 icree COUN Sos ches oe Sea ae 1,128 13, 515 14, 643 9, 371, 520 UPL eT Ate be See i SA ee eee ee oe 966 22, 530 23,496 | 15,037, 440 MOO OT SCOP Ei -rtate wt ns isiiaes team oc accin- once didssctaanee |Source= dae 3, 038 3, 038 1, 944, 320 1,704 1, 704 1, 090, 560 2,276 2,276 1, 456, 640 12, 206 12, 206 7, 811, 840 27,720 28, 736 18, 391, 040 8,751 9, 091 5, 818, 240 6, 770 6,770 4, 332, 800 12, 946 13, 699 8, 767, 360 28, 801 31,410 | 20,102, 400 s 9, 456 9,456 | 6,051, 840 ertwek yore. =. ta eke Sie SF oy. bas din Babel eons we 5, 020 5, 020 3, 212, 800 SUNWISIAMA Sea 3 nein = gine sect bnn.ss gnelaseee Am ogert ei tthe. 749. ELSA ad sae tel ok st tae oes 2, 746 32, 351 35,097 22, 462, 080 ENG Vad = cc bak «soe eas sc desnc china oe ae oe cperissece eae 417 235 652 | 417, 280 ENows Eraripshire: £2520) 2b. Sith se Nee cee cee ae ane eietel meee are etsteic« 1,411 1,411 | 903, 040 INOW FSO Yerea-t cet b meh ce be Whe oe ee eee 549 10, 067 10, 616 6, 794, 240 RRrcases ee. SAE. ISLE L ARE! UN 33d TAA? BAL DB 2,011 38, 771 40,782 | 26,100, 480 WbAR Ss «coche. oct Sache bce ec cufyiass fee -dayrst eer See. S221 J 2,419 2,419 1,548,160 AiGharitoTa ie: aie Ant ie hain Gen mee Tee eee). 2S ee 1,175 1,175 752, 000 MAYA) Cast Wee Cee ae eS 3 eS 8 Be eae Pome pert See SS eed Be 9,713 9, 713 6, 216, 320 WV SUI En. ans ree = spec eee » See 10, 752 10,752 6, 881, 280 SVReSts Waren AeA Eye EAE as Boe oa tae oeeee ens Seeee 810 17, 767 18,577 | 11, 889, 280 MASCODSIA ES head as eprerctsek . ol} 2a. eee setae oak ® 1,055 18, 911 19,966 | 12,778,240 IWVAY ORME PME Se Solute aiateite che's-a vies ci oe'dfe Soe ce Sian eee ee ee 855 855 | 547, 200 OPAL e Sse dee nec mepit sid— ers - aaaep eae tae 27, 004 602, 743 629,747 , 403, 038, 080 RECONNAISSANCE AUIS Rete ae a fog miee oienjam g 2 sa tees Pe ee Lames ae 31,915 | 31,915 | 20,425, 600 ASIHHISHS-MASSOUPI Case's ono cb ns Soles wie ciate sya tae aaeeee eee sais 58, 000 58, 000 | 37,120,000 (GaliGunis cg ts sage ge ~tis|-\.b< faclel ws - [acted t sete teed lee e 32,135 | 32, 135 | 20,566, 400 IS RTISHS oS 2 be clots wis one owt es acre deaee cis ae Sele Seen eee eee ro 39,960 | 39, 960 | 25,574, 400 MEIN card) Sea ES TE thse Asso Stan ha lane Soke eee = oe ere le 1,322 | Lv 322 846, 080 IVD Gt Be eRe cane aaeet 6 ser eeee rete eres. cco carkoc||s 2 ae soe 752 | 752 481, 280 MGA TATAM STAIRS Ia: LL Re Se del i Oe a eee 7, 155 5,315 12,470 | 7,980, 800 LNG OPEC aA OS A AREY CECE ESSE cic celcicl ce See Berane 53, 064 53, 064 | 33,960, 960 BNOLL DAKO 22s. coccs cAotad boss po dae a Soe ane meeeme ee sere ae 39, 240 39) 240 | 25,113,600 PORTO oo sleet va cla ciateicie'a' sincera Sa RR ER SOR aD Le 41,420 | 41,420 | 26, 508, 800 PBMMTISVEVADNIA oes mcs sss te vs oee cis os tee eee eee Sense oe so 41,405 | 41) 405 | 26,499, 200 South Dakotas =: iy. 2. lhe See ee oe a hie 41, 400 41) 400 | 26,496, 000 PROBES 2 ian sete SE SARS Fee ae eee eam asters 11, 603 121, 132 | 132) 735 | 84,950, 400 Washineton: fe. yf)... Lose bey seats ee Re ey. 13,115 | 13, 115 8, 393, 600 RVVISCOWSINS Sein cio otto 5 mania ctya ce oka cep eh e ooh eee ERE ealaee sce + sash 14, 425 14, 425 9, 232, 000 a 0 ee PP eases seem Sey tary hee 18, 758 534, 600 553, 358 | 354, 149, 120 78007—acr 1923-25 376 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The demand for the Soil Survey reports and for maps and reports covering special. areas shows not only that an increasing number of scientific investigators are using information of this kind but also that more men engaged in various lines of business are interested in the results of the work. Cooperative work with the Forest Service was continued during the year. Special attention was given to the relationship between certain soil types and the character of the forest growth. Informa- tion of this kind is of great practical value in the reforestation of cut- over lands. At the request of the Reclamation Service, Interior Department, this bureau continued the classification of the soils in a number of areas. The information secured will be used mainly in determining the agricultural value of the land in proposed irrigation projects. The usual cooperative work with other departments of the Govern- ment and with experiment stations was carried on during the year. Numerous inquiries regarding the identification of soil types and the treatment and improvement of soils were answered, and much advice and information was given by correspondence or in person to callers. Exhibits of the work of the Soil Survey were prepared, and a representative from the bureau, accompanied by representa- tives of other bureaus of the department, visited a number of impor- tant fairs for the purpose of presenting and exhibiting the work of the Soil Survey and giving advice on the treatment of soils. It has been recognized for several years that much valuable work in soils has been done abroad with which the soil investigators in this country were not in close touch, and that many processes of soil development are more clearly shown under the climatic conditions prevailing in parts of Europe than in this country. The behavior of soils under centuries of continued cultivation had also become a subject of interest to soil investigators in this country. The bureau was fortunate during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1922, in being able to send a representative abroad for three months to confer with the soil investigators of other countries and to examine the soils of certain regions in order that they might be compared with the soils of the United ‘States. During this journey Czechoslovakia, Hun- gary, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Italy, Greece, Germany, and England were visited, and a large number of samples of the typical soils were collected, and as far as time permitted a study was made of the soils in the field with reference to their history and treatment. Especial attention was given to the effect of continual cropping for centuries in these long-cultivated regions. An account of this journey and observations on the soils and agriculture of the countries visited has been prepared and presented to the public in papers and addresses. The samples collected have been compared with the soils of similar regions in this country and turned over to the laboratories of the bureau, which are engaged in an investigation of their chemical and physical properties. CHEMICAL DIVISION. Investigations of the Chemical Division, as in the previous year, were concerned chiefly with colloidal soil material. By modifying the treatment adopted for isolating the colloidal material it was found possible to separate from the larger soil grains more than 60 per cent of all the colloidal matter present in some soils. BUREAU OF SOILS. 377 Progress was also made in developing methods for determining .the total quantities of colloids in soils. It was found that after all colloid possible was removed from the soil the unextracted colloid remaining in the residues could be estimated with considerable accu- racy by microscopic count. The results of extraction and micro- scopic count give a determination of the total colloid present in the soil. A method of determining the colloidal content of a soil from the relative adsorptive capacities of the soil and colloid for dye, water, or ammonia was investigated in considerable detail. It was found that the adsorptive capacity of the soil and colloid for water vapor under certain conditions affords a fair estimation of the total colloid in the soil. In the past it has been quite generally believed that soils as a rule contain only 1 to 2 per cent of inorganic colloidal material. This idea was based partly on early faulty methods of estimation and artly on peculiar interpretations of what constituted the soil col- oids. By employment of the improved methods of estimation it was found that soils may contain as high as 70 per cent of colloidal material. While the properties of a soil are largely dependent on the total quantity of colloids present, the character of the colloidal material is also of great importance. Considerable progress has been made in measuring quantitatively the properties of the colloids extracted from different soils, and the investigations are being continued. This fundamental knowledge of the soil colloids is very important. In the past there has been considerable speculation regarding col- loidal phenomena in soils without an exact knowledge of the prop- erties of the substances supposed to be responsible for the phenomena. A considerable volume of analytical work has been done on soils in collaborative work with other bureaus and with other divisions of this bureau. Many complete chemical analyses have been made of the different strata present in virgin soils. This work is important in the determination of soil characteristics and forms the basis in part for the classification of many soil types. An investigation is also being made of the variation in the mineralogical and colloid composition of different soil strata. In addition, chemical exami- nations have been made of a wide variety of soils that are being used by the Bureau of Standards in a test of the influence of the soil on pipe corrosion. SOIL PHYSICS. The study of the influence of colloid on the physical condition of the soil has been continued during this year, and a relation between the colloid content and the mineral content of the soil has been established. This relation shows the great influence of the colloid content upon the bearing strength of soils, and may be of great service in estimating the cohesion of the soil in problems related to the use of soil material in drainage, irrigation, and other engineering work and in tillage operations. A new, improved method of me- chanical analysis has been worked out that will express the relative amounts of colloid and mineral grains in the soil. This method gives better insight into the nature of the soil composition and is 2 oa in the study of agricultural soils as well as soil material to be used in engineering construction. 378 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. A study has been undertaken of some of the physical properties of various soil types and the variation of these with the soil horizons. This work is bemg done in cooperation with the Soil Survey to assist in the classification of soil types. Routine mechanical analyses of soil-survey samples have been continued, and in addition a large number of samples have been examined for the United States Geological Survey, the Reclamation Service, Bureau of Public Roads, and other offices in the Government. Regular work on the design and construction of apparatus has been continued, and a number of pieces of special apparatus for use in the laboratories and by the Soil Survey field parties have been constructed. FERTILIZER RESOURCES. During the last fiscal year the bureau continued its general funda- mental work to develop our resources in fertilizer materials. It has furnished farmers and others interested in fertilizers technical information regarding fertilizers, lime, and manure, their sources of supply, manufacture, purchase, and mixing, and has advised on many problems pertaining to fertilizers that have arisen in the various departments of the Government. Work has been continued on the production of phosphoric acid by the volatilization process. One of the details pitied out is the best proportions of silica, carbon, and phosphate rock to be used for the rapid evolution of phosphoric acid. From laboratory experiments it has been found that the volatilization of phosphoric acid can be brought about under slightly reducing eon liti da including tem- peratures considerably below those generally considered necessary. It has also been shown that by replacing the sand ordinarily em- ployed in this process with potash-bearing shales, phosphoric acid and potash may simultaneously be evolved at a lower temperature than was thought possible for either phosphoric acid or potash. It would be a distinct advantage technically if both of these materials could be volatilized in one operation, using the shale material as a slagging agent. Outside commercial interests have already ex- pressed, a willingness to try out the fuel-fired furnace for producing hosphoric acid as it has been largely developed in this bureau. A fidlaea describing the work on the volatilization of phosphoric acid is now in press and will be issued shortly. A survey of the amount of potash obtainable as a by-product from blast furnaces has been completed and a publication embodying the results has been prepared. It has been definitely established that the potash liberated from furnaces where certain types of ores are used may be utilized commercially by the employment of tech- nical methods already developed, and researches are in progress which are designed to effect improvements in methods so that the potash evolved from all furnaces may be made industrially valuable. The problem of rendering commercially available the enormous domestic supply of potash represented by the greensand deposits of New Jersey, the alunite deposits of Utah, the leucite deposits of Wyoming, and the cement dust of various parts of the country has been attacked from entirely new points of view. The announce- ment of conclusions at this time would be premature, but the results obtained to date are of a very encouraging nature and offer the BUREAU OF SOILS. 379 promise that the cost of extracting potash from these raw materials will be greatly reduced. This work is being carried out with a full understanding and utilization of the results obtained in the extensive war-time investigations of these raw materials. Potash from the western fields must be refined to a high state of purity in order that freight charges to market may be reduced to the minimum, and by-products must be yielded simultaneously to reduce proportionately the cost of producing the potash. These fundamental economic considerations are the basis of present investigations. To solve the propiem of extracting potash commercially from the greensands of New Jersey—a problem which thus far has resisted solution— would render available for American agriculture a very large and close-at-hand supply of potash. Additional articles descriptive of the results obtained in the department’s experimental kelp-potash plant at Summerland, Calif., have appeared, and others are ready for publication. By modifying the process ordinarily used in the preparation of ammonium phosphate so as to include the use of commercial potas- sium chloride as well as phosphoric acid and ammonium, it has been found that a product of corresponding concentration may easily be obtained which contains all three of the essential constituents of fertilizers. ‘The chemical and physical properties of this material make it admirably suited as a medium for transporting the fertilizing elements and for increasing the concentration of other fertilizer mix- tures. Outside interests have taken such an interest in this process as to express a willingness to test out the method on a commercial scale. The bureau has for many years advocated the use of more concentrated fertilizers and the elimination of many of the fertilizer brands, and a striking confirmation of the value of our work has been shown during the last year in a number of conferences held in Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, and other sections of the country, in which definite formulas for fertilizer mixtures were adopted. These formulas were fewer in number and were of higher concentration in the fertilizer ingredients, the average result showing about a 50 per cent increase in the content of essential plant-food constituents carried by the adopted brands over those of about 10 years ago. A study has been undertaken of conditions suitable for the home mixing of materials and the changes taking place in the mixed ma- terials while in storage. As a result of the work on nitrogen fixation during the past year an improved method has been evolved for the recovery of ammonia in liquid form from the mixed gases in the synthetic process. This method promises a more efficient recovery, produces the ammonia in a more convenient form than from the older methods, and marks a distinct advance in the technical operation of the Haber process for nitrogen fixation. A report on the results of this investigation, which was carried on in cooperation with the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory, is now being prepared for publication. In the routine laboratory work a great many samples have been examined with reference to the ity of utilizing the materials as sources of fertilizer. NS rs Asan e Y iste oe pi ‘ora ps "Ai eae bet ahaa fi a8 60 204 segagee 7. vas PRT wt "OW 4 P a rea sat inisn Bs aly Tas if Mcaaee Alf. iaitet wry See i saa value mn ney tore site Heid nod hioniibrt af seu ; a aed TA. un, “at ‘bancber ed % ; we: ' ‘ bare? ¢lesoort ics (eee . rep ty ceils tee to is] 1 Papo? ligt ® wi sir dnezate i he att ange 4 ie Arras slaB hey i Abe iy of dete i tir) aistt} \ehouior hiaphe a pag a anion For 4 (ean, dentog io it cise “et ys oi) ai beninde ailemee Ostet | svi we sa 4(10] mie dp ineks deatog-qlo' ladeanens 45 2h by Wadoitanildig 11 vider se waHe'b 7 Rgddeitebses vitanitiad 2aqsene one rep io dai silt ohbaulsal wae GF as#ilq ri ee Pauiionetin hire bine te = How Arabi BMA AGN AOsHOD wei dio eaTtOR Re D re oD pMinenio (gitasee) di bo Sor Ty eeiay itt to wpibieqorty. Lacie yep Dine eee 9 1.9) 2 mk to) menbenn oe a ‘TOA ssiligtol vaclio” 10.189 LOO OES Ween OK “5 dd Gedewmiat un dows nogkad pratt ay one Hone hadteig ed} ine jest OF Better 2 haart otktabstann che etHoe't' wnat or par piet, t erlt) TO Manat toi rin ils ory Lea’ ine Aowz eto. asifey ox te rout Relahhe ” Gi ibdfost 714 ar Fane ie a Sidi oto 199 sistinqoh ane oe a apis 4 fee’ isk Na) 442 Og 19 nde ak . 7 net BAY. ott fet ‘toy ait “madstie ‘Wotincs p00 (a ahi co : » Ge i : ie * nari ail to 6 eM ON Ti iy 24 4} igaols: i" Hane a +4 ye . ‘i, onG ~ 36° ‘ortho ates Ve Reor neve s i PRE BO t BO ea . ait Bia eoead )< to xéinP ae ‘pis nN “ Lo. BOO ny are guide ty Th 7 a ; 1S ka A, fj pom! er } . lb oy i ri 4% Fen ; : Do * ons neo? ead e5bhi Bit 2 yous oft to TOW pa" ot tint si . “Vasinos ety it esosenh 011 [ja eden WOntiay Sik) Hut Hee Ye aT” eo cter Omttton BOF} trodn ash OhHiOR7 aa 2s nat Se : sah) iby ASMA GMT tes sib seb Beet ae Hodait a 7 buginarae” _ t 4 bn’ per Sh my ¥ ian ye Lets j v . i | DUS EES oui Ssieiirost ri i ii PRT Si ‘ ind ye) By AOL Bh of a aL} 17 me Pe i) eat] ivi (yi ¥ pion . % ry 14 . r , . 7 i. 4 7 pteniods Sas iw Ont Paracy< OOS HTOS | by ee (co QitENE frihbilie Ai ay OPE tesa NGOER & dissirtes ie ee __seonbanitatiton 3 mel (> ROWE GAPE tend 23 ets Bie yaeritet to gar: re deraaley ‘oseemuba ren Y “aay Cle i . Eiarirerte ss ie witch, Bed iti gral 9 1 aca: Ofer gn { roltatooreh et aia | ‘so he i spt a TRONy 5) deed ores Ht PRT IFOON & mon ite mL cabins OV aME Lo utoimt sack aaa to dels: Kg by be 7 mas ae te ts 49 HTT RS) net Leh: sand Litt “£80F “Ok 1 nha Tat ke py Gitte nine ha’ ‘ey t quod +a aa 7 Oe Pie i tecG tomers fod iT" PY { poppet? oa oleh ‘esse roi neg . ie i ats y eS) zi lute Ai), S : a i tO ri it dy / me . , a) REPORT OF CHIEF OF BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. Unitep States DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Bureav or BrotoctcaL Survey, Washington, D. C., September 12, 1923. Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a report of the work of the Bureau of Biological Survey for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1923. Respectfully, EK. W. NeEtson, Chief of Bureau. Hon. Henry C. WAtAce, Secretary of Agriculture. ORGANIZATION OF THE BUREAU. In order to conduct the necessary investigations relating to our wild birds and mammals and to promote the conservation of the useful and harmless species and to destroy those that are harmful, the Biological Survey is organized under the following divisions: 1. Economic Investigations, Dr. A. K. Fisher in charge. De- velops methods of control and cooperates in campaigns for the destruction of predatory animals and injurious rodents. Has super- vision also of an experimental fur farm and cooperates in foster- ing the fur-farming industry and in the conservation of fur-bearing animals. - 2. Food Habits Research, W. L. McAtee in charge. Investigates the food habits and ecgnomic relations of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Makes studies of the food resources of water areas for migratory wild fowl, to improve production, and devises practical methods of control for injurious birds. 3. Biological Investigations, E. A. Goldman in charge. Investi- gates the distribution, migration, and other habits of wild birds and ymammals and the distribution of wild plant and animal life in relation to climate for the purpose of mapping the life zones of North America. Makes technical laboratory and field studies of birds and mammals. The scientific results of the work of this division form the basis for the increasing economic activities of the bureau. 4. Alaska Reindeer and Fur Bearers, E. W. Nelson and W. F. Bancroft in charge. Investigates diseases and parasites of reindeer and studies forage plants, grazing areas, herd management, and other problems relating to the upbuilding of the reindeer industry. Administers the law protecting Alaskan land fur animals and makes investigations to assist in developing fur farming in the Territory. 419 490 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 5. Game and Bird Refuges, Smith Riley in charge. Supervises the maintenance of Federal big-game and bird refuges and the warden service on them, and the production of hay and feeding of elk on the winter Elk Refuge. 6. Migratory-bird Treaty and Lacey Acts, G. A. Lawyer in charge. Administers the laws for the protection of migratory game and other birds, for the prevention of illegal interstate shipments of game, and for the prevention of the importation of harmful species of wild birds and animals. ECONOMIC INVESTIGATIONS. WILD ANIMAL PESTS. The national forests and other great areas of public lands in the Western States are the main breeding places of wolves, coyotes, moun- tain lions, and other stock-killing animals, and of prairie dogs, ground squirrels, pocket gophers, and many other forage and crop destroying rodents. For the purpose of reducing losses in_live- stock and forage on the public domain and to cooperate with the _ States, local organizations, and individuals in campaigns for the destruction of these wild animal pests on State and private lands an appropriation of $440,121 was made available by Congress for the year, of which $276,890 was used for the destruction of predatory animals and $163,231 for work in rodent control. Twelve of the public-land States made direct appropriations of cooperative funds to use with the bureau for this fiscal year. Furthermore, seven additional States provided cooperative funds without direct appro- priations, which made a total of $844,000. Of this, approximately $248,000 was for the destruction of predatory animals and more than $601,000 for the rodent campaigns. From the beginning of this work the survey has maintained that eventually it would be practicable completely to destroy some of the worst of these animal pests and thus forever eliminate the heavy losses they have been causing. Through the campaigns against them prairie dogs have been exterminated on considerable areas, and the large wolves, of which 4,900 have been killed, are being so*reduced in numbers that over most if not all of the West their end is in sight. The best evidence of the growing appreciation of the practical value of campaigns against animal pests in the West was given in the winter of 1923 by the legislatures of 13 States, which made total appropriations of about $647,000 for cooperation in the work during the following biennium. The results obtained in the campaigns against animal pests have been possible only through the hearty cooperation of States, local organizations, and individuals. In addition to funds contributed more than 104,000 farmers and stockmen took an active personal part in the rodent field work. Good progress was made at the Denver laboratory in working out poison combinations to increase the effec- tiveness of the field operations. Application has been made for a patent in favor of the Department of Agriculture to cover a new poison combination that in field tests has given remarkable results with both predatory animals and rodents, BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 491 PREDATORY ANIMALS. Organized field operations against predatory animals were in progress during the year in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Requests for assistance have also been received from Louisiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Indiana. As a result of demonstra- tions given in Missouri the State legislature appropriated $15,000 for cooperation with the bureau in the destruction of predatory ani- mals through the State Board of Agriculture and also provided that in further cooperation the State game department might expend funds at its disposal. South Dakota for the first time provided a cooperative fund of $30,000 for use during the ensuing biennium, In connection with its work on the national forests and other Federal lands, the bureau has enlisted the cooperation of other Federal, State, and private agencies in order to correlate all efforts in an effective drive for the destruction of predatory animals on Federal, State, and private lands, thus giving general protection to livestock. State agencies taking part have included departments of agriculture, livestock commissions or boards, game commissions, extension departments of the States, county organizations, stock- men’s associations, and individuals. Cooperation with other Fed- eral agencies which control areas of Federal lands included the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, the Office of Indian Affairs, and the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior. The Bureau of Plant Industry and the Bureau of Chem- istry, of the Department of Agriculture, have rendered important assistance in connection with laboratory investigations. Improved poison combinations and their systematic distribution have been so successful that poisoning is rapidly superseding other methods of predatory-animal control. The great increase in terri- tory that can be covered by poisoning campaigns, as now conducted, for .the first time offers a possibility of eliminating coyotes over vast areas. This has hitherto appeared doubtful, owing to the num- bers and wide distribution of these pests. More than 200,000 square miles were covered by organized poisoning operations during the year, and at carefully established poison stations on this area more than 1,703,000 specially prepared poison baits were distributed. Present methods in poisoning operations are the result of gradual development and are based on both laboratory and field investiga- tions. From the beginning it has been recognized that the develop- ment of an effective poisoning procedure would be essential to the ultimate handling of the coyote problem. The results now being obtained surpass even the expectations at the beginning of the ex- periments. f Inspectors and field assistants have given special attention to cooperative work with stockmen’s associations, which employ men to establish poison stations and distribute the baits in accordance with demonstrations and directions given them. Stockmen and their ranch foremen have also been trained in modern poisoning and trapping methods and have participated more extensively than evez before in the actual work. 4292 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. During the year an average force of 250 hunters, trappers, and poisoners was employed under bureau supervision, in addition to the thousands of stockmen who personally took part in the work. Part of the men employed were paid from Federal funds and part by the States and other cooperating agencies. During the year hunters took the skins or scalps of more than 29,300 predatory animals, of which 599 were wolves, 447 of these being the large gray wolves; 25,622 coyotes; 2,822 bobcats and Canada lynxes; 158 moun- tain lions; and 101 bears. Bears are regarded as game animals and no effort is made to take them, except individuals known to be de- structive to livestock. In view of the substitution of poisoning campaigns for other methods of field operations in most of the districts during six to nine months of the year, the number of skins and scalps taken is no longer a satisfactory gauge of the number of animals killed. Men spend practically their entire time in establishing poison stations and distributing baits, and relatively little time in searching for animals killed, as the value of the skin commonly does not pay for the time lost. One man in the Lemhi National Forest, Idaho, by use of an automobile maintained a poison line 700 miles in extent, which served to cover an area of about 5,000 square miles. This method of procedure has been strongly urged by stockmen, who, convinced of the effectiveness of the poisoning operations, are more concerned to have the poison distributed carefully on a large scale than to have hunters spend time searching for animals killed. The carcasses are usually found later by the stockmen. From 5 to 15 dead coyotes are commonly found near a single poison station, and one stockman reported having seen 22. In one day one of the demonstrators put out a poison line 35 miles long, and, returning along it the following morning, saw from his auto- mobile 14 dead coyotes. Another hunter, who put out 400 baits in the vicinity of several reservoirs, later found 57 dead coyotes, and a stockman reported finding 60 more coyotes that had been killed but had not been found and scalped by the hunter. The manager of a large ranch in Texas, on which about 12,400 baits were used, reported that at least 1,000 coyotes were killed. Previous to poisoning, a trapper on this range was able to take from 60 to 70 coyotes per month, but after poisoning the best a skilled trapper could do was to take 10 to 12 per month. Complete returns of predatory animals killed in the United States in poisoning campaigns can not be obtained, but the sudden marked reduction in the numbers of coyotes over great areas and the number of carcasses subsequently found by stockmen on their ranges and by hunters about poison stations where it has been possible to make careful observation, indicate the strong probability that not less than 75,000 coyotes were killed by the poisoning operations; the carcasses of these were not found, however, in time to be recorded. Many wolves, bobcats, and a few mountain lions also were poisoned. On the generally accepted basis of calculation the killing of these preda- tory animals with those of which the skins and scalps were secured represents an annual saving in livestock and game of more than $5,979,000. Skins sold during this year yielded $34,839 to the Fed- eral Government and $39,668 to cooperating States and stockmen’s associations. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 423 Poisoning operations are conducted chiefly from October to April, but effective work was done even in summer, especially about watering places in the drier areas used for winter grazing. When practicable the major poisoning operations are carried on at times when livestock is not present, poisoning on high summer ranges be- ing done just after the stock goes to lower levels in fall. Poison sta- tions are placed systematically over the range, especially in occupied territory. The advantage of systematic placing is that, in addition to the effectiveness of killing, warning notices can be posted so that valuable dogs or other animals may be protected. In addition, poi- soned baits not taken by predatory animals can be picked up and destroyed or used elsewhere. Such systematic work on summer and winter ranges and on lamb- ing grounds has practically ended livestock losses over large areas. The destruction of predatory animals has been sufficient to enable many stockmen to reduce the number of men required to care for their flocks and herds. Some stockmen now report carrying their flocks through the lambing period with no loss whatever from coyotes, where previously losses were heavy. An important feature of this service is that it not only permits the stockmen to handle their herds at less expense but it also enables them to utilize the pasturage much more fully; to manage their stock to better advantage by eliminating long drives to bedding grounds; and to adopt the advantageous open-herding system. The destruction of predatory animals has also in some places permitted sheep raising to be introduced where formerly it was excluded on account of the losses inflicted by predatory animals. Clearing the ranges of coyotes is proving a boon to the cattle- men as well as to the sheepmen, for with the practical elimination of the gray or timber wolf over much of the range country of the Western States, cattlemen have discovered that heavy losses of calves heretofore attributed to wolves have evidently been due to coyotes. In the campaign which has been waged for the destruction of timber wolves, most gratifying results have been obtained. An effective patrol maintained along the border of Mexico has resulted in the killing of many animals which were crossing from Mexican territory into the ranges of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Per- sistent work with poison and traps has so reduced the number of adult timber wolves that it probably does not exceed 10 to 50 adult animals in any of the various Western States. The ranges of practically all the wolves which have proved destructive to live- stock are well known, and good headway has been made in clearing out these remnants. In many sections these animals have become so scarce that they are luring domestic dogs away as mates, and in a few instances are known to have produced litters of hybrid young. A number of notoriously destructive individuals and even small packs of wolves have been destroyed during the past year. Among them the following may be cited: In response to a telegram from stockmen ranging cattle near Thatcher. Colo., a hunter was detailed to take a wolf believed to be the leader of a pack depredating in the locality. Work against the wolves there had been in progress at intervals during the past five years, and inquiry established the fact that during the course 78007—acRr 192328 424 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. of six weeks 20 head of cattle were killed and the tails were bitten off a number of small calves. The hunter succeeded in trapping an old male wolf, with the result that depredations were entirely stopped in the vicinity, and evidence showed that only a lone she wolf still remained in that area. This female mated with a collie dog, and in efforts to get her, the collie was killed by poison and later she was taken in a trap. The stockman, on whose ranch the wolf was killed, writes as follows: Old Three-Toes, as this particular wolf was called, was caught in one of the Government traps especially constructed for wolves, and the hunter has caught two of her pups. With her capture ends the pack of which she was leader. Thousands of dollars worth of calves and sheep have been killed by this wolf and her pack. Just a few days prior to her capture, Old Three-Toes killed six calves here on our ranch, 11 miles west of Thatcher. We hold a private grudge against this old gray wolf, as she mated with our pet collie dog, even going so far as to dig him out of a pen. He heard the “call of the wild” and answered it, going off for days at a time, sometimes coming home for a few days. At last he went away for weeks and was finally poisoned by one of your men. This was a good thing, as a collie, hearing the “call of the wild,” kills for his young, too. We extend our thanks for staying on the job and getting Old Three-Toes and her pack. Other stockmen join us in our praise of you and your men, as the loss from predatory animals has been reduced to almost nothing. A stockman in Arkansas makes the following statement regarding work accomplished in his locality: Your hunter accomplished here what all others failed to do. These wolves have been hunted persistently for years, consequently had become very shrewd and cunning. I am one of the hunters of this locality myself, so realize what skill was required to capture such cunning animals. We have used every method we could think of against these wolves, but failed to do more than reduce them to some of the most cunning and destructive ones. We have used poison and traps and resorted to wolf drives, but still they stayed with us, taking an annual toll of thousands of dollars worth of calves, pigs, sheep, and goats. The second wolf your hunter captured was a notorious old male. I have known this wolf for the past five or six years and am quite positive that he participated in the killing of two large calves for me the past spring, as well as hundreds of pigs. It has been next to impossible for us to raise any hogs at all in this section. This particular wolf was an excep- tionally large, cunning old fellow, having killed thousands of dollars worth of livestock for the stockmen of this county. Another stockman reports that he missed a pig one morning and when the hunter ran his trap line that day he brought in a wolf with parts of the pig in her stomach. PREDATORY ANIMAL WORK IN MICHIGAN. Depredations of wolves on deer in northern Michigan became so serious in 1921 that at the request of the conservation commission of that State one of the most experienced and competent wolf hunters of the bureau was detailed to Michigan for the purpose of training war- dens to destroy these pests. Bounties on wolves, coyotes, weasels, woodchucks, crows, hawks, and owls, amounting to more than $312,- 000, were paid during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1921. All bounty payments have now been discontinued. The present plan of conducting systematic trapping and poisoning campaigns through warden-hunters, trained by our experienced man, as mentioned above, is costing the State $35,000 annually, the expense being borne by funds derived from hunting licenses. The work has been so effective that in some sections wolves have entirely disappeared and elsewhere are being rapidly reduced in numbers. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 425 NEW LURE FOR MOUNTAIN LIONS. One of the important developments of the year has been the intro- duction of oil of catnip as a lure in trapping and poisoning moun- tain lions and bobcats. Heretofore the taking of mountain lons has been exceedingly arduous work because of the rough and inac- cessible country which they frequent and the fact that it has been necessary chiefly to trail them with dogs and to shoot them when treed or driven into caves. A representative of the Biological Survey had ascertained that mountain lions and bobcats were at- tracted by the odor of catnip. Effort was made to obtain an extract of this plant or a synthetic product which would carry the attractive odor in a form sufficiently permanent for use in field operations. Oil of catnip was not produced on a commercial scale and the Bureau of Chemistry advised that only very minute quantities had ever been extracted in connection with laboratory experiments. The securing of a supply of oil of catnip for the desired purpose is a most interesting case of effective cooperation. From the Drug Investigations Division of the Bureau of Plant Industry the Bio- logical Survey in 1920 obtained a very small quantity, sufficient to determine that the oil carried the characteristic odor and that this would persist for several months when exposed in the open air. A small area was planted to catnip by the Bureau of Plant Industry on the Arlington Experimental Farm, from which enough was pro- duced to extract sufficient catnip oil for a thorough test in field operations. It was found that the oil of catnip could be diluted with oil of petrolatum and still retain the characteristic odor. This permitted a more extensive use of the limited supply, and through it several mountain lions and large numbers of bobcats have been lured into traps or to take poisoned baits. The odor of catnip ap- pears to exert an almost unfailing attraction for these animals and other members of the cat family. Discovery of this use of the mate- rial is an important contribution to the methods of taking these destructive animals. PREDATORY ANIMALS AND GAME. State game departments and sportsmen’s associations have coop- erated heartily with the bureau in efforts to destroy predatory ani- mals. Timber wolves, coyotes, wild cats, and foxes all join in game destruction, the kill being heaviest in winter when the snow is deep and especially in early spring after the snow becomes crusted. At this period wolves and coyotes often appear to kill for no apparent reason other than amusement or sheer lust of killing. During the spring and summer the losses of young game animals and the de- struction of ground-nesting birds, their nests, and young is one of the most serious checks on game increase. In many sections of the West, where operations have been in progress for a sufficient length of time for the reduction of predatory animals to become effective, State game departments report a notable increase in quail, grouse, and deer. 496 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. RABIES. Sporadic outbreaks of rabies have continued to occur in a number of the Western States, but have been kept under control by the prompt concentration of skilled hunters to destroy infected preda- tory animals and other carriers of the disease. RODENT PESTS. Investigations by the Biological Survey during a long period show conclusively that many species of rodents occupying the territory from the Great Plains west of the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast are exceedingly destructive to the most nutritious forage grasses and to crops. Through their excessive numbers they have thus become very serious competitors of livestock on hundreds of millions of acres as well as a heavy drain on the agricultural output. Losses from rodent pests in orchards, vineyards, and truck farms of the Eastern States are also reported to be severe by State officials and by employees of the bureau. In 1916 it was estimated that the losses through rodents in the Western States amounted to about $300,000,000, of which $150,000,- 000 was in the destruction of forage and the remainder in the dev- astation of cultivated crops. This bureau, working in cooperation with State and local agencies, has conducted campaigns against these animals since that time and a large decrease ‘n the losses has resulted. These campaigns have been organized with a view to correlating all Federal, State, and local agencies into an effective cooperative force so that the work might be so systematically planned and con- ducted as, one after another, to clear great areas of rodent pests. This work has been backed by a remarkably sustained interest and strong financial support on the part of farmers and stockmen, who recognize the direct and definite benefits from it. The magnitude of the results of the campaigns has been achieved largely through the fine cooperation of the States Relations Service, now the Office of Cooperative Extension Work, with the State extension organizations, including the county agricultural agents, and State and county farm bureaus. State departments of agriculture are taking an increasingly large part in the undertaking through the establishment of pest dis- tricts and enforcement of State laws which provide for the clearing of rodent-infested lands on petition of the resident landowners. Many other agricultural, horticultural, and livestock organizations have also taken active part. Officials of the Forest Service, of the Office of Indian Affairs, and of the Reclamation Service continued to cooperate heartily in campaigns involving Federal lands under their control. Where the strictly economic problems are involved with features relating to community health, as in bubonic and pneumonic plague, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularaemia, and kindred diseases dis- seminated by rodents, the bureau has continued to cooperate with the United States Public Health Service of the Treasury Depart- ment and with State, county, and municipal health organizations. Such cooperation is essential to an effective and economical handling of the work when such rodents as house rats and mice infest cities, villages, and the rural sections. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 42% PRAIRIE DOGS AND GROUND SQUIRRELS. Among rodent pests, one of the most conspicuous and destructive in the area which it inhabits is the prairie dog, but the various species of ground squirrels occupy a vastly larger area and because of their abundance and general distribution cause even heavier losses to farmers and stockmen. Prairie dogs occupy more than 120,000,000 acres of grazing and farming land in 11 States, as follows: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. Ground squirrels of the various species infest practically the entire country west of the Mississippi River. These animals cause enormous losses by digging up the planted seeds of farm crops and by cutting down the growing crops throughout the season to harvest time. Over great areas both prairie dogs and ground squirrels reduce the forage available for livestock by as much as 25 per cent or more. Prairie dogs often completely denude productive lands of all grasses, leaving them to make barren wastes also of new locations where food is more readily available. In many places these bare areas grow up to worthless weeds and require several seasons before desirable for- age plants are able to become reestablished. In other cases the top soil is washed away down to the bedrock or to a clay base, leaving more or less permanently waste land. Not only do prairie dogs and ground squirrels select the more fer- tile lands, but their competition with livestock is rendered increas- ingly serious because they select and feed upon the same highly nutri- tious grasses which are most sought and fed upon by livestock. This not only results in a marked decrease in the numbers of livestock that can be carried on the grazing lands but it prevents complete success in efforts to increase the production of forage through improved range-management practices, such as deferred grazing or grazing rotation. The rodents prevent the normal growth and reestablish- ment of grasses during the interval that the stock are kept off such ranges, while the more abundant food supply thus made available to them is favorable to their more rapid multiplication, as it is found that their increase is closely correlated with the abundance of food. In organized campaigns against prairie dogs and ground squirrels 13,673,079 acres of Federal and private lands were given a first treat- ment with poisoned baits during the year, and follow-up work was done on 12,358,315 acres. This makes a total of 11,093,884 acres of Federal and 97,718,640 acres of State and private lands on which the heavy percentage of these pests have been poisoned since 1916.in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Da- kota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The bureau assumes the cost of operations on Federal Jand, although adjacent landowners often contribute the labor required for distribution of the poison and even the grain used as bait, in order that the limited Federal funds may be used to cover the largest possible acreage. State officials pro- vide for work on State lands and farmers and stockmen on their own holdings. Funds contributed by State and county appropriations and those expended by landowners in this cooperative undertaking during the year amounted to $592,812. 428 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Reduced cost of poison supplies made it possible materially to re- duce the cost of treating lands. Poisoned grain amounting to 1,323 tons was prepared and distributed under the direction and super- vision of bureau representatives and cooperating State and county officials, and 210,682 pounds of carbon bisulphide were used in fumi- gating burrows to eradicate these rodents completely. Farmers and stockmen numbering more than 104,000 took active part in clearing their lands. ‘Taking into consideration the low prices prevailing on farm crops and range grasses during the year, it is estimated that a saving of more than $8,000,000 was thus effected. The estimated sav- ing in crops and forage since this work was started on a large scale in 1916 totals $68,000,000. As lands are progressively and perma- nently cleared of these pests the savings effected become permanent additions to their productiveness. Field operations against these rodents progressed during the year to a point where it appeared practicable to lay plans for three-year campaigns to exterminate the rodents in a systematic manner from great units of land. From 75 to 95 per cent of the animals are usually destroyed by the first poisoning treatment and the new plan of procedure contemplates follow-up applications of poisoned grain and carbon bisulphide or other fumigants to complete the work by the third year. In addition to several counties in western States which are now reported completely cleared of prairie dogs. many others have been cleared to a point where only an occasional prairie dog or ground squirrel can be found. Over enormous areas of farm- ing land the repressive measures employed have made it possible for farmers completely to protect their crops from damage in regions where the loss had been excessively heavy and where in many in- stances it covered the entire crop. The work is so organized and conducted as to make available to all farmers and stockmen supplies of poisoned bait at a moderate cost. Arrangements made by the bureau for the cooperative pur- chase of poisons in large quantities have greatly reduced the cost of these supplies. So far as local conditions make it practicable, field operations are being planned with a view to complete eradication over great areas to eliminate permanently the worst rodent pests. Operations will be extended from cleared areas as centers to prevent reinfestation. The work is being correlated along the borders of adjacent States for the purpose of protecting cleared areas in one State from reinfestation from adjoining lands in another. In re- gions where rodents are regularly extending their ranges they are attacked along the border of such extensions and pushed back. Western Arizona affords a good example of this kind, where the westward movement of prairie dogs was stopped by clearing an in- festation on a front 75 miles long and 10 miles deep. Without this check there was serious danger of their spreading over into millions of acres of new territory. In some instances county eradication campaigns reached the point where only a few rodents were to be seen, and there was a tendency for landowners to slacken in the work. A number of counties which failed to continue effectively the follow-up work suffered consider- able reinfestation and came to a realization of the danger that the rodents might return to their former abundance and destructiveness. The work has been taken up again in earnest with a view to perma- BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 429 nent riddance of these destructive animals, and other counties are profiting by this experience. The lack of sufficient Federal funds to poison all Federal lands bordering on treated private holdings is seriously impeding the progress of the cooperative campaigns and this is becoming an increasing source of appeal on the part of land- owners who have cleared their holdings and feel that they should be protected from reinfestation from public lands. POCKET GOPHERS. Recognition of the damage wrought by pocket gophers in orchards and vineyards and in alfalfa and truck crop fields has brought about an increasing demand for operations against them. Successful completion of campaigns against the prairie dogs and ground squirrels in many counties has served as a stimulus to under- take the more difficult task of destroying pocket gophers. As these are burrowing animals, the damage to plants occurs chiefly under- ground and is often irreparable before the cause is noted. Knowl- edge of the actual damage being done by these animals and demon- stration that it can be effectively controlled at a reasonable cost has led to extensive field operations against them during the year. Such operations have proved that these pests can be successfully eradicated through the use of various vegetable, grain, alfalfa, or clover baits treated with strychnine and properly placed in the run- ways, and by the use of traps of special design. Work against pocket gophers has been undertaken on a consid- erable scale in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington, and considerable demonstration work has been done in a number of other States. In Arizona notable progress has been made in eliminating pocket gophers from the citrus and date orchards, with the result that very few trees have been killed by these animals during the past year in such localities. Practically all orchardists in the citrus belt coop- erated in treating their holdings with poisoned sweet potato baits. One orchardist who had lost over $10,000 worth of trees from pocket-gopher damage suffered no losses whatever this year, a result of the effective work done. In California it was found that the pocket gopher had gradually worked its way entirely around to the northern end of the Salton Sea and had made its appearance in the Coachella Valley. This presented a serious danger to the Govern- ment date gardens established there. As the pocket-gopher injury to a date palm is well concealed until the tree is permanently injured, it appeared advisable that work be done at once to check the infesta- tion, and steps were taken to that end. In the mountain parks and pasture ranges throughout the Rocky Mountain region pocket gophers are doing an extensive injury to grazing and hay meadows. ‘The introduction of the promising head- lettuce industry into the mountain valleys of Colorado has made the work of controlling pocket gophers of far greater importance than formerly, and they are now looked upon there as one of the greatest ests. y In seven of the important alfalfa-producing counties of Kansas extensive operations against pocket gophers have been conducted. A test was made on 57,400 acres, and the results proved so satisfac- 430 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. tory that plans were laid to continue the work on a still larger scale during the coming year. Many alfalfa fields have been entirely freed of these pests and others have only an occasional animal where formerly there were large numbers. Chief reliance was placed on poisoned vegetable or grain baits, but large numbers of traps also were employed. In Utah 40,254 acres of highly cultivated land were treated by the owners to destroy pocket gophers. This was undertaken after dem- onstrations were made and other educational work done to show landowners the proper way to use poison and after arrangements were made for them to obtain the required poison supplies in con- venient form. In Sevier County, Utah, an interesting demonstra- tion was made on an 80-acre field in which 78 acres were treated with poison at a total cost for labor and poison of $10. The following spring an examination of the field showed by actual count only 6 live pocket-gopher workings on the 78 acres that were treated, while on the remaining 2 acres which were left untreated as a check plot there were 15 live workings. In Nebraska 53,870 acres were treated in a pocket-gopher cam- paign and 26 counties included pocket-gopher work in their farm bureau programs. In Oklahoma 480 pocket gophers were trapped on one 80-acre tract. An Oklahoma cooperator writes of the results accomplished as follows: It is hard to estimate the value of the pocket-gopher trapping which was done in my alfalfa fields last spring through increased yield, for the reason that there is not a similar field of alfalfa with which to make comparison, and to compare with last season is not fair because of the difference in growing condi- tions in the two seasons. From long experience as an alfalfa grower, however, I do believe that there is a sufficient increase in yield fully to justify the work to say nothing of the advantages the elimination of the pocket gopher gives to the harvesting of hay, which alone are worth the cost of exterminating them. Much interest was shown in the eradication of pocket gophers along irrigation canal banks and in the intensively cultivated irri- gated districts. This is due both to the direct damage which they do by feeding on the crops and to their burrows in the banks of the irri- gation canals. These burrows frequently cause destructive washouts, entailing a serious loss of water, often at a critical period, and expen- sive repairs, and at the same time may damage the orchards and crops by flooding. Considerable work of this character has been done during the past year in cooperation with the Reclamation Sery- ice of the Department of the Interior and with water users’ associa- tions. A notable example of the benefits from work against pocket gophers is on the Elephant Butte Project, in New Mexico and Texas. In Oregon pocket-gopher work was confined almost entirely to Polk County, where a clean-up campaign was inaugurated. Very general satisfaction is expressed with the results to date by most of the farmers in the district. Some of them report that there are absolutely no pocket gophers left on their land, and most of the others report one or two where there were formerly dozens or even hundreds. To complete the work some of this area still needs to be given a third treatment. To date, first treatment has been completed on 20,770 acres, and of this 18,395 acres have been given a secon:l treatment and 8,800 acres a third. The work will be continued during the fall of 1923 on a larger scale. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. Aa Pocket-gopher campaigns in Idaho include work in eight counties, where more than 1,650 quarts of bait were used on about 78,000 acres and considerable trapping was done in connection with the poisoning operations. JACK RABBITS. Great fluctuations in numbers characterize the occurrence of jack rabbits throughout their range. Relatively little work against them has been required during the past year. The very extensive poison- ing and driving campaigns which were conducted in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington during the fiscal year 1922 resulted in such a marked reduction in their numbers that little damage has been reported since. In Nevada, where serious damage has been done from time to time and extended poisoning campaigns have been conducted with good effect, it has been reported that jack rabbits were destroyed in large numbers by a disease and that they did relatively little damage. In Utah 334,000 jack rabbits are reported killed as a result of the campaigns which were conducted. In limited campaigns organized in four counties in Idaho about 6,100 pounds of poisoned bait were used on 51,000 acres, and a few drives were also conducted. In Kansas, Montana, and Texas it is reported that jack rabbits are on the increase, and as considerable damage is being done locally, interest is awakening in the inaugu- ration of control measures. Where these animals occur in large numbers they are capable of doing serious damage to growing crops, range grasses, meadows, hay in stacks, and to orchards and vine- yards, but methods for destroying them on a large scale have been found. MEADOW MICE, PINE MICE, POCKET MICE, AND KANGAROO RATS. Under favorable conditions the various kinds of native mice be- come excessively abundant locally, and, although small in size, col- lectively they do serious damage in orchards, gardens, and truck farms. During the previous year meadow mice appeared in de- structive numbers in many of the important orchard sections of Idaho and Washington. Where these were foreseen in time the use of poisons recommended by the bureau prevented serious damage, but in many localities where such action was not taken the loss in trees was heavy. This situation emphasized the importance of fore- sight in dealing with local outbreaks of these small rodents. During this year such outbreaks of orchard mice occurred in Yakima, Chelan, Okanogan, Grant, Douglas, and Kittitas Counties, in Washington, and necessitated control measures. A questionnaire sent to orchardists showed that in Yakima County 292 growers reported 4,598 trees girdled during the previous winter. In Chelan County a loss of 900 trees was reported. As the trees are from 1 to 15 years old, and valued at from $5 to $100 each, the importance of controlling the mice is evident. A general poisoning campaign was started the 1st of November, which is a very favorable time. Steamed-rolled oats proved a most satisfactory carrier of the poison. In this campaign 19,600 acres of orchard land were treated by more than 1,400 cooperators. 432 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Based on reports received from orchardists, it is estimated that not less than $100,000 worth of trees were saved in the Yakima Valley as a result of these poisoning operations and that the com- bined savings for all counties would amount to not less than $250,000. One grower stated that he had “55 trees damaged before poisoning; none after poisoning; all damage stopped; value to me, $500.” Another grower writes: “ Poisoned as near 100 per cent as possible; believe every tree in my orchard (4,800) would have been killed.” These statements are typical of many received from other orchard- ists. Trees once girdled have relatively little chance of complete re- covery. Bridge grafting may save a good percentage, but the fruit is usually lost for a period of two years and the trees weakened to such an extent that often they blow over. The injured parts also afford harborage for insect pests, particularly the woolly aphis. In Idaho, field mice were not very numerous during the past year and did damage in only a few communities. Poisoning operations were conducted in Ada County, where 480 acres of orchard were treated, 600 quarts of poisoned bait being used. / Pine mice continued to do much injury in orchards when the ground was covered with snow, and considerable loss of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other root or tuber crops and flower bulbs was reported. The experiments conducted resulted in developing a much more effec- tive polson preparation and in devising a simple and relatively inex- pensive method of distribution. Very satisfactory protection was thus given to orchards, as the poison so distributed continues effective for a long period during the winter. Pocket mice did a considerable amount of damage to grain in parts of Adams and Franklin Counties, Wash. A few farmers applied control measures, but relatively little work for the destruction of these rodents was undertaken, despite the fact that pocket mice can be controlled very easily. In the contro] of kangaroo rats, which at times cause extensive damage to open ranges, a limited amount of assistance has been given landowners. In many instances, where infestation is heavy, kangaroo rats are a critical factor in determining the numbers of livestock that can be grazed on the area and interfere materially with natural reseeding by destroying quantities of seeds of native grasses. They also. attack fields of sprouting grain and various vegetable crops. As a result of demonstrations given in El] Paso County, Tex., several hundred pounds of oatmeal baits were distributed to protect the cantaloupes on irrigated lands. An expenditure of $30 in this in- stance saved several thousands of dollars worth of melons to the producers. WOODCHUCKS. Many complaints of unusual abundance of woodchucks and dam- age by them have been received during the year from points through- out the northern United States. These animals not only damage garden vegetables, but also alfalfa, clover, and other valuable forage plants. Their burrows often cause erosion to start, resulting in the washing out of extensive gullies. Investigational work was con- ducted in the Eastern States with a view to determining baits and BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 433 poisoning or fumigating methods which would be effective in destroy- ing these animals. In the Northwestern States woodchucks did considerable damage to alfalfa and clover crops adjacent to the rocky ridges amid which they live. The most extensive campaign against them was conducted in Okanogan County, Wash., but some work was also done in Doug- las, Grant, Kittitas, and Yakima Counties in the same State. It is estimated that about 19,000 woodchucks were killed there, affording protection to nearly 10,000 acres of crops and resulting in a substan- tial saving. HOUSE RATS AND MICE. The bureau continued to furnish information through bulletins and special articles on the destructiveness of house rats and mice, the danger to health involved in their presence, and the practical methods possible for their control, This information has been very widely used by magazines, farm journals, and newspapers, and by educational workers and public-spirited citizens in bringing to the attention of individuals and communities the importance of applying direct, vigorous measures for the eradication of these pests. Two specialists of the bureau have been engaged during a large part of the year in demonstrating control measures through the extension services of the agricultural colleges and in assisting with the organization of antirat campaigns in States east of the Mississippi River, The entire force of rodent-control specialists employed by the bureau in States west of the Mississippi has also cooperated in a similar way in arousing interest in this important undertaking and aiding in the organization and conduct of campaigns looking to the eradication of these animals. In this way practically nation-wide attention has been given to the matter of getting rid of rats, and greater repugnance is being manifested to the presence of these pests and an intolerance of the waste due to their depredations. Effort toward rat riddance has assumed larger proportions and more definiteness of procedure. It is coming to be recognized that the intelligent and persistent application of a few simple measures will serve to rid a farm or acommunity of rats. Experience has shown that rats can not long survive a concerted arid sustained campaign against them. During the year the bureau has given particular atten- tion to the working out of detailed plans of organization for use in large-scale operations. Looking to the permanent elimination of the rat pest, emphasis has been placed on the following features: Rat- proof construction or repair of buildings; the closing of all open- ings which provide entrance for rats, including the screening of basement windows; prompt disposal of garbage and elimination of piles of trash and refuse where rats find food or harborage; the poisoning of rats with barium carbonate in barns, granaries, ware- houses, and other buildings in which the use of poison is practicable ; systematic trapping where for any reason the use of poison is in- advisable; the fumigation of rat burrows with carbon bisulphide or hydrocyanic-acid gas; the use of effective rat dogs; and the organi- zation of community rat-killing drives. The plans of procedure which are being followed involve educational effort to arouse the public to a definite realization of the damage and danger involved 434 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. in the presence of rats and to stimulate definite operative measures for the exclusion and destruction of rats. One of the most striking instances of an extended and well- organized antirat campaign was that undertaken during the year in the State of Virginia. Two specialists of the bureau cooperated with the extension service of the Virginia Agricultural College, including the county agents and home-demonstration workers. Other State agencies also joined actively in the undertaking. The governor issued a proclamation on the subject. The Virginia De- partment of Agriculture distributed campaign publicity. The Vir- ginia division of markets put on an advertising campaign and assisted in numerous other ways. The State Board of Education carried the message of rat riddance effectively through the schools. The State Board of Health issued circular letters and other publicity matter. The State Farm Bureau Federation purchased and dis- tributed all poison used, besides giving out much publicity and aiding the organized effort in many ways. The Virginia Bankers’ Association sent out letters to all bankers within the State urging their cooperation and financial support. The Virginia Parent- Teachers’ Association sent a letter to all local parent-teachers’ asso- ciations urging their participation. The Cooperative Educational Association sent out circular letters urging cooperation. Other or- ganizations, including the Farmers’ Union, the State organization of Rotary Clubs, the Peanut Growers’ Association, local chambers of commerce, farm bureaus, women’s clubs, farmers’ clubs, and many others entered heartily into the campaigns. Banks, farm bu- reaus, county commissioners, merchants, and many other organiza- tions were liberal in financial assistance, and the newspapers of the State responded in a most gratifying and helpful way by giving many columns of space to the campaign propaganda. Valuable support came from the public schools, many of the campaigns being carried out almost exclusively through them. Carefully compiled reports from the county agents of 71 counties in which the campaigns were conducted indicate that more than 500,000 rats were destroyed, and persons competing for prizes turned in 91,365 rat-tails; 158,198 people participated in the campaigns; 44,198 pounds of barium carbonate were distributed; 125,585 pieces of publicity material were circulated; 126,000 copies of poison direc- tions, 10,000 posters, and 21,900 mimeographed letters and circulars were issued by the Virginia Extension Service; and prizes offered for rattails totaled $2,332 in value. The total cost of the Virginia campaign was $7,444. As the aver- age damage done by a rat in the course of a year is estimated at $2, the number of rats reported destroyed would represent a saving of produce and other property of more than a million dollars. Important by-products of such campaigns are the interest aroused and definite action taken looking toward improved sanitation in individual homes, on farms, in villages, and in cities. The adoption of ordinances providing for the construction and repair of buildings with a view to the exclusion of rats and the improvement of sewage and garbage disposal frequently follow. The active and effective participation of the people of a community in such a concerted drive also cultivates a sense of community responsibility, a tendency to- BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 439d ward individual and community thrift, and a spirit of community teamwork that is far-reaching in its influence and helpfulness. The development of the poultry industry in many sections of the country has brought a realization of the seriousness of the damage wrought by rats as destroyers of eggs and young chicks, and as pos- sible carriers of avian tuberculosis. Much interest has been mani- fested in rat destruction by poultry producers, and special attention has been given by the bureau to meeting their requirements. Investigations have been continued to improve methods of com- bating rats, including experimental studies of the effectiveness of various rat viruses on the market. Laboratory studies and field trials were made in cooperation with the Bureau of Animal Indus- try, and a number of agricultural college experiment stations also conducted bacteriological studies and laboratory tests of these products, all of which confirmed former conclusions that the use of poisons now available give more economical and effective results. MOLES. Due to widespread complaints regarding damage by moles in jawns, gardens, truck farms, pastures, and hay meadows, the bureau has continued investigations designed to simplify and make more ef- fective methods for combating these animals. Assistance has been given those who have reported damage due to moles by furnishing them, through correspondence, bulletins, or demonstrations, informa- tion on the most practical known methods for their control. PRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC RABBITS. Inquiries continually come to the bureau regarding the produc- tion of domestic rabbits as a source of meat and fur. The bureau has kept in touch with officials of National and State organizations of rabbit breeders, and information has been furnished regarding the care, feeding, and management of these animals. Recommenda- tions have been made, in cooperation with the Bureau of Agricul- tural Economics, regarding procedure which would afford the most satisfactory results in developing a market for the animals produced. FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. Investigations regarding the rearing of fur-bearing animals in captivity have been carried forward vigorously during the past year, and progress of a very fundamental character has been made. The bureau has kept in close touch with those engaged in rearing fur- bearing animals, with dealers in raw furs, and with those engaged in dressing and dyeing furs and manufacturing fur products. The formation of State and National organizations designed to serve the interests of the industry, to gather information regarding the progress made, and to establish an adequate system of record and registration has been encouraged. Most gratifying progress has been made along these lines. Encouragement has also been given to the enactment of legislation which would prove effective in the con- servation of fur-bearing animals with a view to maintaining a perma- nent supply. In response to requests, assistance has been given a 436 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. number of States in revising existing laws or in framing new ones relative to protecting and rearing fur animals. The active help of State game commissions, conservation societies, and the fur trade has been enlisted in conserving the wild fur bear- ers, Since maintenance of a supply adequate to meet the requirements of the fur trade is of the utmost importance. An encouraging step was taken at the recent International Fur Exposition, held in New York City, where those assembled went on record as favoring the formation of a national association for the purpose of devoting con- siderable effort to the study of the problems of conservation as they affect the industry. The fur trade realizes that the future of the industry is dependent upon an assured source of supply of raw furs. Fur farming is coming to be an important factor in the mainte- nance of the supply of fur-bearing animals and its development along sound lines is being encouraged. The number of persons engaged in the production of silver foxes in captivity is steadily increasing, and great interest is being manifested in this and other lines of fur production. Since the production of fur bearers in captivity is a comparatively recent enterprise it is not supported by the exhaustive research data enjoyed by similar industries of longer standing. Constant effort is being made by the bureau through its scientific investigations to obtain the information essential to the requirements of this growing industry. Important progress has been made in studies of fur-bearing animals at the experimental fur farm at Keeseville, N. Y., including investigations of the prevalence of internal and external parasites of foxes, determinations of the age and seasonal susceptibility of the animals to infestation and their tendency to develop immunity toward such infestation, and experiments with remedial agents for the removal of parasites. Improved methods of administering remedies have been devised and valuable data have been secured regarding the tolerance of foxes to various medicinal drugs. Such information is essential to proper treatment at various ages and under different conditions of health and vigor. As a basis for clinical and diagnos- tic work studies have been continued of various features of the physi- ology of foxes, including the pulse, respiration, and temperature. A number of fox farms were visited for the purpose of studying outbreaks of contagious disease, as fox influenza, which in some instances proved serious. Experiments were continued with pens so equipped with concrete or board floors that they can be washed daily, to determine their effectiveness in preventing the infestation of foxes with internal parasites. Special attention was given to the use of these pens at the time of whelping and for care of the pups during the first few weeks, and they were found to be much better for use at whelping time than pens with earth floors. A bulletin on silver fox farming, which reviews the history of fox farming and covers such essential features as suitable sites for a ranch, proper organization, and satisfactory practices in breeding, feeding, and management of foxes, was published during the year. As an indication of the interest in fox farming, it may be stated that applications were filed for a large portion of the original edition of 10,000 copies of this bulletin before it had left the press. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 437 The chief fur expert of the Biological Survey made an extended trip among the blue-fox farms of Alaska during the early part of the year on the bureau’s power cruiser Sea Otter and obtained valu- able information which it is intended to publish in a bulletin on the blue-fox farming industry. In cooperation with the chief fur warden of the bureau and representatives of the Forest Service, he assisted in the organization of two associations of blue-fox farmers. FOOD HABITS RESEARCH. EXAMINATION OF STOMACHS OF BIRDS. In the course of the fiscal year 2,302 stomachs of birds were re- ceived and incorporated in the collection, preparatory to examina- tion. Laboratory work on the examination of various bird stomachs included 561 English sparrows, making the total examined for this ponies about 5,100. Examination of the stomachs of five species of shore birds has been completed and the data secured therefrom tabu- lated, preparatory to the preparation of a report on their economic status. In a continuation of a study of the food of birds of prey 331 stomachs and 248 pellets representing 10 species were analyzed. Con- siderable recently acquired material of fish-eating birds has been ex- amined with the object of incorporating the data obtained in the manuscript previously prepared on the food habits of these birds. Additional material examined includes stomachs of band-tailed pigeons, studied in their relation to grain crops in California, and of domestic pigeons in relation to an imported snail now destructive in the vicinity of La Jolla, Calif. In response to a request from persons in the Dominican Republic engaged in raising cacao, examination was made of two lots of stom- ach material of the “ carpintero,” a woodpecker having rather pro- nounced vegetarian habits. From the food preferences revealed it is apparent that this bird may become destructive to corn and the cacao, into the green fruit of which it drills holes to feed on the pulp. Other examinations made for correspondents included stomachs of ruffed grouse, from NewEngland; pileated woodpeckers and pigmy owls, from Oregon; several species of hawks and owls, chiefly from New York; crossbills, from [linois; swifts, from Washington; and wild ducks, from Argentina. PINYON JAY CONTROL. The status of the pinyon jay in its relation to grain crops was investigated during the year, and measures for control during the corn harvest were devised. Damage by the bird to wheat also occurs when it is in the shock, and the year’s efforts were directed toward finding effective and economical means of control during that period. Experiments conducted in Colorado indicated that poisoning is only moderately successful during the wheat harvest and is economical only in small fields so situated that there is likely to be a concen- tration of jays in a limited area which can be baited. The great danger of killing mourning doves through poisoned baits placed in wheat stubble precludes the possibility of extensive poisoning cam- paigns against pinyon jays during the wheat harvest. Recommenda- tion was made, therefore, that control measures for these birds be 438 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. conducted during the corn season wherever this crop is grown, and during winter wherever the birds congregate. RELATION OF GROUSE TO ORCHARDS. During the winter of 1922-23 the bureau received complaints of depredations by ruffed grouse feeding on the buds of apple trees in several of the New England States. In New Hampshire the situa- tion resulted in a public hearing being called at Concord, at which the Biological Survey was represented for the purpose of presenting data on the food habits and economic tendencies of these birds. From the information presented at this hearing and from other sources it is apparent that grouse have become very abundant during the past few years and under some conditions are inflicting damage. Reports to this effect have been substantiated by stomach examina- tion of birds collected. History shows that the abundance of grouse runs in cycles of years, and it is believed that the present condition is temporary, and that a year or two will see a reduction in their numbers with a resultant decrease of damage. WILD-FOWL FOOD RESOURCES. Continued progress was made in the survey of aquatic food for wild fowl, work being done in Maine, New York, Minnesota, Michi- gan, and Montana. Owing to the multitude of lakes in Minnesota, work in that State will have to be continued at least one more season before representative bodies of water in all lake regions of the State can be studied. In Montana 25 localities were investigated in carry- ing out a cooperative project, and as a result a report on the wild- duck foods of Montana was prepared for publication. In Michigan another cooperative piece of work was started in which local assist- ance was given investigators of the bureau in a survey of aquatic plant life. In Maine the waters of Lafayette National Park and a few lakes on the near-by mainland were surveyed. In connection with all this work recommendations for the improvement of the waters studied were made to interested persons. MISCELLANEOUS WORK IN ECONOMIC ORNITHOLOGY. A preliminary investigation was made of the relation of pelicans to trout and other fish in Pyramid Lake, Nev. It is planned to make a thorough study of this problem during the next breeding season of these birds. A special survey of Jekyl] Island, Ga., was made, with recommenda- tions for improving conditions for bird life in general. Important additions have been made to the reference study collec- tions of various kinds, all of which assist materially in the study of food habits. These included insects, mollusks, crustaceans, other invertebrates, and vertebrates of various kinds, as well as seeds and other plant structures. A manuscript on the magpie in relation to agriculture, based on the examination of 547 stomachs, has been prepared. Its publica- tion, however, will be delayed until the results of control experiments planned for the winter of 1928-24 can be incorporated in it. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 439 Manuscript for a revised bulletin on bird houses also has been largely completed, along with a series of sketches illustrative of prin- ciples in bird-house construction. A circular on the various names by which migratory game birds are known locally is in press. WAR GASES AS BIRD-CONTROL AGENCIES. Through a cooperative arrangement with the Chemical Warfare Service, experiments were conducted at the Edgewood Arsenal, Md., to determine whether some of the common war gases might be of use in the control of certain injurious birds, which for one rea- son or another do not lend themselves to poisoning operations. Use was made of the ample facilities for such work at the toxicological laboratory at the arsenal, and through the cooperative help of the laboratory staff extensive series of asphyxiation tests were made for the purpose of discovering a gas that would be lethal to birds, yet safe to use in agricultural sections. English sparrows and domestic pigeons were used in the tests and were subjected, in varying concentrations and exposures, to the action ot phosgene, “ mustard,” methyldichloroarsine, chloropicrin, chlorine, and bromocyanogen. A comparison of the results here obtained with the lethal dose for a dog (considered to approximate that for a human being) indicated that consistent results could not be expected against the birds in doses less than one-third of the lethal dose for man. In some instances birds survived after being subjected to a full lethal dose for a human being. Owing to the fact that such high concen- trations are required, as well as to the factors of cost and the diffi- culty of handling, it is apparent that, with the possible exception of a limited use of chlorine or chloropicrin, the common war gases have no utility as bird-control agents. Chlorine and chloropicrin, as well as the others, can be released only in sections where their effect on vegetation would not be objectionable. FOOD HABITS OF REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS. Progress has been made in the study of the food habits of reptiles and amphibians, including the critical examination of 642 stomachs of toads, representing 19 species, from North and Central America and the West Indies. Important additions were made to the card- index files on subjects relating to food habits, behavior, life histories, and other general information regarding reptiles and amphibians. A mimeographed account of the common toad, including information on its range, life history, and economic status, was prepared. About 550 stomachs of amphibians were added to the collection, including 300 presented by Cornell University. EXAMINATION OF STOMACHS OF MAMMALS. An examination of 85 stomachs of grasshopper mice was made and a report prepared on the food habits of these beneficial rodents. Ap- proximately 380 stomachs have been added to the collection during the fiscal year. 78007—aer 1923 29 440 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. BIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS. As during previous years, the work of the Division of Biological Investigations has been conducted with the view of furnishing the basic scientific information needed for the proper administration of the various duties intrusted to the bureau—the enforcement of the migratory-bird treaty act and the Lacey Act, the management of big game and bird refuges, the numerous activities bearing on the conservation of game birds and mammals, and all the varied rela- tions of birds and mammals to agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry. Owing to the limitation of funds the biological surveys of States, as well as other field activities, have been curtailed. Prog- ress has been made in adding to the files of information, mainly in the form of card indexes, on the distribution, abundance, and habits of North American mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. These files, being an accumulation dating from the establishment of the bureau many years ago, now contain by far the largest mass of data on wild life in readily accessible form in existence. They comprise notes gathered from all available sources, including the field notes of the bureau staff, published accounts in books and periodicals, manuscripts from volunteer observers and friends of the bureau, and notes gleaned from correspondence and other sources. The value of the card catalogues is constantly increasing; they are in daily use to furnish information desired by other govern- ment departments, officials of State and municipal organizations, museums and other educational institutions, and individuals through- out the United States and in many foreign countries. BIOLOGICAL SURVEYS OF STATES. Actual field work in connection with State surveys was confined to Wisconsin, Arizona, and Florida. In Wisconsin a field party worked during August and September in several widely separated sections, visiting a number of localities the fauna of which still needed investigation. In October an assistant visited the north- western part of Arizona, completing certain field work required in that section of the State. Through the generosity of a naturalist friend of the bureau, who paid the expenses of an investigator, it was possible to make a survey of the bird and mammal life of a considerable area in central Florida during March, April, and May, thus adding materially to our knowledge of the distribution and breeding habits of the birds of that region. Several rare and in- teresting species were studied in the field and valuable original data obtained. Progress was made also in the preparation of reports on the fauna of States. A report on the mammals of Wyoming was com- pleted and one on the mammals of Oregon is partly completed. Re- ports on the birds and mammals of the State of Washington and of the birds of Florida are well advanced. Other reports already completed but awaiting publication include annotated lists of the mammals of New Mexico and North Dakota and of the birds of New Mexico and Texas. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 44] DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION OF BIRDS. Bird migration reports were received from about 285 volunteer observers; a number of these have been sending in records from the same localities for more than 20 years, and a few as long as 30 years. The cumulative value of such series of records can scarcely be esti- mated. The card catalogue of the bird collection was brought up to date, and considerable work was done in rearranging the study collection of birds. BIRD CENSUSES. Reports on the birds breeding on definite areas, usually selected as affording a variety of topographic conditions and different types of vegetative cover, numbered about 100, nearly double the number received during the previous year. Many of these involved areas which had been reported on during several previous years, thus affording an index to such local fluctuations in bird life as may have occurred. A publication on this subject, the third report on bird censuses in the United States, covering the period from 1916 to 1920, inclusive, was in press at the close of the year. BIRD BANDING. The work of banding birds, as an aid to the study of distribution and migration, made material progress during the year. More than 25,000 birds were banded and the number of cooperators increased to 851, of whom 63 are in Canada. During the shooting season 668 returns of banded ducks were reported, which has added much to our knowledge of the seasonal movements of these important species. There has been a gratifying increase in the number of persons under- taking the operation of trapping stations, by means of which the best returns of the small nongame birds are obtained, and the results have been correspondingly satisfactory. In October the Inland Bird Banding Association, formed to coor- dinate the activities of cooperators of the bureau in the Mississippi Valley, was organized in Chicago, the work of this organization being in a measure similar to that of the New England Bird Banding Association, which was formed in 1921. Plans have been formulated looking to the organization of similar regional associations covering the Atlantic seaboard and the Pacific slope. An important feature of the year’s progress has been the perfect- ing by a private firm of machinery which makes it possible to manu- facture numbered aluminum bird bands cheaply and in large quanti- ties, thus solving what has heretofore been a perplexing problem. During the year two important field trips were made by an assist- ant for the purpose of banding ducks. The first expedition, covering most of October and November, involved trapping and banding ducks on an extensive scale on the grounds of the Sanganois Club, near Browning, Ill, where similar work had been done during the early spring of the same year. By means of traps of wire netting it was possible to capture and band over 1,300 ducks, including mal- lards, black ducks, and pintails. It is expected that many interesting returns will be reported during the fall shooting season. Another trip was made in January to Oakley, S. C., for the purpose of exam- ining a proposed station for trapping and banding ducks. The con- 4492 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ditions seem to be favorable and it is believed that a productive sta- tion can be established there. No official publications have been issued, but several articles on bird banding in ornithological periodicals have been reprinted in quantities and made available to collaborators through the gener- osity of an ornithologist who is much interested in this project. Addresses on the subject of bird banding have been made by repre- sentatives of the bureau at Camp Bradley, Md.; in Boston, Mass.; and in New York City, INVESTIGATIONS OF MIGRATORY WILD FOWL. Investigations concerning the condition of migratory wild fowl have been carried on, mainly in cooperation with State officials, thus adding materially to our files of information concerning the dis- tribution, migration, and breeding of these important game species, and serving an important purpose in the administration of the migratory-bird treaty act. Birds collected under scientific collecting permits during the calendar year 1921 have also been carded, bring- ing the data regarding this activity up to date. It will be recalled that in 1922 concerted efforts were made by certain sportsmen, notably in Missouri, to be allowed a shooting sea- son extending from February 10 to March 10, the contention being made that the birds were not mated during this period. In that year an investigation made by the bureau showed that mallards were paired as early as February 21, while specimens of both sexes taken early in March showed functional activity of the breeding organs. In order to gather additional data an assistant visited some of the more important wild-fowl resorts in Missouri frequented by these birds during the northward migration. The period covered was from February 20 to March 7, 1923, and the data thus obtained in southeastern Missouri concerned mallards, pintails, and hooded mergansers. Anatomical examination of specimens taken February 21 to 23 showed that many of the birds were in breeding condition. About 73 per cent of the mallards examined here between February 20 and 27 showed decided enlargement of the reproductive organs. Observations made at another locality in Missouri March 1 to 7 dis- closed nearly similar conditions. The participation of a representative of the bureau in the session of the American School of Wild Life Protection, held at McGregor, Towa, in August, 1922, afforded opportunity for the presentation on a broad scale of the methods and policies of the bureau regarding the protection of wild life. Besides the influence exerted directly at these sessions, which were attended by sportsmen and game officials and many other persons representing organizations inter- ested in the conservation of the wild-life resources of the Mississippi Valley, a number of short trips to near-by points were made in the interests of related projects. These included an inspection of a proposed game preserve near Garden City, Kans., and examina- tions of Clear Lake, near Mason City, Iowa, and Rice Lake, near Lake Mills, Iowa, localities formerly inhabited by considerable numbers of breeding wild fowl, and where it is desired to institute more effective protective measures. An examination was made also of the Winneshiek bottoms near Lansing, Iowa, in company with BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 443 Iowa and Minnesota officials, to determine the advisability of drain- ing the area. Another representative of the bureau, while investigating the condition of migratory wild fowl in North Dakota, with special reference to the breeding of wild geese, made an examination of the Chase Lake Bird Reservation. Reports of damage to shocked wheat by mallards in Kidder County, N. Dak., before the opening of the shooting season, were also investigated and found to be borne out by the facts. About the same time Island Lake, in Aitkin County, Minn., proposed as a game refuge, was thoroughly examined. It was found to be a comparatively small wooded island, and while its fauna and flora were found to be interesting, its establishment as a Federal game refuge was not considered desirable. In April, a member of the staff, while investigating the distribu- tion of birds and mammals in Florida, visited the Island Pond and Spruce Creek breeding rookeries near Maytown, and a series of rookeries on Sebastian River near Roseland, for the purpose of estimating the numbers of breeding herons, egrets, and ibises. WILD LIFE ON NATIONAL AND STATE PARKS AND FORESTS. An assistant of the bureau made an examination of the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve, Ariz., late in September and early in October, to obtain information regarding conditions affecting game, with special reference to making plans for disposing of the surplus deer on this refuge. Reports indicated that the mule deer on this pre- serve, the only large game there, had increased to such an extent as to overstock the ranges, especially in summer. The trip was a cooperative one, the Biological Survey representative being associ- ated with officials of the Forest Service concerned with the admin- istration of the Kaibab National Forest, within the boundaries of which the game preserve is located. Deer were found to be very abundant, it being estimated that upward of 20,000 were present. Late in March and early in April, 1923, another investigation was made of the region, the personnel including the same bureau repre- sentative and most of the same members of the Forest Service. In general, the observations made on this trip confirmed the find- ings of the previous examination. Notable concentration of deer was observed in certain areas of bench land so situated topographi- cally that movement of the animals to less crowded sections was dif- ficult. While no suffering from lack of winter forage is yet apparent, excessive utilization of the summer forage is evident, as well as undesirable concentration on parts of the winter range, and it is be- lieved that material reduction in the number of the deer is advis- able, unless migration to léss crowded areas can be induced. Following the investigation of the Grand Canyon Game Preserve an examination was made, in cooperation with the National Park Service, of the Tonto Plateau, Grand Canyon National Park, to ascer- tain its suitability as a prospective preserve for antelope. The area was found to be fairly well suited to this purpose, except that it is considerably overgrazed by burros, the descendants of animals aban- doned in the canyon many years ago. Since the burros serve no use- ful purpose, their removal or elimination is considered advisable, 444 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. and in case this can be accomplished, the successful establishment of a small herd of antelope is considered to be practicable. A final examination was made of game conditions on the Wichita National Game Preserve and a report made to the forester with recommendations for handling the game there and for disposal of the surplus. As a matter of cooperation in methods of administering parks and forests, with special reference to their wild-life resources, an assistant of the bureau attended the North Carolina Forestry Convention at Pinehurst, January 23 and 24, and the Third National Conference on State Parks, held at Turkey Run State Park, Ind., May 7 to 9, at each of which he delivered addresses on the relation of wild life to forests and parks. LIFE HABITS OF INJURIOUS ANIMALS. Detailed experiments with captives of several species of injurious rodents, with special attention to breeding habits, were carried on during the year. The species studied included meadow mice, pocket gophers, kangaroo rats, pocket mice, grasshopper mice, and jump- ing mice. These studies disclosed many interesting habits hitherto unknown, especially with reference to the rapidity of breeding in certain species. These laboratory results admirably supplement field studies previously made on the same species and assist in interpreting habits imperfectly understood. Reports on the results of studies of meadow mice and grasshopper mice were prepared for publication. Intensive field studies also were made of certain injurious rodents in Washington and Oregon, especially mountain beavers, pocket mice, pocket gophers, and silver gray squirrels. Late in October and early in November assistants of the bureau made an examination of the plots established in Arizona in coopera- tion with the Forest Service, the Carnegie Institution of Washing- ton, and the University of Arizona, to determine quantitatively the damage effected on forage plants or stock ranges by certain rodents. These experimental plots are so arranged as to furnish data on the varying conditions of vegetation on fenced plots of uniform size, rodents of different species and cattle being given access or excluded to simulate the different natural conditions. A report on the results of a study of the feeding habits of prairie dogs and the quantitative damage to forage plants by these pests has been prepared for pub- lication. An intensive study of the habits of jack rabbits, with special ref- erence to their economic status, has also been undertaken. Early in October an assistant of the bureau, in cooperation with an official of the Bureau of Plant Industry, made a reconnaissance of Coachella Valley, Calif., as the first step in a proposed intensive study of the geographical and ecological relations of the fauna and flora of this region, which is believed to be potentially one of the richest agricultural areas in the State. Dates are the most important crop and their culture is being studied at the Government date gar- den, at Indio. Several native rodents are believed to be injurious to this crop. The time spent was too short to afford results of im- portance, but this preliminary survey gives promise of information of great practical value should it be possible to continue investiga- tions there. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 445 INTRODUCTION OF TROPICAL AMERICAN GAME BIRDS. For some years the Biological Survey has been interested in hav- ing experiments made for the introduction and acclimatization of the ocellated turkey, a wonderfully beautiful game bird found from Yucatan to Honduras, and the curassow and possibly other game birds of the same region. In the spring of 1923, a cooperator of the bureau provided the funds needed to send a naturalist to the Lake Peten region of Guatemala to secure a stock of living birds for this experiment, the birds when received to be placed on islands off the coast of Georgia. The leader of the expedition reports that a considerable number of young ocellated turkeys and other birds are being raised for this experiment by Indians under his super- vision. INVESTIGATION OF INTRODUCED QUAIL. Within the past eight years large numbers of quail, or bob- whites, have been introduced into Pennsylvania and Maryland from northern Mexico in an attempt to replenish the depleted covers. These birds belong to a form which differs from the native birds in smaller size and paler or grayer coloration. It is a matter of much interest to ascertain to what extent the introduced birds have in- creased and whether they interbreed with the native stock. To ob- tain these data a representative of the bureau, in cooperation with members of the State game commissions, during the hunting season visited the sections of those States affected by the introductions and collected specimens from as many coveys as possible. The re- sults showed that interbreeding between the imported and the na- tive stock had taken place in a number of instances, while a few birds which showed only the characters of the imported birds may have been either members of the original importations or their descendants. This investigation will be continued, as the results will have a practical bearing as well as a scientific value. HAWAIIAN ISLAND EXPEDITION. Some years ago a German living on Laysan Island, a celebrated breeding place of enormous numbers of albatrosses and other notable sea fowl, and within the Hawaiian Islands Bird Reservation, intro- duced the European rabbit. The multiplication of these animals on this wonderful island made it evident that they must be exterminated if the vegetation and some of the species of birds peculiar to the island were to be saved. In the spring of 1923, through the coop- eration of the Navy Department, a vessel of 1,000 tons capacity was detailed for four months to provide facilities for a careful scientific reconnaissance under the direction of a representative of the Biologi- cal Survey of all of the islands in the Hawaiian Islands Bird Reser- vation and others adjacent thereto, including Wake and Johnston Islands. Through the active cooperation of the Bishop Museum, of Honolulu, the scientific personnel of the expedition included a botan- ist, an entomologist, an anthropologist, a geologist, and other scien- tists. 'The present survey of these islands is one of the most com- plete ever undertaken in the Pacific. 446 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Word has been received that the rabbits have now been exter- minated on Laysan, although before the arrival of the expedition they had almost completely destroyed the vegetation. Plants and seeds were subsequently obtained in Honolulu and planted on Lay- san, where undoubtedly vegetation of a more varied character than heretofore will flourish. One of the interesting results already reported is the finding about this and other islands of considerable numbers of the little-known Hawaiian seal. ALASKA INVESTIGATIONS. REINDEER. At the beginning of the bureau’s reindeer investigations, in 1920, the reindeer experiment station was established at Unalakleet, on the shore of Norton Sound. By July 1, 1922, the work had developed to a point that made it advantageous to move the station to Nome, where there is a more suitable building, with a barn and corral for conducting experiments. FEEDING EXPERIMENTS. In order to conduct feeding experiments, in the fall of 1922 seven reindeer—four adults and three fawns—were procured from a Gov- ernment herd located 25 miles from Nome and brought to the experi- ment station. Until the animals became accustomed to their new quarters they were fed reindeer moss. Later moss was mixed with other feed, and finally eliminated altogether. Only about 15 days were required to wean fawns completely from the use of moss, but it took much longer for the adults. The feeding experiment proved very successful and was one step toward demonstrating the possi- bility of utilizing reindeer far more extensively in travel and winter transportation than is now being done. Further experiments will be conducted to determine the quantity of forage necessary each day for a sled animal traveling long distances. As carrying space on sleds is at a premium on long trips, the weight and bulk of food necessary to be taken along for sled animals is of prime importance. GENERAL OBSERVATION WORK. The bureau’s auxiliary power schooner Hazel, used for reindeer investigational work on the Bering and Arctic coasts, traveled a total of 3,573 miles during July, August, and September, proceeding south to the town of Bethel, on the lower Kuskokwim River, and north to Kotzebue Sound. These cruises were made for the purpose of inves- tigating the condition of the herds and for studying the herds and methods of herd management. At the same time educational work was undertaken with the herd owners for the purpose of introducing improved management, which is already showing results, especially in methods of castration, in branding, and in the handling of herds on the range. Collections made of forage plants and the studies of their abundance and distribution supply invaluable information necessary for the wise allotment of grazing areas to herd owners when such allotments are authorized by law. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 447 RANGES. Careful investigations were made of the kind and distribution of forage plants and of the grazing capacity of the reindeer ranges over a large area. The vital importance of this investigation has become evident since it was learned definitely that in winter reindeer are almost entirely dependent on reindeer moss. This involves the neces- sity of providing summer and winter grazing areas for each herd, in which the “ moss” or winter areas must be larger than those for summer, when grass and other ordinary herbage is eaten. This fact has necessitated a change in computing the grazing capacity of rein- deer ranges from a basis of 30 acres per animal to from 40 to 60 acres. On this new basis it is estimated that Seward Peninsula alone would carry approximately 200,000 head. CARIBOU INVESTIGATIONS. The field naturalist with headquarters at Fairbanks continued his investigations of caribou during the year and obtained much valuable information during an extended winter trip through the Endicott Range country and back to Fairbanks by way of Fort Yukon. INVESTIGATION OF REINDEER INDUSTRY IN NORTHERN EUROPE, The investigation of the reindeer industry in northern Europe. conducted in August and September by the bureau’s former chief specialist in the reindeer investigations in Alaska, proved not only very interesting but of much value in its relation to the reindeer investigations now being made. The Norwegian reindeer were found to be smaller than the Alaskan animals, and less fat, both character- istics probably being due to the depleted ranges. The heaviest reindeer were found in Lapland. In Norway reindeer were found to be very healthy as a rule and less attacked by warble flies than in Alaska, the constant moving of the herds being given as the cause for this freedom from parasites. The frequent moving of herds recommended by the bureau’s experts in Alaska in 1921 is now being followed by many herd owners in the Territory, with bene- ficial results. PROTECTION OF LAND FUR ANIMALS. Some progress has been made in the work of protecting land fur animals in Alaska, but not so much as is desirable, owing to the in- adequate law and to the limited funds available for the purpose. The practical value of educational work to emphasize the need of better conservation of both the game and fur animals of Alaska is shown by the rapid growth of favorable sentiment in the Terri- tory and by an increasing appreciation of the work being done along these lines by the bureau. The only important change in the fur regulations during the year related to the protection of blue foxes, and was made at the request of the blue-fox farmers in order to prevent poaching, an evil practice which was becoming a serious menace to the industry. This regulation, promulgated on January 9, prohibits the killing of blue foxes at all times in district 1, except on the Aleutian Islands Res- 448 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ervation, and in district 2, south of latitude 62°, with the exception that the duly authorized agents, owners, lessees, or permittees of islands and lands used and maintained as fur farms for the propa- gation of blue foxes may kill at any time the animals in their pos- session. A fur warden was appointed at Nome, and warden service was inaintained during parts of the year at Fairbanks, Unalaska, Anchor- age, Juneau, Cordova, and Belkofsky. Excellent cooperation was given by the customs division of the Treasury Department and by agents of the Department of Justice. Plans have been made for extending fur-warden service by the appointment of regular wardens for the Kuskokwim region and for that about Fairbanks. The fur warden stationed at Nome made a careful investigation of conditions in regard to fur-bearing animals along the Kuskokwim River early in 1923, traveling a total distance of 1,603 miles by dog team and going as far south as Bethel. Valuable information was obtained regarding land fur animals, one important fact being noted that, with the possible exception of the beaver and the marten, the fur bearers were more than holding their own. Serious forest fires, however, have ruined many miles of marten territory in the Kus- kokwim region. The establishment of a Forest Service fire patrol in interior Alaska is seriously needed and will be of enormous value to the future welfare of the Territory. Fires annually destroy vast areas of timber valuable for local use and forage for game and rein- deer that can not be replaced in many years. PROSECUTIONS AND SEIZURES. Only two arrests were made for violations of the fur law, each re- sulting in a conviction and fine. A number of contraband skins were seized, but the possessors were not prosecuted, owing to defects in the fur law which make successful prosecution doubtful. Reports of the use of poison and explosives in the destruction of beavers, their dams, and their houses continue to be received and pre- sent the most serious danger to the future of the fur animals that exists. So many beavers were killed during the recent open season that a general desire has been expressed by people from all parts of the Territory for another extended close season. With an adequate fur law and sufficient funds to enforce it, proper protection could be given to the land fur-bearing animals of the Territory, and thus perpetuate and increase one of its most valuable natural assets. SHIPMENTS OF ALASKA FURS. Shipments of furs from the Territory continue to form an im- portant item of its annual production. According to reports made to the bureau by postmasters and agents of transportation companies, covering the year from December 1, 1921, to November 80, 1922, the number of furs shipped greatly exceeded that for the previous year. Only 254,788 skins were shipped during the year ended November 30, 1921, while 394,514 were shipped in 1922. Exclusive of white and blue foxes of the Pribilof Islands, which are under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Fisheries, the value of the skins of land fur bearers shipped for this year amounted to $1,732,693. The number of the principal pelts shipped and their value were as follows: BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 449 IXind of fur. Number.| Value. Kind of fur. Number.| Value. SETAE. SYS ce R ES Ee 3135145 | $301) 431 i Beavene.-.-5: cc. 2s ebee ee. 12,216 | $250,587 BiG fox FEA Ge STE: 1,080} 118,800 || Land otter..........22....... 1,8 | 43, 677 Wertrrfox.® £22) iP ksaee s Wed 393") 175 220 Meee ea up | eee 31,983 | 223, 881 et fox! . CTE Lisit | 5,979] 110,611 || Marten................-...... 10,385 | 285,587 Dilyer-era yifOx: - acws croc ees - } 291 58, 200 || Weasel (ermine).............. 10, 656 | 9,057 CESS Caan eet ied: Selere TR 740 2, OUUL ||P eesC Ro DOMES cic snot cas ence seniee 751 | —-10, 138 As a considerable number of furs are used in Alaska and as many are taken out by travelers and by vessels not reporting them, it appears safe to estimate the take of land furs for the year as ex- ceeding a value of $2,000,000, or a 6 per cent return on a capital valuation of about $33,000,000 for this natural resource. GENERAL ACTIVITIES. The bureau’s seagoing power boat Sea Otter has been used con- tinually, patrolling waters and streams of southeastern Alaska, and visiting fur-farming islands and many other points to enforce the fur laws and to enable the chief warden to be of increased practical assistance to the fur farmers. The chief fur warden and other em- ployees of the bureau in Alaska are encouraged to conduct a per- sistent educational campaign for the better conservation of the fur and game resources of the Territory. Most gratifying results have been obtained in a way that holds out great encouragement for the future. FUR FARMING IN ALASKA, During the summer and early fall of 1922 the chief fur warden and the chief fur-farming expert of the bureau made a trip on the Sea Otter from southeastern Alaska to Unalaska, studying the fur farms and other matters relating to fur production. The results of this are mentioned earlier in this report under the general subject of fur farming. The fur-farming industry in Alaska appears to have a most promising future, All but one of the ten islands under the jurisdiction of the bureau for leasing for fur-farming purposes have been leased. It is not considered advisable to grant an exclusive lease on the remaining island. Fox farming, mainly of blue foxes, is developing rapidly and appears to have a good future in the Territory, Two associations of fur farmers were formed in the fall of 1922, one at Cordova and the other at Petersburg, A list of blue-fox farmers of Alaska with their names, post-office addresses, and the name of the island occupied by each has been prepared and distributed in mimeographed form by the bureau, showing that there are now 99 blue-fox farmers in southeastern Alaska, 29 in the Prince William Sound region, 8 in the Lower Cook Inlet region, 13 in the Kodiak-Afognak region, and 10 on islands off the Alaska Peninsula, or a total of 159. In addition there are about 20 blue-fox farmers in the Aleutian Islands Reservation, while 25 permits have been issued to residents of Alaska to capture alive beavers, minks, martens, and muskrats for propa- 450 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. gating purposes. All possible encouragement is given responsible parties who have favorable locations to engage in this new en- terprise. One handicap to the development of the fur-farming industry in Alaska is the lack of authority in any governmental agency to lease the numerous islands which are suitable for the purpose but which are located outside the national forests and the Aleutian Islands Reservation. PROTECTION OF ALASKAN GAME. The Alaska game law is administered by the Governor of Alaska under regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Agriculture. Migratory birds in the Territory are protected under the provisions of the migratory-bird treaty act. The most important change in the regulations during the year in regard to game in Alaska was the elimination of specific protection of deer on Duke, Gravina, San Juan, Suemez, Zarembo, Hawkins, Hinchinbrook, Montague, Long, and Kodiak Islands. Kruzof Island, near Sitka, alone in southeastern Alaska, remains a deer preserve. It is forbidden, however, to kill deer anywhere west of longitude 141°, thus giving this game protection on all islands in that region. DESTRUCTION OF WOLVES IN ALASKA. For some years requests have come from citizens of Alaska that efforts be made to destroy wolves, which have been enormously de- structive to deer on the coastal islands of southeastern Alaska. Local residents had made efforts for a long period to destroy wolves in that region, and the impression was general that, because of un- usual topographic and climatic conditions, these animals could not be successfully destroyed. Our representative working in Michigan was detailed to Alaska for two months, where he demonstrated beyond question that it was not only feasible to trap and poison the wolves successfully on the Alaskan islands, but that it would not be a very difficult matter to exterminate them on most, if not all, of the islands. Thirty large timber wolves were taken by traps or poison, and no doubt, as is usually the case, numerous others killed by poison were not found. The results were so promising that this work will be continued. Destruction of the wolves will be extremely helpful in increasing the numbers of the deer, which are so impor- tant a factor as a part of the food supply of the Indians and other residents of that region. GAME AND BIRD REFUGES. The continual increase in the number of hunters and the decrease of various species of game are producing a healthy reaction among sportsmen and others interested, causing the establishment of State game refuges. The number of such refuges in a list compiled by the Biological Survey in 1922 was 423, of which 346 contained a total of more than 19,331,000 acres. To these, early in 1923, the legisla- tures of 12 States added 38, with a total of 3.000,000 acres. Among those of notable interest are several refuges made in Nevada, mainly for the benefit of antelope. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 451 The Shoshone and Pathfinder Federal refuges on irrigation proj- ects in Wyoming were abolished during the year, as they had proved to be of too little value to be retained. This leaves a total of 68 Federal bird and big-game refuges administered by this bureau. BIG-GAME REFUGES. During the last part of June the 12-mile big-game fence which had been under construction at the Niobrara Reservation, near Valen- tine, Nebr., for several years was completed. It incloses approxi- mately 4,000 acres of ideal range for big-game animals adjoining the two small areas heretofore available for this purpose. The winter of 1922-23 was-a comparatively mild one in the West, enabling game in general to come through in satisfactory condition. The increase in game animals on the refuges was satisfactory, the one item of disappointment being the misfortune which overtook the antelope herds on the Bison Range and the Wind Cave Refuge. The difficulty of maintaining and building up herds of antelope is in striking contrast with the ease attending the increase of herds of other game animals. Buffalo, elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer appear to be as hardy and to breed as freely on game refuges as ordinary domestic stock. They are at the same time surprisingly free from diseases. No damage by fire was done to any of the refuges during the year. The following table shows the number of big-game animals on the refuges under the jurisdiction of this bureau at the close of each calendar year from 1916 to date, the figures for 1923 being as re- ported up to June 30 only: Kind of game. 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 | | PERI is 3h bo Be. ate SA RS 206} 251 31 381 431 508 603 717 Tp iee Soe e eee stun cas faces ateccer 165 205 | 261 | 345 433 519 | 2608 @ 657 Amtelope. Jose's nce. 224 eee ee 47 57 55 | 54 65 91 21 16 Ger MULES 5 ora ea owes cases eee 2 2 15. 21 27 54} 52 a 62 Deeriwhite-tailed!:(217 6. 2222 3.5_. 3 6 | 8 9 5 21) @31 a27 Manta SHee ps. Sp aa tye = ooh 8 eee le eepepe- nSejac84 oe son dle aoe sl Ss ageed te aces 4 15 220 MObale pes sce eee eps szch S33 423| 521|/ 650; 810) 961] 1,193| 1,330] 1,499 a Estimated. The distribution of the 1,499 big-game animals shown in the last column above on reservations under the jurisdiction of the Biological Survey was as follows: rs Bis Wind |... Sullys Kind of game. ree | Gave, |Niobrara. Mil. | (RT 1G i ae IE ee Aes SSSR Seo) = “Bosc Csne socio 549 107 48 13 21k po PS ee Oe ee PEPE CER Pe Chee Otay ed occ fas SAFE 1400 st 57 30 LATTES) yO Ee Oe eS Se erioc seoe sr esc 59 obese seca mae | 1M | 2 See Bee: ce Deen. yrniiley. ti). OLLE LLCO. 2. SEIS). Se ee ose kr] 160 | aieea ed. w-[eeeeeeees : 1D ph al aVh ag ts Oe eee AEF Ao dae gar ae 120 |ais2 erie | 2, 5 Aounpai sheep !f:. S280 eo. sete cee: = pater a= aekereinite eae Metta: a= a hy RR el I PD OER LS A. cate mcigigex Sie = anes Sats ae ge eG Se telat ol 1,049 295 107 48 1 Estimated. « 452 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. National Bison Range, Mont.—By far the most disastrous occur- rence in connection with this refuge was the final extermination of the remnants of the herd of 60 antelope that was on this range early the preceding year. The antelope were killed by predatory animals which came in from the surrounding country during severe winter weather, probably assisted by Indian dogs from the reservation near by. During several years hunters have been detailed to destroy predatory animals in and about this and the other game refuges, and large numbers have been thus killed. The destruction of ante- lope here and at Wind Cave is good evidence of the difficulty of protecting game refuges from the inroads of coyotes or other preda- tory animals, which are able to travel great distances during a single night. Antelope appear to be peculiarly helpless before such danger, the losses of other game animals from this source in the same refuge being negligible. The rapid increase of buffalo and elk on this range has about stocked it to capacity, as is shown by indications of deterioration in the range here and there. As a consequence, it has become neces- sary to provide for the disposal of surplus animals. Negotiations looking to this were initiated during the last part of the year. The buffalo on the preserve now number 549, including 92 calves of the year. Only three deaths took place in the herd during the year. It is estimated that there are about 400 elk in the herd, in- cluding about 60 of this year’s calves. So far as known, only two elk, both young bulls, died during the year. The mule deer, white- tailed deer, and mountain sheep are all doing well. It is esti- mated that from 50 to 60 beavers live along Mission Creek within the reservation. The number of game birds on the refuge is estimated to include about 400 sharp-tailed grouse, 50 blue grouse, 50 Hungarian par- tridges, 100 Chinese pheasants, and 200 mallard ducks. During mild weather in the last part of February 12 Chinese pheasants in excellent condition and apparently preparing to mate appeared about the headquarters corral. These introduced birds appear to have become well established on the refuge, and with other game birds will serve to supply a surplus to sportsmen in the country surround- ing the fenced area. A number of needed improvements were added during the year, including a reservoir 130 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 4 feet deep; a frame cabin, known as “ The substation ”; an ice house; four small outbuildings; and three poison and trapping stations for predatory animals. Many old posts in the game fence were replaced or reset, and two floodgates crossing Mission Creek were rebuilt to prevent the animals from escaping. Wind Cave Game Preserve, S. Dak.—Coyotes had reduced the antelope herd on this refuge by early spring from 21 to 8 does. By June 30 these were accompanied by an equal number of fawns, making a total of 16. In order to protect them a number of poison- bait stations were established and a vigorous campaign was put in effect and will be continued to destroy the predatory animals in and about the refuge. As in the case of the Bison Range, the sur- rounding eountry is inhabited by coyotes and other game-killing animals, which frequently travel great distances. Consequently it will be possible to maintain antelope here only with unceasing vigi- BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 453 lance. The buffalo and elk are in excellent condition and have in- - creased to a point that necessitates the disposal of a number of each in order to prevent the range from becoming overstocked. Evidence of the unexpected aggressiveness of bobcats on the game was found when a warden trailing an antelope during a winter snowstorm discovered that a bobcat had joined the trail a little ahead of him. A short time later he came on the carcass of a full-grown antelope that had been killed by the cat just before the warden arrived. A large number of coyotes have been destroyed in and about this refuge. Niobrara Reservation, Valentine, Nebr.—The large game animals on this refuge up to the end of the present year have been maintained in two small inclosures. Several years ago the inclosure of an addi- tional 4,000 acres of excellent range land for game was undertaken and was completed at the end of the present year. Later in the sea- son game will be transferred to it. A number of beavers live along the river on this refuge, but how many is not known. Quail were more numerous here during the spring of 1923 than at any other time within the past seven years. About 300 pairs of prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse nest along the southern side of the refuge, and in winter others move into the shelter from the more open country on the north side. Many ducks remain along the river on the refuge during winter, when at times several hundred are present. Sullys Hill Game Preserve, near Devils Lake, N. Dak.—The hostess bouse for visitors to this refuge and 1 mile of 6-foot fence which keeps the buffalo and elk from Sweetwater Lake, were completed, thus making the refuge a pleasanter place for the public to visit. This refuge continues to be a popular place for picnic outings for people | of Devils Lake and the surrounding region, the total number of visi- tors during the fiscal year being 6,079, as follows: July (1922), 2,931: August, 1,321; September, 514; June (1923), 1,313. The numbers of animals on the refuge on June 30 were as follows: Buffalo, 13; elk, 30; white-tailed deer, 5; a total of 48. Shipping corrals were built for the purpose of readily crating and transporting surplus elk. Unfortunately, severe weather conditions developed before shipments could be made, and a number of the elk perished. The buffalo came through the winter in excellent shape. Winter Elk Refuge, Jackson, Wyo.—The early winter was com- paratively open, with light snowfall, thus leaving the pasturage acces- sible to the game. About 3,400 elk were fed on the two feeding grounds, of which 3,000 or more came in early in the year and about 400 came in in small parties at different times. They remained in good condition throughout the season and the loss was comparatively hight. anon the elk started on January 23, after a snowfall of 21 inches, and continued until April 25. Very satisfactory results were obtained by the construction of feeding corrals for the elk calves, so arranged with low, narrow entrances, called “ creeps,” that the calves could enter to feed free from molestation by the larger animals. This method of feeding was so successful that it will be continued on an extended scale during the coming winter. It is certain that this will result in saving a large number of calves that would have died, as 454 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. formerly, from being pushed about and worried by the large ani- mals on the general feeding grounds. At the commencement of winter the bureau had on hand a little less than 1,000 tons of hay, of which 686 were raised on the refuge, the remainder being purchased from neighboring ranches. In addi- tion, the grazing privileges were rented on 400 acres of bottom lands. At the end of the season 85 tons of hay remained on hand. In order that the refuge may be made to produce the maximum of hay a tractor with plows and other implements has been pur- chased and an increased annual acreage will be tilled until the entire range is producing. Much of the fencing about this refuge is now old and in such con- dition that it must be replaced in the near future. Other improve- ments are also greatly needed. BIRD REFUGES. Flat Creek Bird Refuge, Wyo., covering 40 acres in the valley bottom adjacent to the winter Elk Refuge at Jackson, was estab- lished by Executive order of September 29, 1922. Although this is a small area it is used extensively by migratory wild fowl not only during the nesting period and migrations but also throughout the winter months. The area contains springs which keep it open throughout the winter and afford plant and insect food which sus- tain the resident ducks during the cold season. Its situation adja- cent to the Elk Refuge adds additional pasture for the elk herds. Belle Fourche. Bird Refuge, 8S. Dak.—Conditions on this refuge were, as formerly, unsatisfactory, owing to the continuous grazing on lands immediately adjacent to the lake shore, without which nesting birds might take advantage of the cover. Fencing has been built for the purpose of eliminating livestock from this portion of the refuge. The excellent result from this has become apparent and it is planned to increase the protected area in order to attract addi- tional nesting birds. Big Lake Bird Refuge, Ark.—TYhis refuge is notable as a resting and feeding place for wild fowl during both spring and fall migra- tions. Through the excellent support given the wardens by the District Court of the Eastern District of Arkansas in the protection of this refuge the people of the region now respect it and look upon it as a distinct local asset. A warden’s house has been built on the highest point of the refuge near the principal hunting and trapping grounds, and is an improvement which renders the control of the lake much more effective. In order to prevent undue disturbance of the wild fowl, trapping of fur-bearing animals on this refuge is allowed only under permit, the trappers not being permitted to visit their traps before sunrise or after sunset. Refuges of this character are exceedingly important in giving migratory wild fowl resting places during their journeys north and south. With the drainage of many other water areas such places are becoming more and more valuable for the purpose for which created. Lake Malheur Bird Refuge, Oreg—A compromise agreement pro- posed by representatives of the State of Oregon and of the Biological Survey as to the future status of this refuge was not consummated, and the matter still remains for adjustment. Ravens are so abundant BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 455 in this district that they are becoming a menace to the welfare of the wild fowl breeding there and must be reduced in numbers. Serious depredations by them on the bird life, particularly during the breed- ing season, call for active measures: against them, and these will be taken during the coming winter. Salt River Bird Refuge, Roosevelt, Ariz—On August 8, 1922, the Secretary of Agriculture issued an order permitting the hunting of migratory wild fowl] on the eastern arm of Roosevelt Lake within this refuge. This will give a limited amount of hunting in a region where opportunities for this sport are exceedingly scarce, but will not seriously interfere with the welfare of the birds. MIGRATORY-BIRD TREATY AND LACEY ACTS. The helpful effect of the migratory-bird treaty act in increasing the supply of migratory wild fowl] continues to impress all observers and to make friends for this legislation from its former opponents. Unfortunately, the progress of drainage of fresh-water marshes and lakes goes on rapidly, and unless enough of these areas can be perpetuated to afford feeding and breeding grounds no hope can be held out for the maintenance of the supply of these fine game birds. During the year representatives of the bureau have assisted State game commissions and other conservationists to protect several fine wild-fowl water areas from drainage, notably Swan Lake in Minnesota and the Winneshiek Bottoms on the upper Mississippi. COOPERATION. The Biological Survey is deeply indebted to State game officials, conservation organizations, and sportsmen from practically every State for the fine spirit of cooperation extended by them, not only in the enforcement of the law but in influencing public opinion for its observance. Much effort has been made to build up and maintain this cooperation, to which so much of the success achieved in increas- ing our migratory wild fowl is directly attributable. WARDEN SERVICE. Approximately 28 full-time United States game wardens were on duty through the year, aided by about 400 cooperative deputy wardens. Of the last, 85 were placed on per diem duty during short intervals in emergencies. Cooperative wardens receive a nominal salary of $1 per annum, except when placed on active duty, when they receive $3.50 a day with an allowance for expenses. Shortly after he entered the service and while in the performance of his duty, United States Game Warden Edgar A. Lindgren, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was brutally murdered by two Italians on August 18, 1922. A United States attorney assisted the State au- thorities in the prosecution of the assassins, who were convicted in the State court and sentenced to life imprisonment. Several other Federal game wardens also were feloniously assaulted while in the discharge of their duties, one with a loaded firearm, but fortunately they were not seriously injured. The frequent occurrence of these assaults on Federal wardens again demonstrates the great need of a 78007—acr 1923, 30 456 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Federal statute under which assailants of Federal officers engaged in the discharge of their duties may be adequately punished. STATE HUNTING LICENSES. Incomplete returns show a substantial increase in the number of hunting licenses issued in some States and a small decrease in others. Reports received indicate that the total number issued in the United States probably exceeds 4,000,000, approximately the same number as issued the preceding year. In addition, under a legal authoriza- tion, nearly half as many people hunted without a license. MIGRATORY-BIRD TREATY-ACT ADVISORY BOARD. The migratory-bird treaty-act advisory board held its annual meeting in Washington on December 14 with 16 of the 22 members present. A number of amendments to the Federal regulations sug- gested by the bureau were considered by the board, and its recom- mendations were very helpful to the department in reaching its de- cisions on the advisability of making changes in the regulations. The meeting of this board each year is of great service to the bureau also in giving an opportunity to confer with State game officials and other conservationists among its members regarding migratory wild- fowl conditions throughout the country and the effect of the policy 2 the department in maintaining the supply of these valuable game irds. MATING HABITS OF MIGRATORY WATERFOWL. Supplementing its investigations of last year to determine the earliest mating dates of wild ducks in the Mississippi Valley regions, the bureau this year again assigned an assistant biologist to investi- gate mating and breeding habits of wild fowl in Missouri, as stated earlier in this report. Last year his investigations were confined mainly to the northern part of the State, but this year they extended into the southeastern sections, where the mating of wild ducks was found to be well advanced as early as February 21. The data thus gathered are of the utmost value, in view of the demand still being made for the privilege of hunting wild fowl in Missouri and certain other States later in the winter than January 31. PERMITS TO KILL MIGRATORY BIRDS INJURIOUS TO PROPERTY. Under regulation 10 of the migratory-bird treaty-act regulations the Secretary issued orders during the year permitting employees of the State Conservation Commission of Wisconsin to kill great blue herons and authorizing State game wardens of Idaho to kill mer- gansers and great blue herons when these birds are found injurious to fish. In addition, growers of small fruits in Connecticut, Idaho, and Washington and members of their immediate families and their bona fide employees were given permission to kill robins found injuring cherries or other small fruits from May 16 to September 30. Permits for this purpose were already valid in Colorado, Indi- ana, Minnesota, New Hatekive, New York, Oregon, and Wiscon- sin. These orders provide that robins may be killed only when com- mitting or about to commit serious injury to growing cherries or BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 457 other small fruits, and only by the holders of permits countersigned by the chief official in charge of the enforcement of the fish and game laws of the State in which the order is effective. Permits are revoca- ble in the discretion of the Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey or of the person countersigning them. VIOLATIONS OF THE MIGRATORY-BIRD TREATY ACT. At the beginning of the fiscal year, migratory-bird treaty-act cases to the number of 722 were pending before the courts, and during the year there were 693 new cases reported for prosecution. Of these 1,415 cases, 472 were disposed of by convictions, 28 were nolle prossed, in 2 the grand jury did not return true bills, 99 were dis- missed, 3 were terminated by the death of the accused, and in 8 the jury returned a verdict of not guilty; the remainder are pending. The total revenue collected during the year in all cases amounted to about $8,650, the fines ranging from $250 to $1 each. In numer- ous instances the defendants were also required to pay the costs, which in some cases equaled and in others exceeded the amount of the fines. About 115 other cases were reported by the Federal war- dens, which, on account of the youthfulness of the accused, insuf- ficient evidence, adequate fines having been imposed previously in State court, or for various other reasons, were not forwarded for Federal prosecution. The evidence in many of the cases, however, was transmitted to State game authorities for appropriate action, as violations of State laws were involved. Convictions in Federal courts were distributed as follows: Ala- bama, 20; Arkansas, 15; Delaware, 13; District of Columbia, 2; Florida, 19; Georgia, 55; Idaho, 3; Illinois, 51; Indiana, 29; Iowa, 20; Kansas, 9; Kentucky, 3; Louisiana, 13; Maine, 14; Maryland, 12; Massachusetts, 13; Minnesota, 18; Mississippi, 7; Missouri, 19; Montana, 7; Nebraska, 6; Nevada, 3; New Mexico, 3; North Carolina, 4; Ohio, 14; Oklahoma, 2; Oregon, 14; Pennsylvania, 1; South Carolina, 5; South Dakota, 5; Tennessee, 14; Texas, 21; Virginia, 23; Washington, 13; West Virginia, 1; and Wisconsin, 1. Four jail sentences, ranging from 5 months to 15 days each, were imposed against violators in Maryland and Nebraska as a re- sult of illegal trapping, sale, and shipment of wild ducks, killing ducks in close season, and hunting ducks after sunset. While many substantial penalties were imposed, some offenders escaped with small fines and a few on payment of costs. Fines ranging from $100 to $25 were imposed against many of- fenders for offering for sale and selling aigrettes, possessing ducks in storage during the close season, selling ducks, hunting ducks from motor boats, capturing live waterfowl, and operating without a Federal permit, and for other miscellaneous offenses. The fourth and fifth convictions for the hunting of wild fowl from an airplane were obtained in the Federal Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas on May 8, 1928, where the violators, charged with killing wild ducks from an airplane, were fined $20 each. Six cases involy- ing this means of hunting are still pending. , Among other cases of interest terminated during the year may be mentioned 2 in South Carolina, involving the killing of wood ducks and resulting in a fine of $250 each; 1 in the District of Columbia, 458 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. where wild ducks were possessed in cold storage during the close season and a fine of $250 was imposed; 1 in Ohio, involving the hunting of ducks in close season, in which a fine of $125 and costs was assessed; and 1 in Missouri, involving the killing of wood ducks and resulting in a fine of $150. SCIENTIFIC-COLLECTING AND OTHER PERMITS. During the year 994 permits were issued authorizing the collecting of migratory birds or their nests or eggs for scientific purposes. This 1s an increase of 42 permits over the previous fiscal year. About half the permits issued were limited in character, confining the operations of the permittees to the collection of nongame birds and of shorebirds during the open season for black-breasted and golden plovers and greater and lesser yellowlegs. Permits authoriz- ing the possession, purchase, sale, and transportation for scientific purposes of migratory birds legally acquired, but not the collection of such birds, were issued to 201 persons, most of whom were taxi- dermists. Permits authorizing the possession and sale of migratory water- fowl raised in captivity were issued to 3,538 persons, and permits authorizing the taking of a limited number of waterfowl or their eges for propagating purposes were issued to 90. The bureau issued permits authorizing the trapping of migratory birds alive for banding purposes to 847 persons, an increase over the fiscal year ended June 30, 1922, of 357. These permits are issued by the bureau in line with its investigations relative to the times and lines of flight of migratory birds. The holder of a bird-banding permit is allowed to possess a migratory bird only a sufficient length of time for it to be properly banded and liberated. INTERSTATE COMMERCE IN GAME. The number of cases reported for prosecution under the Lacey Act has decreased steadily since the passage of the migratory-bird treaty act. This is due partly to the fact that the illegal interstate transportation of all wild birds now is a Federal offense under ses- tion 4 of the migratory-bird treaty act, and partly to the fact that wild animals or parts thereof are more frequently transported in interstate commerce by means other than common carrier, thus avoiding the Federal statute, although transported in violation of State laws. The bureau, through its game-warden service, has been able to render valuable cooperation in various States by unearthing shipments involving interstate commerce in birds and animals made in violation of State laws, and by collecting and reporting the evi- dence to State game authorities. Many States have collected thou- sands of dollars through fines resulting from evidence obtained by Federal wardens. Furthermore, these Federal laws have a most salutary effect in safeguarding wild life, as persons prone to violate State laws know that the valuable assistance rendered the States by United States game wardens materially lessens the chance of a vio- lator escaping the jurisdiction of either Federal or State courts. Evidence of approximately 200 apparent violations of State laws was turned over to State game officials during the year, and 145 State prosecutions based on information furnished by the bureau, BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 459 or in which the bureau assisted in completing the evidence, were brought to successful conclusions in State courts with fines, costs, and forfeitures totaling more than $7,000. Many guns and traps, the carcasses of 2 deer, and the skins of 27 muskrats and 66 beavers were included in the list of articles confiscated in connection with the disposition of these State cases. In an Oregon case one violator was fined $300 and sentenced to 80 days in jail. Of six cases reported for Federal prosecution during the year, two, together with five cases previously reported, were disposed of in Fed- eral courts. Of these seven cases, four resulted in the imposition of fines and costs totaling $250; two prosecutions were barred by the statute of limitations, because informations were not filed in time; and one was dismissed because the authorities were unable to ap- prehend the accused. Many other investigations of interstate shipments were made, but did not result in prosecutions, as the shipments were either legally made or it was impossible to obtain evidence of their illegality. At the close of the fiscal year 85 cases were being investigated. IMPORTATION OF FOREIGN BIRDS AND MAMMALS. The importation of foreign birds and mammals, while showing a considerable increase over that of previous years, has not yet reached the maximum prior to the World War, which was attained in the year 19138. The number of permits issued during the year was 572, an increase of 44 over the previous year, and the number of shipments inspected increased from 186 to 222. The total number of birds imported was 388,388, of which 8,331 were entered without permits. The permits for mammal imports included 2,756 foxes from Canada, a considerable increase over the 2,064 authorized to enter in 1922. One notable importation of mammals was a shipment of 12 chinchillas, which reached Los Angeles, Calif., about February 20. This is the first consignment of which there is any record for many years of these animals actually imported into the United States. Importation of game birds included 9,123 Mexican quail, some ruffed grouse from Canada, a few Hungarian partridges, and oc- casional small consignments of ducks and geese, and 600 bamboo partridges and 200 sand grouse were received from China in Jan- uary. Importations of some of the rarer aviary pheasants have de- creased to such a very low point that very few of some species are to be found in the United States since the dispersal of several of the larger private collections of pheasants which were brought to- gether 20 years ago. , The principal cage birds imported as usual have been canaries and parrots, of which the canaries numbered about 182,000 and the par- rots 37,721. Of the latter group, those most commonly entered are Cuban parrots, several of the other Amazons from tropical America, and grass parrakeets from Australia. A shipment of 6,000 grass parrakeets entered on June 30, 1922, passed into the hands of three of the large importers in New York, and nearly all died within six months after arrival. These were wild birds, and when cold weather came on and the windows were closed in the buildings in which they 460 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. were confined they seemed to have contracted some disease from other birds, and practically all of them were reported to have died within a few weeks. Of the popular Lady Gould finches, 816 arrived in one shipment. Of the weaver birds, 600 black-headed nuns were entered in one consignment, and about 200 in all of the rufous-necked weaver birds were brought in, about half of which arrived in one day in January. A marked decrease in the importation of some of the common European and Asiatic birds was evident in the small number of entries of skylarks, brown linnets, chaffinches, and nightingales, as well as such of the cheaper oriental birds as Java sparrows, straw- berry finches, nutmeg finches, sociable finches, diamond finches, and tricolored nuns. A number of rare and interesting birds were included in the impor- tations from the Old World, particularly from Africa, the Orient, and the East Indies. Among these may be mentioned two eagle owls (Bubo bubo), from Europe; two species of ground hornbills (Bucorvus abyssinicus and B. caffer), the red-collared wydah (Pen- thetria ardens), and the rufous-tailed wydah (Bathilda ruficauda), from Africa; the golden-headed mynah (Ampeliceps coronatus) and knobbed geese (Cygnopsis cygnoides), from India; 8 fire-back pheas- ants (Lophura diardi), from Siam; several species of pigeons from the East Indies and South Pacific, including 2 bronze-winged par- tridge pigeons (Geophaps smithi) from northwestern Australia, 30 Phlogoenas rubescens from the Marquesas Islands, 2 yellow-breasted fruit pigeons (Leucotreron occipitalis) from the Philippines, one nutmeg pigeon (M/yristicivora bicolor) from the East Indies, and 12 bleeding-heart doves (Phlogoenas luzonica) from the Philippine Islands. The Marquesas Islands pigeons apparently represented the first importation of this species into the United States, and the bleed- ing-heart doves were the first that had been received from the Philip- pines for some time, although before the war considerable numbers of these interesting birds were entered at Pacific coast ports. An attempt has been made to coordinate efforts by zoological gardens and museums to obtain some of the rarer birds. Several years ago an anomalous condition existed under which certain birds which were entirely unrepresented, or very poorly represented, in some of the largest public museums in this country were exhibited alive in several zoological gardens, while the museums failed to realize for some time the opportunity of obtaining desirable material in case the birds died. ‘Two notable examples are those of the golden- headed mynah of India (Ampeliceps coronatus) and a handsome African weaver bird (Hyphantornis cucullatus), which until recently were represented in the United States National Museum by one or two specimens, and yet 18 of the mynahs and more than 200 of the weaver birds were imported alive during the year. This condition has been partially remedied by checking up the lists of desiderata of some of the larger museums, so that it is now possible to tell whether or not imported birds are represented in museum collections as well as in zoological gardens. Many inquiries are received from time to time in regard to the importation of foreign game birds which may be useful for stocking covers or increasing the local game supply. Unfortunately, it can not be said that importations of game birds since the war have done BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 461 very much for the improvement of existing conditions. Mexican quail, which have been imported in considerable numbers, have been distributed for the most part in only four or five States, and the rest of the country has received little benefit from these importa- tions. A few ruffed grouse have been imported from Alberta, but in such small numbers as to provide breeding stock for only a. few localities. Pheasants have been conspicuous by their absence, but this may indicate that the main demand for ring-neck pheasants is now supplied by stock bred in this country. A few Hungarian partridges have been brought in, but high prices at present prohibit restocking with these birds on a large scale. The demand for new birds can not be met properly until there is closer cooperation between aviculturists, experimenters, and game commissions in order to ascertain the precise conditions under which certain species may be acclimated and the peculiar treatment re- quired by each. Among the more promising game birds are the Prince of Wales and true Mongolian pheasants, tinamous of several species from South America, the chuckar partridge from India, the bamboo partridge from China, the red-legged partridge, and the black cock of Europe. Spasmodic attempts have been made from time to time to introduce these birds into the United States, but sus- tained experiments under favorable conditions have not been con- tinued long enough to ascertain the reason for lack of success. IMPORTATION OF QUAIL FROM MEXICO. Comparatively few quail were imported from Mexico during the past spring, notwithstanding the extensive preparations made by several importers. The first shipment of 72 birds was entered at Brownsville, Tex., on January 3, but, by common consent, dealers postponed operations until February so that the birds would not arrive in the north during cold weather. Shipments did not begin regularly until February 15, but during the next month they arrived at frequent intervals at the ports of Brownsville and Laredo, Tex. No birds were entered at Eagle Pass, Tex. Owing to restrictions imposed by Mexican authorities compara- tively few large shipments were brought in, most of the birds being entered in consignments of 500 or less. About 6,500 were forwarded to the Kentucky game and fish commission, some were shipped to the conservation commission of Maryland, and others were distributed to various other States. No quail disease appeared, and shipments were admitted to entry without being held in quarantine, but were examined as usual by inspectors of the Bureau of Animal Industry. Importations reached their maximum early in March, but fell off noticeably toward the latter part of the month. The total number of quail imported during the season was 9,123, which makes the total number of Mexican quail entered during the 13 years since importations began 161,471. PUBLICATIONS ISSUED FROM THE BUREAU DURING THE YEAR. NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. No. 46. A Biological Survey of the Pribilof Islands, Alaska: Part I, Birds and Mammals: Part II, Insects, Arachnids, and Chilopods. Pp. 255, pls. 15 (including 3 maps). 462 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. No DEPARTMENT BULLETINS. 1078. Beaver Habits, Beaver Control, and Possibilities in Beaver Farming. Pp. 31, pls. 7, figs. 7 (including map). 1089. Reindeer in Alaska. Pp. 74, pls. 24, figs. 2 (including map). 1091. Life History of the Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys spectabilis spectabilis Merriam. Pp. 40, pls. 9, figs. 3 (including map). 1145. Migration Records from Birds Banded at Great Salt Lake, Utah. Pp. 16, pls. 2, fig. 1 (map). 1151. Silver Fox Farming. Pp. 60, pls. 4, figs. 46 (including map). FARMERS’ BULLETINS. 1288. Game Laws for 1922. Pp. 80. 1293. Laws Relating to Fur Animals, 1922. Pp. 30. 1302. How to Get Rid of Rats. Pp. 14, figs. 8. 1327. Canaries: Their Care and Management. Pp. 22, figs. 6. REVISED EDITIONS. 506. Food of some Well-known Birds of Forest, Farm, and Garden. Pp. 34, figs. 16. 587. Economic Value of North American Skunks. Pp. 24, figs. 10. 621. How to Attract Birds in the Northeastern States. Pp. 16, figs. 11. 702. Cottontail Rabbits in Relation to Trees and Farm Crops. Pp. 14, figs. 4. 844. How to Attract Birds in the Middle Atlantic States. Pp. 16, figs. 11. 869. The Muskrat as a Fur Bearer, with Notes on Its Use as Food. Pp. 20, figs. 4. 1239. Community Bird Refuges. Pp. 16, figs. 3. 1247. American Moles as Agricultural Pests and as Fur Producers. Pp. 24, figs. 16. DEPARTMENT CIRCULARS. 242. Directory of Officials and Organizations Concerned with the Protection of Birds and Game, 1922. Pp. 20. 260. Report of the Governor of Alaska on the Alaska Game Law, 1922. Pp. 7. 261. Bird Censuses and How to Take Them. Pp. 4. SERVICE AND REGULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS (BIOLOGICAL SURVEY). 47. Hunting of Wild Fowl on Salt River Reservation, Ariz. P. 1. 48. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Regulations. (Including amendments of March 8; 1922.) Pp. 12. 49, Importation of Quail from Northeastern Mexico. P. 1. 50. Trapping of Fur-bearing Animals on Big Lake Reservation, in the State of Arkansas. P. 1. 51. Regulations for the Protection of Land Fur-bearing Animals in Alaska. Pa 52. Regulations for the Protection of Land Fur-bearing Animals in Alaska. Bigg 53. Regulations for the Protection of Game in Certain Localities in Alaska. Pps. 54. Regulations for the Importation of Eggs of Game Birds for Propaga- LOS Dee PUBLICATIONS IN PRESS AT CLOSE OF YEAR, WITH MANUSCRIPT TITLES. Report on Bird Censuses in the United States, 1916 to 1920. (Department Bulletin No. 1165, pp. 36, fig. 1, map.) Food and Economic Relations of North American Grebes. (Department Bulle- tin No. 1196.) Local Names of Migratory Game Birds. (Miscellaneous Circular No. 13, pp. 95, figs. 52.) ; Migratory Bird Treaty, Act, and Regulations. (Including amendments of June 11, 1923.) (Service and Regulatory Announcements—B, S. 55, pp. 13.) Bird Houses and How to Build Them. (Revision of Farmers’ Bulletin No. 609. ) Some Common Birds Useful to the Farmer. (Revision of Farmers’ Bulletin No. 680.) Common Birds of Southeastern United States in Relation to Agriculture. (Re- vision of Farmers’ Bulletin No. 755.) REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS. ~ Unirep States DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Bureau oF Pusuic Roaps, Washington, D. C., October 15, 1923. Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith the report of the Bureau of Public Roads for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1923, covering especially those functions of the Bureau which are pro- vided for by the act making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture. A full statement of work in connection with the construction of Federal-aid and national forest roads will be made in a subsequent report as provided for in section 19 of the Federal highway act, approved November 9, 1921. Respectfully, Tuos. H. MacDonatp, Chief of Bureau. Hon. Henry C. WALLACE, Secretary of Agriculture. INTRODUCTION. The functions of the Bureau of Public Roads divide themselves according to their nature and the legislative authority for their performance into two general classes, comprising: (1) The ad- ministration of Federal-aid and forest road construction under the Federal aid road act of July 11, 1916, and its amendments, and (2) the work of an educational and scientific nature with respect to road management, finance, construction, and maintenance, and agricultural engineering subjects involving land drainage and irriga- tion, farm water supplies and waste disposal, farm power, farm architecture, and other matters relating to the application of en- gineering principles to farm life. The first class of functions, those relating to the Federal aid and forest road work, are largely of an administrative nature, involving cooperation with the State highway departments in the preparation of plans, specifications, and estimates for Federal-aid roads, the inspection of projects necessary for the control of con- struction in accordance with the provisions of Federal legislation, and supervision of the construction of forest highways. The Federal highway act, approved November 9, 1921, requires that the Secretary of Agriculture shall make a report to Congress on or before the first Monday in December of each year, in which he shall include a detailed statement of the work done, the status of each project undertaken, the allocation of appropriations, an item- ized statement of expenditures and receipts during the preceding 463 464 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. fiscal year, and other information specifically defined in the act necessary for a full and comprehensive report of the activities under the act during the preceding fiscal year. As all such information will be set forth in complete detail in that report, there is indicated in this report only a summary of the salient facts with reference to the expenditure of Federal and State funds, the mileage of roads completed during the fiscal year, and the aggregate of mileage com- pleted since the initiation of the work by the Federal-aid road act, approved July 11, 1916, together with a statement of the work under construction at the close of the fiscal year. The second class of functions, those provided for by the act mak- ing appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, involving scientific research with respect to roads and agricultural engineering, are covered in full in this report. FEDERAL AID ROAD WORK. Eight thousand eight hundred and twenty miles of roads of all types were completed during the fiscal year, which, added to the mileage completed prior to the fiscal year, brought the total of com- pleted projects up to 26,536 miles. The mileage completed during the year is classified as follows: Miles. (Cireey TEL VEAL CO beso (ec Le rr PET Sian SS pe see os 1,860.1 SAnNGrclay - 1-2 See ee le ee ee ee ere 749.5 Gave eee a ee 3,815.4 Wiater-bounGd=macaganmt 22.0... 2 ee ee ene ee es 335.6 MUM OUSp MACACA 2°) Sil. ee ee eee 452.9 IBitiminows; conerete: 2.30 . oo ST See ee ee 76.8 Conereiepme sme le: ik) Lie ee ee ee 1,440.3 A 1oiee ae a AN ED Nd Ne eee 78.8 BRS eS aaa Be 10.8 AYR Ls Se rae ew mer eeepere "wore 2 a Raya iy J Oe PvE tae See 8,820.2 The projects under construction at the close of the year amounted to 14,772 miles and were estimated as 53 per cent complete. In addi- tion to the 26,536 miles completed and the 14,772 miles under con- struction, there were at the close of the year a number of projects approved but not yet placed under construction, the aggregate length of which was 6,917 miles. The total cost of the roads completed during the year was $148,- 152,528, of which $63,087,079 was paid by the Federal Government. DESIGNATION OF THE FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAY SYSTEM. The work of selecting the roads to constitute the Federal-aid highway system, begun during the preceding fiscal year, was con- tinued with all possible expedition consistent with the far-reaching importance of the decisions involved. By the close of the year tentative systems had been submitted by the State highway de- partments or proposed by the Bureau of Public Roads for all States. As the result of conferences with officials of the several States and groups of States, 35 of these systems had been definitely ap- proved by the Secretary at the close of the fiscal year, and it was anticipated that the systems of the remaining States would be ap- proved by the fall of 1923. The total mileage of highways existing in the United States at the time of the passage of the Federal highway act (Nov. 9, 1921), BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS. 465 as certified by the State highway departments, was 2,859,575 miles. The maximum mileage that can be included in the system for the whole country, being 7 per cent of the total mileage, is 200,170 miles. The mileage included in the 35 systems approved up to the end of the fiscal year was 111,699 miles; and as the permissible 7 per cent of existing mileage is, in general, not being included in the system as initially approved, it is not likely that the initial program will include more than 180,000 miles. Analysis of the approved systems for the 35 States shows that of the 1,111 cities of 5,000 or more population in these States, 1,048 of them lie directly on the approved system, and there is probably not one but will be connected with the system by an im- proved State or county road. When the system is completed, there- fore, one will be able to travel from any town of 5,000 population or greater to any other town of the same size without leaving an improved road. The detailed study of the availability of the roads to the total population indicates that for the country as a whole it is safe to say that fully 90 per cent of the total population resides not more than 10 miles from the roads included in the system. In individual States the percentage runs almost to 100 per cent; for example, Maryland, in which fully 974 per cent of the people live within a 10-mile zone on each side of the roads, and Indiana, in which less than 1 per cent lives farther than 10 miles from the roads. A road of the approved system will cross the western mountains at practically every one of the important passes. The Rockies will be crossed at Berthoud, Lookout, Gibson, Targhee, Pleasant Valley, and Reynolds Passes in Montana and Idaho; La Veta, Wolf Creek, and Red Mountain Passes in Colorado and Raton Pass on the Colorado-New Mexico line. The Cascade Range will be crossed at Stephens and Snoqualmie Passes in Washington and Grants Pass in Oregon, and the Sierra Nevadas will be crossed at Truckee and Walker Passes in California. These passes are the controlling points on the transcontinental routes westward. They are the pas- sages through which the national roads must cross the mountain barriers. Leading to them from the east and west the roads of the Federal-aid highway system will form a perfect network of inter- connected highways branching into every section of the country. In designing the routes to be inchuded in the Federal-aid system, the chief aim of the States and the Federal agency has been to select routes which will give the maximum of local service and connect with one another to form a great national system of highways. ROAD CONSTRUCTION IN THE NATIONAL FORESTS. The Federal highway act carried an appropriation of $10,000,000, available for the fiscal year 1923, for the survey, construction, re- construction, and maintenance of forest roads and trails. The act provided that 50 per cent of the appropriation for any fiscal year, but not exceeding $3,000,000, for any one fiscal year should be ex- pended on roads and trails necessary for the protection, administra- tion, and utilization of the forests. The balance of the appropria- tions is to be expended under the terms of the law for the improve- 466 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ment of roads of primary importance to the States, counties, or communities within, adjoining, or adjacent to the national forests. The latter provision is a necessary adjunct to the program of the Federal-aid highway system. On account of the large areas of forest lands in some of the Western States, the development of a system of main highways that will properly serve the State and local communi- ties requires that the forest highways and the roads of the Federal- aid system be combined into one system. The procedure laid down by the Secretary for the selection of the forest highways to be improved as a part of this plan calls for the preparation of a program map for each State, showing the roads agreed upon by the State and local authorities’and recommended by the forester and the Chief of the Bureau of Public Roads. There are 28 States, excluding Alaska, in which there are forest areas, and these maps had been prepared and definitely approved by the Secretary for 9 States up to the close of the fiscal year. Several more had progressed almost to the point of approval. These maps, when ap- proved, constitute the general program for highway construction in the forest areas, and their preparation is receiving the careful con- sideration their importance merits. Pending the approval of all the maps, a program for surveys and construction for the fiscal year 1923 © was set up by the forester and the Chief of the Bureau of Public Roads. Only projects which, with reasonable certainty, will be in- cluded in the general combined system of Federal-aid highways have been included in this program. During the year 197.4 miles of forest road were completed at a cost, exclusive of the cost of the survey and plans, of $1,737,055.50. The total mileage completed up to the end of the year was 1,536.7 miles, and the cost of this mileage was $13,769,212.16. At the close of the year 932.5 miles of road were under construc- tion and $4,635,032.13 had been disbursed to date. Surveys were in progress for 1,014 miles in 62 projects and $270,139.51 had been dis- bursed to date on this work. The completed surveys, involving 3,207 miles in 287 projects, had cost $767,914.59. These survey costs do not include an item of $16,224.75 which was spent by the Bureau of Public Roads in perfecting plans made by other agencies and used by the bureau. INVESTIGATIONS IN HIGHWAY ECONOMICS. During the past decade the growth of the American highway system has increased rapidly, stimulated by the realization of the economic and social values arising from the development of high- ways, the increased economic utility of the motor vehicle, and by the rapid yearly increase in motor-vehicle ownership. The result of this growth is the reemergence of the highway as a factor in the transportation of people and goods. The history of the modern highway is so brief and its-growth has been so rapid that there is an amazingly meager body of authentic evidence from which we can measure its economic value or determine its economic sphere of operation as a correlated part of our trans- portation system. The literature of the past few years dealing with highway trans- portation, particularly the transportation of freight, contains a BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS. 467 variety of conflicting predictions and conclusions, usually based upon fragmentary or localized data, rather than facts. The problems of an economic nature created by the development of highway transportation, as to its proper relation to rail transpor- tation, the justifiable expenditure of public funds for the provision and maintenance of the roads, the apportionment of the burden of taxation, the regulation of the use of the roads, these problems, to name only a few, can never be properly solved by theorizing. They are so fundamental, and the interests affected are so varied and con- flicting, that impartial and scientific information is the only safe basis for a rational and satisfactory answer. A sufficient volume of highway transportation data in typical sections of the country must be produced in the near future to pro- vide an authentic basis for analysis, discussion, and an intelligent formation and appraisal of policies to govern the highway transpor- tation of freight and passengers, as well as data necessary to the formation of policies governing the construction and maintenance of highway systems. With the conviction that a large volume of highway transporta- tion facts. is a prerequisite to the solution of many of the problems of highway construction, maintenance, and transportation, and unin- fluenced by prior beliefs or prejudices, relying on the evidence secured to indicate the answers, the bureau, in cooperation with the Connecticut State Highway Commission, inaugurated, in September, 1922, a one-year survey of highway transportation over the Con- neeticut highway system. It is hoped that this survey and similar investigations to follow will produce data which will serve the following purposes: 1. Serve as an aid in allocating construction and maintenance funds according to the distribution of traffic over the highways. 2. Enable the prediction of future traffic. 3. Determine the daily and seasonal traffic density of passenger cars and motor trucks on primary and secondary highways. 4. Determine the range of gross loads, net commodity loads, and the prevalence, amount, and character of overloading. 5. Determine seasonal variations in movement of commodities. 6. Determine the average clearance width of trucks of various capacities, and the relation of the width of the truck to truck over- loading. 7. Determine the character of commodities shipped by highway, and the nature of the shipment, whether by regular trucking com- panies, by contracting truck operators, or by privately operated trucks. 8. Determine the length of haul for motor trucks of various capacities and the influence of commodities and character of pro- ducing areas on the length of haul. 9. Determine the relation of motor transport by highway to other methods of transportation, as to rates, freight, classification, sched- ules of operation, delivery time, net tonnage, and length of haul. 10. Determine the number of passengers transported by highway and the percentage of business and nonbusiness use of motor cars. 468 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. IMPORTANT OBSERVATIONS FROM THE CONNECTICUT TRANSPORTATION SURVEY. Observations during the first three months of the survey have brought to light information of direct practical value, which the records of the balance of the year will undoubtedly amplify. While it is indicated that a total of 1,019,688 net tons of com- modities were transported over the Connecticut highway system during the three-months period beginning in September, 1922, the competition of the highway with the railway is not by any means as serious as this large movement would indicate. More than a third of this tonnage was moved only from 1 to 9 miles, and was distinctly a local noncompetitive distribution of goods; 304 per cent, nearly another third, was moved from 10 to 29 miles. In this, which may be called the short-haul zone, the tonnage transported was found to be largely noncompetitive. One portion is the local distribution from jobbers and wholesalers to retailers; another portion is shipped from points without rail facilities and by its nature can not be com- petitive. The balance of the total net tonnage, approximately 33 per cent, was transported 30 miles or more. This movement was found to be partially competitive. It is, however, a transportation of goods which is not determined by the rate charged for the trans- portation, but rather by the lack of efficient rail service, the char- acter of the commodities, and the element of time of delivery. A mass of data has been developed relating to all the purposes of the investigation as set forth above, which serves to indicate with greater clearness than has heretofore been possible the economic field of motor-truck transportation. These data, however, as pre- viously stated, are only the first results of an investigation which to be conclusive must be carried much further under not one condi- tion, but a number of conditions typical of the varied production and economic status of the sections of the United States. A preliminary report on the first three months of this investiga- tion will be published shortly, to be followed by a complete report as promptly as the observations for the entire one-year period can be digested. STUDY METHODS OF HIGHWAY FINANCE. The slender factual basis for discussion and action in respect to highway transportation has its counterpart in the field of highway finance. There are wide differences in method and distribution of the cost of highway improvement between the sources of highway revenue. Neighboring States follow entirely different systems of financing. The lack of uniformity is due largely to a lack of evi- dence upon which to build a national system. During the past few years a distinct opposition to the growth of the highway bill has developed. But, in the judgment of well-informed students of the situation, the current criticism of the large sums raised for the im- provement of the public highways is a criticism of the inequalities and unfairness of the present methods of financing rather than a criticism of the amount of highway funds expended yearly. Though the criticism frequently takes the form of opposition to bond issues, the real cause of the resentment that undoubtedly exists in some quarters is the feeling that the distribution of the cost to property owners and motor-vehicle operators has not been equitably adjusted. BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS. 469 Believing that the formulation of sounder and more equitable methods must rest upon a more specific knowledge of the facts, the bureau has undertaken to make a thorough study of the sources of highway revenue, local, county, and State. Most of the previous investigations have been limited to a study of the sources of State revenue, disregarding the county and local expenditures, which, in the light of the recent investigation, has been found to be a serious omission. The money for the construction and maintenance of roads, whether they be local or county or State roads, eventually is drawn from the same groups, and a financial policy which fails to consider the system of taxation as a whole is almost certain to lead to burden- some and inequitable conditions. Wisconsin was selected as the place of the study as being a State whose system of highway financing represents a fair average of the methods employed in other States. Four counties—Dane, Outagamie. Rusk, and Waukesha—were selected as typical counties representa- tive of the highway development in different sections of the State. Among the significant findings of the investigation, many of which are at variance with opinions widely held, are the following: 1. The major portion of the total highway funds are raised by township and county units rather than by the State. 2. Real property taxation is the chief source of highway revenue derived from these counties, producing an average of 62 per cent of all the money expended. 3. Vehicle license fees produce 9 per cent of the total funds raised in the counties. 4. The major portion of the burden on real property in the counties is due to local and county taxation. The local and county units receive 89.3 per cent and the State only 10.7 per cent of the real property revenue. 5. Real property contributes a larger share of highway revenue during periods of depression, when other revenues decrease. 6. As a county develops and grows richer the relative burden on real property for highway purposes decreases. When a county is in the developmental stage the cost of the permanent features of highway improvements can be deferred by issuing a reasonable amount of highway bonds. 7. A reduction or elimination of State taxation of real property will not materially reduce the total of real property taxes for highway purposes. 8. Significant reduction of real property taxation can only be made by reduction of county and local taxes. MOTOR-TRUCK TRANSPORTATION IN NEW ENGLAND. There is a wide difference of opinion as to the degree to which motor-truck transportation competes with and is likely to be em- barrassing to the railroads. In some isolated instances it is clear that the truck has become a dangerous competitor, and these in- stances are cited by railroad interests as indicative of a general tendency. With the object of ascertaining the extent of such com- petition in New England, and also to supplement the information obtained in the Connecticut transportation survey as to the organiza- tion, operation, and rates of motor-truck companies, and also to 470 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. determine to what degree the motor truck is offering a service correlated to that of the railroads, a study has been under way during the past year in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The bureau representatives have gone directly to the principal manufacturers and motor-trucking companies in these States with questions as to the reasons why commodities are shipped by motor truck, the portion of the business that is handled by motor trucks, railroads, and ship lines, respectively, the extent to which correlated service involving two or more agencies has developed, and the rates charged for service. The investigation was still in progress at the close of the fiscal year, so that it is not possible at this date to report any conclusions. However, it may be said that the study gives promise of developing interesting information with respect to a recent transportation development involving motor trucks and railroads and ship lines offering combined service. THE INFLUENCE OF HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT ON RURAL LAND VALUES. The influence of road improvement on land values is an economic question with regard to which there has been a great amount of speculation. Much of the information on which opinion is based is, however, far from scientific and possibly inaccurate. The bureau has engaged within the past year in an effort to obtain, for one set of conditions, at least, an array of information scientifically gathered, which will suggest the real influence of various type of highway im- provement on land values under different conditions as to crops, population, soil characteristics, and other factors affecting the value of rural land. The increase in land value obviously has an important bearing on the taxation of land for highway purposes. To determine this effect of road improvement, the bureau’s studies include improvements of all types from dirt to concrete, and it is anticipated that a report that will contain valuable basic data will be ready soon. PHYSICAL RESEARCHES AND TESTS. Researches in the physical field designed to supply scientific data for use in road design have become one of the most important and useful activities of the bureau. The various tests and investigations are followed closely by highway engineers the country over, and an encouraging indorsement of their value is found in the increasing attention they are attracting in foreign countries. The investigations which have attracted the greatest amount of at- tention are the tests of the effect of impact on road slabs and the tests of bituminous pavements of various composition to determine their relative stability under traffic. The phenomenon that is being observed in the latter investigation is the formation of the familiar “ washboard ” wrinkles which appear in the surface of bituminous roads under traffic. For the impact experiments a series of 120 special road slabs were constructed during the preceding fiscal year. These are now being tested. Two large, portable impact machines, designed to deliver to the slabs blows such as are delivered to actual road slabs by motor- truck wheels have been put into operation. Up to the present time BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS. 471 only 12 of the slabs have been tested, but the work is proceeding as rapidly as possible. In this connection it is pertinent to observe that in many of its physical researches the bureau is dealing with forces and phenomena which have not heretofore been measured or defined. It is not unus- ual to find that there is no measuring instrument in existence capable of use to secure the necessary scientific data. Under such circum- stances it is necessary to halt the investigation until suitable instru- ments can be devised. The development of measuring instruments occupies much of the time of the investigators, and, although the progress of the research is retarded, the scientific apparatus contrib- uted by the bureau in this way is in itself exceedingly valuable. In connection with the impact tests several important pieces of apparatus have been designed, among them a strain gauge for meas- uring and recording graphically the instaneous deformation which takes place in a road slab when it is subjected to impact. This ap- paratus, which is so designed that it can be placed anywhere in a pavement slab, makes it possible to determine the amount and distri- bution of the stress in the slab when it is subjected to the impact of a loaded truck or other moving vehicle. 52+ .a+ ah Ske, SOb - « -l-ts Total deposited to credit of appropriations for regular work of thedepartment jo) #..-.-.50 se 4eh--. 018 (d) Deposited to the credit of other appropriations administered by the department: Bureau of Public Roads— 1. Reimbursement for cost to department of distributing surplus war materials to various States for use in road constructions 2320). 203 ANS. 2. LPR TS. Seed Grain Loan Committee— 2. Repayments by farmers of seed grain loans made to them during fiscal years 1921 and 1922............2......- Total deposited to the credit of other appropriations administered by the department............-.--- Total receipts during fiscal year 1923..............- 511 $528, 569. 06 1, 517, 467. 46 2, 046, 036. 52 269, 460. 52 37, 615. 68 66, 711. 2k 28, 315. 90 485. 27 402, 588. 58 573, 183. 95: 1, 388, 194. 40 1, 961, 378. 35 9, 986, 908. 00 512 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. STATEMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS, DISBURSEMENTS, AND UNEXPENDED BALANCES FOR THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Fiscal years 1839 to 1920, inclusive.] Fiscal] Appropria- Disburse- Unexpended | Fiscal} Appropria- year tions. ments. balances. || year. tions. 1839... $1, 000. 00 Si 000800)|2.22.2 ce. ee | 1880..] $210, 500. 00 PSAD 2 ls. oh onc cane a ee ae ee eae licoiacs «ci wmjerace 1881. 284, 300. 00 LOE ol eiaranlonmccicie copes ciepinieeticle tc tet |ic:c « ocia so e/aisom | 1882... 371, 500. 00 1842. 1, 000. 00 POOOM00 ee 1883... 686, 941. 00 1843 248s STO Bd, ee Pes lace git. degen 1884... 648, 140. 00 1844... 2,000. 00 ZAOOORODEZ «cite = toners 1885... 877, 690. 00 1845. . 2, 000. 00 2, 000. 1886. 825, 248. 00 1846... 3, 000. 00 3,000. 1887... 872,715. 00 1847... 3, 000. 00 3, 000. 1888..| 1,864,730. 00 1848. 4, 500. 00 4, 500. 1889..} 1,975, 080. 00 1849... 3, 500. 00 3, 500. 1890..| 1, 804, 200. 00 1850... 5, 500. 00 5, 500. 1891..| 2,336, 502. 00 1851.. 5, 500. 00 5, 500. 1892..| 3,538, 153. 00 1852... 5, 000. 00 5, 000. 1893..| 3,323, 060. 00 1853... 5, 000. 00 5, 000. 1894..} 3,708, 500. 00 1854. 10, 000. 00 10, 000. 1895..| 3,611,915. 00 1855... 50, 000. 00 50, 000. 1896. .| » 3, 688, 750. 00 1856. 30, 000. 00 30) 000500 | Sa ceeaeetecie te 1897. 3, 940, 532. 00 1857... 75, 000. 00 29; 000.00 jinn oe emes 1898. 3, 572, 902. 00 1858. 63, 500. 00 63, 157. 25 $342. 75 || 1899. 3, 987, 202. 00 1859... 60, 000. 00 60}(000300 Sees stee weitere 1900. 4, 127, 922. 00 1860. 40, 000. 00 40 000.00 lo ce cecemased 1901. 4, 423, 500. 00 1861. 60, 000. 00 605000) OO"). acc cnee seein se 1902. 5, 090, 433. 00 1862... 64, 000. 00 63, 704. 21 295.79 || 1903. 6, 206, 960. 00 1863... 80, 000. 00 80, 000,'00: |). 6.0.3 den 1904..| 6,740, 024. 00 1864. 119, 770. 00 109, 270. 00 10, 500. 00 |} 1905. 6, 589, 540. 00 1865... 150, 604, 00 150, 496. 50 107.50 || 1906..) 8,370,690. 00 1866. . 167, 787. 82 167,787. 82 Jc ecc cess sence 1907..} 11,116, 440. 00 1867. 199, 100. 00 199100; 00) | S2eh se eres 1908..| 13, 613, 040. 00 1868... 279, 020. 00 277, 094. 34 1,925.66 || 1909..| 16, 063, 106. 00 1869..] 210, 198. 00 AOMISNO0 ose see 1910. .| 17, 136, 736. 00 1870... 156, 440. 00 151, 596. 93 4, 843.07 || 1911..} 20, 832,636. 00 1872.2 188, 180. 00 186, 876. 81 1,303.19 || 1912..| 22,403, 209. 00 1872.. 197, 070. 00 195, 977. 25 1,092.75 || 1913..) 22, 662, 315.00 1873. 202, 440. 00 201, 321, 22 1,118.78 || 1914..| 24, 086, 945. 00 1874. 259, 871. 00 235, 946. 78 23, 924. 22 || 1915..| 28, 880, 075. 00 1875..| 357,380.00 341, 079. 83 16,300. 17 || 1916..| 28, 004, 082. 00 1876.. 264, 120. 00 213, 843. 64 50, 276. 36 || 1917..] 36, 133, 100. 00 1877..| 333, 687.00 327, 206. 23, 6,480.77 || 1918. .| 71, 130, 513. 00 1878. . 327, 640. 00 326, 634. 94 1,005. 06 || 1919. ./114, 087, 216. 00 1879.. 217, 400. 00 217, 360. 00 40.00 |} 1920. .)142, 733, 924. 00 Disburse- | Unexpended ments. balances. $209, 361. 72 $1, 138. 28 276, 448. 53 7,851. 47 362, 961. 34 8, 538. 66 669, 486. 61 17, 454. 39 645, 116. 96 3, 023. 04 780, 694. 64 96, 995. 36 666, 470. 89 158, 777. 11 843, 360, 33 29, 354. 67 1, 848, 793. 56 15, 936. 44 1, 874, 189. 62 100, 890. 38 1, 605, 884. 51 | 198, 315. 49 2, 230, 730. 15 105, 771. 85 3, 487, 759. 54 50, 393. 46 3, 138, 429. 53 184, 630. 47 3, 082, 113. 70 626, 386. 30 3, 126, 030. 38 485, 884. 62 3, 199, 653. 20 489, 096. 80 3, 840, 281. 45 100, 250. 55 3, 530, 510. 44 42,391. 56 3,'958, 212. 73 28, 989. 27 4, 069, 503. 42 58, 418. 58 4, 358, 371. 42 65, 128. 58 5, 070, 328. 28 20, 104. 72 5, 925, 344. 84 281, 615. 16 6, 684, 311. 63 55, 712. 37 6, 513, 865. 63 75, 674. 37 8, 174, 510. 02 196, 179. 98 9,916, 252.70 | 1,200, 187.30 13, 170, 739. 63 442,300. 37 15, 756, 766, 45 306, 339. 55 16, 725, 796. 13 410, 939. 87 20, 368, 954. 64 463, 681. 36 20, 986, 207.28 | 1,417, 001.72 21, 971, 927. 22 690, 387. 78 23, 348, 321. 00 738, 624. 00 28, 113, 863. 88 766, 211. 12 27, 594, 068. 32 410, 013. 68 34,360, 180.56 | 1,772,919. 44 65, 969, 604.07.) 5, 160, 908. 93 108, 937,668.18 | 5,149, 547. 82 70, 265, 464. 64 |! 72,468, 459. 36 1 Does not include unexpended balances of annual and continuing appropriations from prior fiscal years of $124,248,854; total balance available for further disbursement in fiscal year 1921, $196,717,313. 513 DIVISION OF ACCOUNTS AND DISBURSEMENTS. 6F9 ‘FES ‘est |z98 ‘GOL ‘T |TI0 ‘862 ‘LCT GEL ‘GOT “G6T ISBT (GGL (LTIPS6 ‘P68 ‘ZIG T6E ‘LET ‘GZZS|Z9F “BST “CS|EG8 ‘Sze ‘OETS “puny sn{dims 04 103 -SUBI} IOJ pouinjol $}UOur -j1edop 10T]40 wOIj “1B0h [eosy 4xXeu UT quoulesnq -STP 10} syuour OIQRIICAB “ore aourjeg | pus ivod [easy Jo QSO]) 48 puny snqd -IMs 040} peuiny sjunoury TCL ‘998 “ETT £16 ‘STS ‘Car FE ‘TES “OCIS PSP ‘O40 ‘88 TRL ‘126 ‘18 TSF ‘909 ‘FOS *1v0h yeosy jo OSO]D 18 eouRyle popue -xoun T?30,L “seo A eosy riod 10} sot} -euidoiddy *s} mou -jiedep Joq}0 W10Ij $s u0uL -joT[@ pus ‘spuny pue suoyeud -oidde 0410 ‘qejoeds ‘fenuue yuouvuried ‘ye U0 UL -ejddng ‘seous[eq pepuedxeuy ges ‘cae ‘¢ obs ‘ZET ‘221 ISTO ‘008 ‘18 [066 ‘SbF ‘FI [Les ‘SBE ‘TE [OSE ‘eb 'F8G [GEL (COT (SOT [FFP (SOF (ZS [ELT PLL {98 |77" 77" £261 0€2 ‘FOF ‘G [ERE (68Z ‘LPT |SLF ‘81966 828 “029 ‘OT |620 {000 ‘TE [60E ‘FST (098 |T6E {LET (S27 659 (PO (86 |6S7 [FOP (96 |" 7777" 2261 800 ‘SLP “e$lEEgr ‘SOG ‘STT$/696 ‘GLP ‘OLS BEL ‘FSS “STS|9TL FES ‘9ZE|98Z 168 SFESIETE LIL 96IS/68T 19h OZIS|FSL GIL 188)" ~ ~~~” “1261 pious pee -jredop : -jiedep 10qJ0 UIOIy aa aah Joyo WO sj}ueur aa an 4 syuour ‘ae ~joT[@ pus Se gat | (O18 Due “a q | ‘2804 Teo ‘sivoh | ‘spunjypue} "408 uOy “yuoulesIng ace Le ‘spuny pue | *408 u0T} peti -sy Suump |{eosy sod | suomend |-edoidde} -stp 10J ea aa LY suoyeiud |-erdoidde | arnt pesinqstp | 10} suoy |-oadde oytu| feng OTqQeTTeAe SrSBund -oidde ojta| — yeiny Seek “nous yy 1830], |-eudoiddy eles Ee “nous Vy TR10.L -oidde Jo gala Es -[Nowd V [Bost ‘Tenuue oe enuue yuousutied ele quouevursed ‘eyueuL no ‘Tey UEUL -ejddng -ejddng *sJUOTAOSINGSTd *suonjeudoiddy [oatsnyouy ‘ez6T 04 1261 savod [BosT.T] "AMALTINOMDVY AO INAWLYVdAG SALVLIS GALINA AHL AOA SAONVIVE GAGNAdXANN ANY ‘SLNGW@SUNASIC “SNOILVIUdOUddV AO LNANALVLS pind vipto? oe { } ae “gate t= a Bi bE AS PRIZ ied A0e ieee? AaB? as ee a TEE OF & AS SEs AT Et Shae PF a ata i ra 6 ees 7 iy eid 2 Seek: arbi ey | ee Waetsit- seigorqqs | -# ie. ise o03? | tpemeered: | ong Itoedt | ) Tortrisy} Tat | auigs io 2B) aN Aaduy tet parigga a Foy eben br! ; Tolle kine | aio = * tazhty cos? gidelieva ‘ aerodah TY oe Cy Site ~ Mat REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS. UniTED STaTES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, August 15, 19238. Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith a report on the work of the Division of Publications for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1923. Respectfully, P y. Epwin C. Power Lt, Acting Assistant in Charge of Publications. Hon. H. C. WALLACE, Secretary of Agriculture. SUMMARY. A greater amount of printing was done or chargeable to the depart- ment than during the preceding year although less money was appropriated for printing and binding. A decision of the comptroller to the effect that all work sent to the Government Printing Office during the year would be charged against the appropriation of 1923, no matter in what year it was completed, reversed the conditions pre- viously existing when only jobs which were completed and delivered were charged to the printing and binding appropriation. At the close of the fiscal year 1922 the estimates for uncompleted work at the Government Printing Office amounted to $175,343.72. Included in this was the 1921 Yearbook, and partial or full charges for the com- plete reports of field operations, Bureau of Soils, for the years 1917, 1918, 1919, and 1920. The chief of the division, John L. Cobbs, jr., resigned April 30 to accept a position of private employment. The staff of editors was reduced by the transfer of William F. Harding in September to the Bureau of Entomology and the death in June of Rob- ert B. Handy, both of whom had been with the division for many years. The office of motion pictures was transferred to the office of the director of extension in order that all extension activities might be coordinated. There was an extremely large turnover—75 per cent— of the $960 per annum clerical grade. Much difficulty was experienced in obtain- ing eligibles to fill these low-salaried positions, and still greater diffi- culty in endeavoring to hold the employees obtained, due to higher salaries paid by other offices and bureaus. The Divisions of Publica- tions has a higher percentage of $960 positions than any bureau of the department and the salaries of the clerical grades are $189.31 lower than the average of the department. Efficient work is thereby seriously hampered because of the unenviable position in which our employees stand in relation to those of the entire department. It is hoped that this condition may be remedied in the near future so that our employees may be paid at least as well as the average. The work of the division and of the office of the Superintendent of Documents is unnecessarily increased by the growing practice of bureaus and divisions of ordering publications to be mailed direct by them. Inasmuch as the law requires that all publications be mailed by the Superintendent of Documents, steps have been taken to dis- courage the practice referred to. 515 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 516 “SpURIS] UIZITA ON pus ‘oony 0710g ‘TeMByA ‘UteNy ‘eysely Ul SUT] eS JUOUTTIOd xe [vINy[NoLI3e 94] Jo pus SNBAING JO Sjoryo ay} JO sj10d01 [enuuy ¢ “18° 16e$ 03 SuUNOUTe saqdoo ONS ‘F Jo UNI[Nq [BT}ST}BYs UO SopNypoUy ; 06 “0S2 ‘12008 “str [92 “LFL ‘e\008 ‘Ger |F6 F9L “GI\Ozg ‘2¢8 ‘I|z0 ‘OZT ‘FHlFes ‘B28 |FI “ESS ‘FET GOT ‘8#8 ‘Zz /6L “E99 ‘FODIFTO ‘296 ‘GE/9L “GER “OBLIFSE ‘888 ‘LL BoMuse “TTipae | tae Sens oo eer ss neers | en cine ees | ae” hee aa aS 2S" GOEL OB: 1290 (OGT = (Le “OL “FP (SIL IZ0-91 09°92 ‘¢ 008‘28 |~" """"""""1¢9°396“E |009 ‘681 68 "ZIT |000‘8 |z9'IcL‘Z |00F ‘SSI 60 "Sih ‘OE |T00‘999 [96 “09 “FE |e02 ‘608 ‘T BL-16 000‘ let-¥9z_looo‘st | coos PRAT, |0. 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JOE “are ‘t \00S ‘62 |e “SOF “9 JOOS ‘zET |F0"€99°6 [000‘009 | 19 “9E0 ‘TE |LI8 “FLO ‘L JOL “ZLz ‘29 |S7c ‘006 ‘8 | Og"9TL [000% [-"-"""-"/-""""" "len “BRT T [009 69T Ob “bI8 “2 [000 "22 eT “961 ‘ZI [000002 98 “9T “ZT |268 ‘096 [46 “£68 ‘ra | 198 ‘eee %c FO'LET 008% [48 ‘ZLz$ JO00"GT [S169 000'ZS eb 6LF‘% |000'0S jos‘cze j000‘CE == FFB “90S ‘6 |LbE ‘OOF 68 “UZG ‘ZT |8F6 ‘ZIE‘T P9°IS‘T 000% = [7777777 7/"7777"7"/59°266, OOS ‘ZT [11068 ‘z [00S “6h |¥0°S10‘6 [000 ‘OTF {91 “FL0 ‘GT jog “60S —jsc“Ez0 ‘ZT ese ‘eze'T 18'9h% = |00S°S |= 77 77/7777 77 7/96"z96 “TElOzg ‘RSz_ [28 “100 ‘es/S26‘Z9 0g “218 ‘S$ |000‘GLF —_|Za "IS “ST |89F “G66 [2h “290 “BT [926 'L¥8 % 88°8es 00S : S ae S28 Ee ae EE "FOS ee 08 GZ 0L9 ‘TS |EZE ‘ShZ *ys09 |‘setdog | “4809 |'sotdog} ~4yso9 ‘satdog | 4809 |saqdog| 4809 “soidog “4809 ‘sotdog “4809 *sotdog *sie[NdIID snoou i °090 ‘sq10doexy -B[[90SIP pus pode aheuas titer ‘surjaT[Ng ,Siomiey | ‘suoteorqnd [voy *[8}0} puely $,4.18}91099 settee cesses eeeeeeeeeee serene = -TeIOT, Sieg Sse Wwem a sarin me TIO IITET TOUT BONN Pu $9381S Sa eSe rece te ceee sees eons <-Gor79 § AIBIOIONS pe a Sa cen ie ce SNES 9S RTO TBO RC Rea Se Re ee ee” ene ae Se On Dell Seale TEseisas ag sgh on see TR ee oo ene SA TEI: “**"preog ophwgung pus oployoosuy “77 *"90TAIOS 4SAIO cossesrerrcsss= “NIpOg [BIN MoyWoH [Vlep9y “777 ""*=soTHTIOUOOT [BINNS seers KZOTOUIOJU sr20- >> Aq4sTUIEYO pce eee Ae cogs an ee Ge AO ANTS [Bolsofolg Pista ee Saineinie'=/Seje se °< ATIESTPU-| CULLU VY Sore lane sina ee ner nie SOOO, neoing [18904 04) SULINP OpeUL SOLIOATIOP 10; DOYFO ZuULUg JUMIUIBAODYy OY} Aq pda[tq 9Soq} O18 S}sod pue sotTZUBNy] “S261 ‘OS aune papua svah yoosyf ay} Lof ‘(saoufo pun snnaing fig pup Bunguasd fo sassvpo fig pabuvisn) sardoa fo saqunu ay) ym ‘buripurg pun burjurid sof punf snjnbas ay) wouf seunppuedxgy 517 DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS. ; “quemlyiedeap oy} 10} pojutid jou ynq sseiZu0g 03 spew syzoder Jo SurdA4o14¢ 8Y} 0} 48010} UT JO SSeiZU0D Jo sj1ode1 puke ‘SUOTINIJOSed 'S}Oe UTeJI90 PU “Ye 3 eJe pue UOT}Isodmoo pue ‘uoIsmbes Suu vo peseyoand 4uctw4aedep Spng ezVuses[y ‘SceJEWISH Jo HOOG ‘pzoocy [BLOIsseast CO ‘AIOJOC IG [VUCISSeIZUCO €Y1 JO YoRE Sc1dcd Me] B ‘eumes Jo ArvutuINs puv soidoo ssoad :eanj[NoUsy Jo Arej4e1oag Jo sioded ‘(swNJOA punog) einj[noWsyY Jo JUcTU4Iedeg Jo Syicded TENULY ‘sjacdea ACAANS [leg -Yocqaee X SePNPU] ¢ 96 ‘SLI ‘9ZT/0FS ‘006 vee “SIT ‘OT |6LF ‘CFL ! 88 “910 “FI 990 ‘TZ8 ‘ET 99 "F08 89g ‘9 98 °680°F |2OL‘er9 jor “seg ‘T |FeT ‘TI 1o°6Iy «(Ee ‘FeT 66 “2 8I 18 °129'9 |ST6 ‘160 ‘2 ||F6 "66 109, 66 'FSL'T [928 'S69'T PE'SeL = [£98 “F ZI"9FE‘Z |ZFO ‘S08 16 “FS ¢90 ‘¢ 908186 |FL8‘L8h‘S GE °SFI [F696 CE SOTDRTT 1096: G94 glee tastes wala fe os oe “pT Be Fe errac tanta 9S «OFF GIT, FZ 'FF9 ~—[F00 ‘8 £9 “LG ‘6% |LTE ‘288 ‘S |FS "S06 fog ‘NE Tr '€89'T 110 ‘199 FL "F20'% OTS ‘6IT 6F “SES ‘9G |80F ZB ‘2 |FL “EFS ‘T [€08 ‘TS TT'O8L°2 |FS6 PLE 'T OS "LT 9S S6'E10'€ |109'9%8 |eP'szI‘S |cIs ‘ste Zr '6rG T |L8L'SI8 8S "Z81 [FES “TS GZ "SEC 'E (804 ‘CBT |TL “S16 ‘T |FLE ‘PET 6 19 ‘TS |€08 ‘LFS [SL “TS 7 "4809 “sordog “ys09 *sordog j 010 coaysruripe tome | SHOU ‘suoIs}op pue ‘s30901 ‘SuI0,T S1apJo ‘sie[No119 OAT} BI4STU] W Py OT ‘ere ‘2 8EFIE FH \Sh6 ‘492% L126 ‘S |Sez ‘ST '¢-zor ‘err 912 ‘9et L¥ °698 ‘SST 66 “SLS “6 CLP ‘611 oa ales “eee a BORD 61 £6 “E91 ‘8 08 ‘0Z OL “EI 0¢0 eel | eee eee LORVOr: = SIZ Pees 8F 698 ‘ST |0S0 ‘OST LG “OL 002 T ie ee ial |e Ge om ReNOPO OSs GLOnGy ee, SL ade, Preto = 00. FS =~ 6S "909 SG 00S FI G9°220'% |S10‘8T gece See GRO Tc £0 SPE € j@IS 002 T ell eee OOS 688 ‘ZF 60 “ZLS ‘FIT/00Z ‘Zo ‘2 91086 |000 02 : Sr oees bans LOLUCOsesiccO en Pek be ar acy || Satee > 5 OA EORODS sei S POs COv een eget ss i alieeues eee |G0Rc9 rae al gee akg a Ry eal oes osee tae oe Wed Pe cconlt -- as aa5)deaandirelynn en Or ae lee ee ee 22499 '61$(000'09 Beeb) Wari e1'stes (StL ae Se) Ga lone Peetee tee [tere ese eelEQ OT Beg a ences eee ee 16 °699'OT 003 (£91 Be Soret sa[Oy ee - AIPRB easels. eae ee OF-sst LET. Sees os CF ESh 7 06 ‘9 re wate OO "SI (a6 96 "ETS ‘28/000 ‘9¢ = = 068 660 ‘T faisieia cists dee [e teen as cis 89 Cg 91 “4809 *sotdog "4S09 ‘sordog *4S09 *soidog "4809 *soydog OE a\caoneniear aon . d -med posoqumnu =| SUCH eINseryeosy peuopeondn “s[RoIpOLIog 7 sjenueur ‘sMey] [@uoIsseisu0g doth un pue soyeredag Jo wo1Zepidueg Wess ee ce ecae taeceeraseecesescsesecsees See TgagT a). eae See ee ke oe ALO OAL COUT OnA: “*"*"90TAIOG SUOT}BTSY S97BIG Cp gS at OY fas Tote s2*""2"*aQT70 §,£1819I009 me isisie ele waa Slee cine cls ee ce eee SOT CONG IaT SSOROD GROSS III SEE - Toc sei Se ees Se eSB DLO AG EET he og EES ORS Se ee ere ATR Gl quelg Ss visors Dae avs Sa siawace eee Pos cage tes aes - Arvaqry “yorvsesey [VInj[NoWsy Jo [pumor “"""""pievog eplowuny pues sployossuy “=""""90TAIOS JSO10\T * prvog [einj[NoV10 FH [elspa *SoTULOUod | [BINY [NOUS SoTOuULOJU -- A1jstareyO ~- AVAING [BVOLOTOTIG --*-Aajsnpuy [ewiuy "77" *"*-SqOn000 VW neoing 518 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. NEW PUBLICATIONS. New publications issued during the year ended June 30, 1923. Department Bulléting:-- 25-2 21.0.) ARES pe eee eee hoe 107 Department Circuiarm: 4 3. 222 2 2. cis--\. os eae bee a ete Ree Eee 59 Soil Surveys. 2.6: Sesser ce ee Se ~ 22 F-- F S DP RE SE OSU MSE. eee cee 41 Yearbook Separates): co: - sas - 0 afore So ere tere eo ee tac oe ae 12 Journal of Agricultural Research separates:. = 225: .. fem 22s S.cot-2--- bees 50 Secretary:and-Miscellanepus Gitculars: ¥5.2-8 22.9. -_ RB RUA ALOR. BL ee 8 Service and regulatory announcements. -.- . 22-2) 5 ce - Sem ee we ee ee eee 47 Totals wi.22. 2. 222.3 ded 2 oe LS Se Re oe aes ek Ree a eee 324 Reprints. 2.5 <2) 50552 sae See ©. Jocig See 2 ee RR RE mw eros cb oe Oh oe 94 Wotan. J. sbcen eco Ro wk ee Sines eee re ot csn Sc occa ele Farmers’ (Bulletins: news... a oo... Seb ote me eee ee ee eet os hoe 62 Farmers’ Bulletins, reprints:.222 -!:.5-\.ms: Se ee es oe Se tos he eb oe Esco ODM (ert ECE Soe a ewe amet See MmMeRe eS SSL Se aan NARS So 1, 037 Number of‘orders of job;printing 1.2325: 5 a2e8 e-em Goes Bo 22 fee 2,075 New Farmers’ Bulletins issued during the year ended June 80, 1923. No. 1216. Beekeeping in the Buckwheat Regions. 1222. Beekeeping in the Tulip Tree Regions. 1236. Corn and Its Uses as Food. 1245. Farmers’ Telephone Companies: Organization, Financing and Management. 1254. Important Cultivated Grasses. 1256. Slash Pine. 1263. Breeds of Swine. 1264. Farm Manufacture of Unfermented Grape Juice. 1265. Business Methods of Marketing Hay. 1268. Sheep Killing Dogs. 1269. Celery Growing. 1270. The More Important Apple Insects. 1271. Farm Land Available for Settlement. 1272. Renting Dairy Farms. 1273. The Stock-poisoning Death Camas. 1274. Uses of Rural Community Buildings. 1275. Weevils in Beans and Peas. 1276. The Velvet Bean. 1277. Diseases of Watermelons. 1278. Tractors on Southern Farms. 1279. Plain Concrete for Farm Use. 1280. The Hard Red Winter Wheats. 1281. The Hard Red Spring Wheats. 1282. Nicotine Dust for Control of Truck Crop Insects. 1283. How to Grow Alfalfa. 1284. Apple-Orchard Renovation. 1285. Lime-Sulphur Concentrates: Preparation, Uses and Designs for Plants. 1286. The Red-necked Raspberry Cane-borer. 1287. Foreign Material in Spring Wheat. 1288. Game Laws for 1922. 1290. The Bulk Handling of Grain. 1292. Organization and Management of Cooperative Livestock Shipping Associations. 1293. Laws Relating to Fur-bearing Animals, 1922. 1294. The European Corn Borer and Its Control. 1291. The Preparation of Fresh Tomatoes for Market. 1295. What Tractors and Horses do in Corn-Belt Farms. 1296. Changes Effected by Tractors on Corn-Belt Farms. 1297. Cost of Using Tractors on Corn-Belt Farms. 1298. Cost of Using Horses on Corn-Belt Farms. 1299. Shall I Buy a Tractor. 1300. Choosing a Tractor. 1 Number ordered, irrespective of when received. Includes ‘‘carryovers”’ from 1922. DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS. 519 No. 1301. The Common White Wheats. 1302. How to Get Rid of Rats. 1303. The Club Wheats. 1304. The Durham Wheats. 1305. The Soft Red Winter Wheats. 1306. Insect Enemies of Chrysanthemums. 1307. Quack Grass. 1308. Cowpeas: Marketing the Seed Crop. 1309. Control of the Common Mealybug on Citrus in California. 1310. The Corn Earworm: Its Ravages on Field Corn and Suggestions for Control. 1312. Tree Planting in the Great Plains Region. 1313. Good Proportions in the Diet. 1314. Motor Trucks on Corn-Belt Farms. 1315. Cleaning Milking Machines. 1316. Marketing the Early-Potato Crop. 1318. Gveenhouse Construction and Heating. 1319. Cotton-Dusting Machinery. 1320. The Production of Cucumbers in Greenhouses. 1322. The Striped Cucumber Beetle and How to Control It. 1327. Canaries: Their Care and Management. 1332. Seed Potatoes and How to Produce Them. FIELD PRINTING DONE ON CONTRACT BY PRINTERS OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AS OF AUGUST 1, 1923. In addition to the printing done for the department at the Govern- ment. Printing Office, a small quantity of emergency work was done by commercial printers at various points outside the District of Colum- bia. The amounts, by bureaus, were as follows: Burean. of Animal Ind@usttyes abo ory ne -mypege cs “Sees BREE - >< cre eel ae $19. 78 Bureall, of Acricultural. MCOBOMMICE. «3 tes ciee nisin Bate Oc fe sit = yao = 140. 90 ce TW ead ie O23) C110. eee Re tt IE eri 5 le onccnln het nya O ae ieee Hoe Ce 12. 85 Buresulof Hitomology2. 110. NU). 90... AREAS BOT Os OT Ue f OffO1 32100 Honest. Servace. 4./). 15. se: nacbid.o1tt -4s Roan - brig. seat bses-ostee oie 35 209. 00 Buresi.of.blant, Indystry 3 - - - sqance- SE brs “eee e Pera e ae <4 - 3476 115. 63 Wren OF F WOlie ROAM Eo ae a a ala he can ot OE now ad Ta a 35. 70 BISCROUAL YB OfICOs ntsc ctr tin coat cg tele) reaeatete late etaealoleg meg arate aah 312. 75 Bureair of Soils). 2 i00. AIC CISLS I Ae Te Se BOTS QO OO. 0 9. 50 Sitates Relations Service::ss:/2n4t8 YI 8- Dis 02h Fee be es Patt Oe i 4s RIA 100. 00 ol) rao RRS a SCI eae Sh REN ed IC Ee RE PR SE SS aS 988. 11 PRINTING DONE AT THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE BUT CHARGED TO SPECIAL FUNDS OF BUREAUS AS OF AUGUST 1, 1923. Bureau of Animal Industry..... ebpedpotk --eyseitierer-4owa-e -9- AIC 4-3 $25, 588. 25 Bureau of Agricultural, Wconomies:- on Bee ae eee a. 4 kee bbe, fae 6, 969. 65 Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratoryiocstaess = pe cise abn 6 = hes 3 269. 94 Packers and Stockyards Administration /3.°?2..207 22-25... 222.. 0h 322. 12 Bureau of Public Roads2.i!Ul5$ 129944 sCOLE Sag 7) 20S) | SULOUATELODSS Ee 2, 786. 91 States Relations Serviceiit2.2& xa [sqrt see set Us reels nsek Jel 4, 008. 69 Totals....82. (420). sS466 «See ee eta.) nee ets es eres 39, 945. 56 PAPERS APPROVED FOR PUBLICATION IN OUTSIDE JOURNALS. In addition to the material published by the department, articles -were prepared by members of the department for publication in trade, scientific, and popular periodicals. The administrative regu- lations of the department formerly provided that these articles be approved by the Assistant Secretary and this review has been dele- gated to the editorial section of this division in order to be sure that 78007—acrR 1923——34 520 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. they conform to department policy, but such regulations were changed during the year and only a portion of the papers prepared for publi- cation in outside periodicals were read in this division. EDITORIAL WORK. Although the editorial section was hampered by the transfer of one editor to a higher-salaried position in another bureau and the death of another, there were 394 manuscripts besides the Yearbook prepared for publication and sent to the Government Printing Office during the year as against 384 during the preceding year. The handling of the Yearbook is in itself a os job which requires the most painstaking editing and arrangement. Not only was it larger in size than in many years but, due to the cordial cooperation of the Public Printer, it was printed, bound, and delivered in record time— 10 weeks from the date the last copy was sent to the Printing Office. The Journal of Agricultural Research resumed publication January 1, 1923. INDEXING WORK. The current work of indexing has been kept well up to the high standard reached last year and for the first time a large amount of indexing which will not be printed has been done. The production of indexes for the Farmers’ Bulletins and Department Bulletins in volumes of 25 numbers each has been interrupted and to an extent delayed by work on the cumulated index for the Yearbooks, 1916 to 1920, inclusive. This index is now completed and ready for the printer. It is believed to show some notable improvement over revious issues in the same series. The card index made up of cards rom the indexing section and kept in the library of the department represents the accumulations of 18 years. It has never had a com- plete revision and its usefulness is impaired for lack of it. A thorough revision, combining cards that are alike, rejecting cards now obsolete, and making a more perfect alphabetic arrangement would be the work of a trained indexer, and would put the collection in condition to be used much more helpfully. ith this done a renewed effort to bring the index into general use would be undertaken with spirit. The indexes made and printed include yearbooks; annual reports; watch force; Weather, Crops, and Markets; Official Record; Farmers’ Bulletins 1201 to 1225, inclusive; Department Bulletins 876 to 900, 976 to 1000, and 1026 to 1050, inclusive. An index was made to the Crop Reporter and the Crop Report, two names for a periodical practically continuous, but it has not been printed. The total number of pages indexed was 28,350, and of index cards written, 53,472. The principal items are as follows: Farmers’ Bulletins: Pages, 1,614; cards, 2,166. Department Bulletins: Pages, 4,607; cards, 4,259. Department Circulars: Pages 1,035; cards, 1,530. Weather, Crops, and Markets: Pages, 1,244; cards, 5,833. Official Record: Pages, 416; cards, 6,842. Press notices: Pages, 1,354; cards, 1,695. Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported: Pages, 548; cards, 1,293. Soil Surveys: Pages, 1,405; cards, 618. Experiment Stations Record: Pages, 1,418; cards, 226. Congressional Record: Pages, 2,935; cards, 4,481. DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS. 521 DISTRIBUTION. . A total of 30,679,941 publications, including periodicals, distributed by the department during the fiscal year 1923 is nearly 13 per cent less than during the preceeding year. Publications are broadl divided into two classes, namely, miscellaneous and Farmers’ Bul- letins. Miscellaneous publications are all those other than Farmers’ Bulletins, and include Department Bulletins, circulars, and the regular serial publications. The number of miscellaneous publica- tions distributed was 17,306,375, and the number of Farmers’ Bul- letins was 13,373,566. During the year 30,509,273 publications were received, which, together with the total number on hand July 1, 1922, made 41,340,362 available for distribution, which leaves a balance on hand of 10,660,421 publications. The miscellaneous publications were dis- tributed largely in accordance with the scheme for distribution pre- pared in advance, and to miscellaneous applicants by order of the issuing bureaus. The following table shows the distribution of the miscellaneous publications of the different bureaus: Qfficé ‘ofithe Seeretarys99K 2.0) LOUD DAAC. ROL Bas 09 140, 843 Insecticide and Fungicide Board........: sesh. ssQueustaa- feed. Soe se 38, 095 Bederal ‘HortieulturaltBoard’s. oo: oie 32) Sis ee oe eae 99, 741 Drvasion‘of Acconnts.-. 75220824 39 UA AO ORT ONS AES OT 500 Weather Bureduil Tele r De ttk os Tl es 1D 7 OP EIR STREO UL SUS) CRe zeae Livan Uk ame ata BOR 3, 550 Otice' ofthe: Solieitor sei A ETD ER AIL EL QUEL Rene aD ELEN 2,770 Poread of Animas) Tndostry 0° 2 eS eee ne enna eee eee ae eee 1, 091, 922 PyTeedt Ol Didlogical SUrVey ree: oe oe Sen ee oY 71, 751 Perea of Chemistry: +> 2220 vik ee eee ee eee 515, 566 Wares of Entomology: :2..3 22 s32s.0 oe ee ee ee ee 136, 086 States Relations Service: 2.4 .be2scclst eee ee ee ey aes Sn 421, 272 Forest Service ...2- ssieicje sicie xin ARR ee. Oe ne, PR ok Bo 286, 606 Pru pPAR meas Soi ace ola cvs iejaiaita od Sins Se Se ee eI a ciara 2, 432 Bureau of Plant Industry? ot. AIA). Oa COMIMIL A BIL Le. 3k 702, 129 Division pf Publicationsa;!. -3- -Agoeg ele Bee See fre td eaters cee si 7, 239, 336 Burearx of Public Road se - p23. see a ei pee 8 So) tees re he 34, 359 BUTEA GL SOG csianct serge eee ee ae Ee ote os Beier 27,165 Bureati of Agricultural Economics!!!) 97. US2S99 29 IP On ek 6, 489, 733 Packers and Stockyards Administration............-.11 21 wisi lien. ¢ 1, 000 Fixed, Nitrogen Research Laboratory,+.< ¢s -12 §- 58s waeiak bie Lake Shah ote 797 Office of xbibite. sere 20. 2 eee ey ale ei Ne Ruel Ue SPER LIA ate dul UN 722 otal it’ Oty. Pte Oa AUER. UE CahEE SAP NRPS Medes) ERE SE RANA CES 17, 306, 375 The demand for information and for publications of this depart- ment from miscellaneous applicants amounted to 620,000 communi- cations. During the rush season as many as 5,000 are received daily. In order to render prompt and efficient service in handling these requests, it was necessary to secure some temporary clerical help. More than $3,000 was received from persons desiring to purchase ublications, the major portion of which was sent to the office of the uperintendent of Documents, while a small Posey was sent to other departments authorized to sell their publications. Some of the money received was returned to the original senders where the ublications requested were available for free distribution or were no onger carried in the sale stock at the office of the Superintendent of Documents. A phase of work which is growing in importance is the distribution of publications to foreign countries. Pursuant to Memorandum 397, 522 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Office of the Secretary, dated October 9, 1922, the method of handling this work was changed from the monthly allotment of authorization plan and the restrictions affecting the bureaus in mailing publications to foreign countries removed. Under the present plan, a bureau may send as many publications to a foreign address as is deemed proper. Postage for mailing is furnished by the chief clerk, and the appropriation for that office is reimbursed by the bureau. Below is given a summary of the foreign mail work for the year; 3,472 orders were received. Number.} Weight. | Postage. Lbs. 02. IPackapes TEquUInMODOSTAP Ere a... 2. = sci n= oe an Seep eee aioete seinem aeieiiel= = 122,087 | 29,457 2 | $2,356.57 Packages sent through the international exchange. ..........-....-..+-- 10,712 6,205 4 0. 23 Total'number of packages sent. //..225 22224 Ash seed ek take. 132,799 | 35,622 6 | 2, 666. 80 \ Closely associated with the work of the distribution of publications is the work of receiving and distributing the job work printed at the Government Printing Office for the department. Some idea of the magnitude of this work may be had from the accompanying summary of the receiving and shipping clerk: Deliveries received from the Government Printing Office. ..........--+. 4,377 Packages of publications received from the Government Printing Office... 7,073 Copies of publications received from the Government Printing Office... 2,792,996 Packages of job work received from the Government Printing Office...... 25, 738 Copies of job work received from the Government Printing Office........ 38, 056, 592 Bags sent from the Division of Publications. ...........-...---.+----++ 3, 590 Packages sent from the Division of Publications..................------ 46, 440 MAILING LIST WORK. The work of maintaining mailing lists for the department is one of the most important phases of the work of distribution. Of such importance is this work that the Congressional Joint Committee on Printing has deemed it necessary to incorporate in its regulations a paragraph pertaining to it. Pursuant to Regulations No. 12, paragraph 10, of that committee, all departments are requested to revise their aussie te at least once every six months. During the last fiscal year the mailing-list unit of this division instituted steps to revise all mailing lists coming within the provision above mentioned. As a result of this activity, questionnaire post cards were sent to 128,101 addresses, resulting in a net reduction of 71,222. Despite this reduction by revision, however, there is an apparent increase of 16,480 in the lists main- tained in the office of the Superintendent of Documents, which totaled 267,760 addresses on June 30, 1922, and 284,240 on June 30, 1923. This increase is due to the addition of 30,000 names to the livestock inquiry list of the division of crop and livestock estimates of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. In addition to the lists at the Government Printing Office, 588 are maintained in the addressing, duplicating, and mailing section of this division, the aggregate ad- dresses of which total 260,255, which is an increase of 47,942 over the number of stencils filed under similar date last year. The total number of addresses on all mailing lists of which we have a record is 544,495. These addresses go to make up 783 individual mailing DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS. 523 lists, 195 of which are located at the Government Printing Office and 588 in the addressing, duplicating, and mailing section of this division. A summary of the various operations included in the mailing-list work is given below: Gommiuimiestions received). 0) 00 PID NAO, SRA OS NY he Nes .... 89,000 Anidresses added s}.!-2 220k). gweld e: Meath eat pert! sieoer-eg eee 57, 379 Addresses dropped....... alesse <@ 4 net er Oe ee MELE ea eet ss eee 27,089 PeUTeES APHAPSWZEG « — ... ok he ole na thee ue Adanw aiden add Soe aces isena 160, 936 Addresses forwarded to the Government Printing Office.............-.---- 135, 480 Addresses forwarded to the addressing, duplicating, and mailing section.... 51,000 By devising and adhering to new clerical assignment plans, the work of the office has been greatly expedited, individual responsi- bility placed, and the new file kept up to date by purging it of “dead”’ material and filing of current work by means of the new ‘‘double- check” file system whereby chances of mistakes and error are re- duced to a minimum. The compilation and issuance of the mailing-list key book, a com- eee Na record of all mailing lists of the department, it is thought as greatly assisted bureau employees handling mailing lists, employ- ees making up schemes of distribution, mailing-list file clerks, and employees who handle the lists (i. e., stencils), by furnishing a ready- reference record to the numerous questions arising in connection with list work and has also proved vais in assisting the distribution offices in making intelligent distributions, thereby preventing waste in publications distributed. ILLUSTRATIONS WORK. After a year’s work in the building at 220 Linworth Place, we find our quarters better fitted to our needs than our old location in the Bieber Building. The drafting work has been in arrears for the entire year. On two occasions draftsmen have been detailed to the Bureau of Agricul- tural Economics to assist in the preparation of graphical work for the Yearbook. We need the services of an expert commercial artist, but good men will not take the civil-service examinations at the low sala- ries. Weshould bein a position to take up illustrative work on publi- cations immediately they are ready for the printer. It has been necessary to refuse all drafting work which was not intended for pub- lication except when such drafting was in combination with photo- graphic work. The following statement shows the number of drawings made for the various bureaus of the department: Burear of Agricultural Mcononties. o6 oso sa see gine canada sno deeb nas sin te 167 Bureai.or, Antmal Ind stry -Sccs-- tas oes noe aierae meas ae tices erent 537 Btireau ‘of Biological Survey 2!:. 2). 2220 BFE. EH. LED. 2 106 Bureau of. Chemistry: 2iv-i0-c10.). MGR BVA Basilio Dea eget. aslt-c 76 Bureat of. Entomology ina. seaclsaeepq- tel segs dees egece at -hb- ba seep aweepe fr TNE, : AY By Sian vie is ibe aod fai a es: Li 4 ; Ne nh i War Mis De peat ie ey r ae y) aly) ah rk i, Lea REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF EXHIBITS. Unitrep States DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, OFFICE OF EXHIBITS, Washington, D. C., October 12, 1928. Sir: I submit herewith the report of the work of the Office of Exhibits for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1923. Respectfully, JosEPH W. Hiscox, | In Charge of Exhabits. Hon. Henry C. WALLACE, Secretary of Agriculture. The work of the Office of Exhibits increased greatly during the past fiscal year. It is estimated that a total of 8,836,000 persons, or 26 per cent more than last year, viewed these exhibits at 114 fairs, conventions, and farmers’ meetings at State colleges and other places where exhibits were shown. During the first half of the year the plan is to display our exhibits at State fairs. During the last six months of the fiscal year the exhibits are shown at special con- ventions and at miscellaneous meetings. Associations which have had our exhibits invariably come back with a request for an exhibit the following year. One reason for this is that every effort has been made to make the exhibit material more attractive and to impart more information. Improved methods of handling the material and the cooperation of the bureaus have made possible a big improvement in our exhibits as a whole. In the type of material sent on the circuits this year for general agricultural fairs there has been little change from last year. The circuits have had the benefit of material prepared for the 1921 National Dairy Show and International Livestock Exposition. In addition to the circuit work and the material sent to the western districts, many exhibits have been prepared for special occasions, such as the National Canners’ Convention, the Pigeon and Pet Stock Show at Baltimore, and the Home and City Beautiful Exposition at Atlantic City. An exhibit is a department affair. Suppose, for example, a State fair wants to emphasize some special subject this year, such as dairying. This material should represent not only information from the Dairy Division, but from the whole Bureau of Animal Industry and from other bureaus. Before plans are considered, suggestions are obtained from different bureaus. Specialists confer as to information they may have available which would be of value to persons interested in dairying. After the Office of Exhibits has correlated the suggestions from the Bureau of Public Roads concern- ing the ventilation of the dairy barn those from the Bureau of Animal Industry on breeding, from the Bureau of Plant Industry on the best forage crops, and from the Bureau of Agricultural Eco- nomics on the best milk-marketing methods, our staff undertakes to illustrate the ideas in an attractive and convincing way. The process is the same for all exhibits. The Office of Exhibits collects ideas, and presents them in an attractive way. The ideas are illustrated by everything from the 533 534 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. object itself.to the written word. The production section receives valuable assistance and cooperation from the various bureau repre- sentatives. In the warehouse at Alexandria many of our exhibits are assembled and packing cases made for them. From this warehouse 15 carloads of exhibits were shipped to the various showing points. In the distribution and presentation of our exhibits about 96 persons recruited from the different bureaus and State agencies cooperate. Men in the field may be detailed for the duration of an exhibition. Various State extension offices, State departments of agriculture, and local agencies often cooperate. The real measure of the service rendered is shown by the fact that we not only get requests to come back to places where we have exhibited, but also because we get requests for our material from hundreds of new sources. Usually this is because a boys’ and girls’ club exhibit at one of the fairs, Sioux City, Iowa, for example, has shown a farmer how his son may earn enough money for a good agricultural education, or because a home exonomics exhibit has shown a farmer’s wife how to obtain the comforts and conveniences that make rural life pleasant. It may have shown the farmer himself how to get weather and market forecasts by radio and how to use them to advantage. Perhaps the residents of a mountain district are made to realize their responsibility for action after having seen one of our forest-fire exhibits at a neighborhood fair. The extent to which the department can send its exhibits around the country is limited because of the appropriation available for this purpose. Often many associations are so interested in having our exhibits that they pay transportation and installation costs. This good will on the part of the cooperators has enabled the department to present its information to hundreds of thousands of persons more than would have been possible otherwise. The administrative and clerical section, consisting of 17 persons, in addition to the production and distribution functions already men- tioned, has searched continually for new ideas and improved methods. Much of the success of an exhibit depends upon the novelty of its presentation. Economical production can result only from the use of efficient methods and the cheapest material that will give the desired effect. With these things in mind our staff has made many visits outside of Washington to institutions doing similar work or employing similar methods. A careful and detailed index of references to publications about exhibit material has been started as a supplement to information already contained in our files. This index is a great timesaver and supplies information which previously, while not entirely unavailable, was not readily obtainable when time was an important factor. . Last year attention was called to the exhibit prepared for the Brazilian International Centennial Exposition. This exhibit was shown in the United States Building on the exposition grounds in Rio de Janerio from December 23, 1922, to July 1, 1923. It occupied 1,200 square feet of floor space and was viewed by about 400,000 persons. In August, 1922, three representatives from the depart- ment were sent to install and present the exhibit. The imformation acquired at this exposition will be of great value in the preparation of exhibits for other important international expositions. The 12 booth exhibit for the boys’ and girls’ club encampment at Sioux City, lowa, from September 17 to 23, was received enthusi- OFFICE OF EXHIBITS. 535 astically. This exhibition resulted in requests for the display of this exh‘bit at the National Dairy Show and at several fairs. The Office also cooperated with the Eastern States Exposition held at Springfield, Mass., by arranging an attractive exhibit for the boys’ and girls’ club members from the 13 States represented. Exhibits were made at the International Livestock Exposition and at the National Dairy Show. The material for last year’s livestock exhibit was of a general nature, special emphasis being placed on breeding and on sheep. The exhibit for this year, in addition to the more See material, was devoted specially to feeding; to the raising of beef cattle, hogs, and horses; and to the marketing of animal preducts. In addition to the booth exhibits, healthy and unhealthy sheep were shown; these came from the Government farm at Middlebury, Vt., and from the Bureau of Animal Industry. There were also exhibits for boys’ and girls’ club members on poultry, swine, and other subjects. The Dairy Show exhibit did not differ materially in subject matter but the facts were shown in a more striking manner. The exhibit was improved through the use of models of cows in addition to the pictures. Much valuable informaticn as well as entertainment was given out from the little theater in which was shown a 5-minute animated cartoon, ‘‘ The tale of two bulls.’ This film demonstrated the superiority of a purebred over a grade animal. List of exhibits held during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1928. City. Oceasion. Dates. Aberdeen, S. Dak....... Tri-State and South Dakota State Fairs......... Aug. 23-Oct. 24, 1922. Akron, Ohio. 2233.22. see neering class demonstrations, University of | Nov. 10, 1922-June 20, 1923. ron. Atlantic City, N.J...... American Home and City Beautiful Exposition.) June 16-Sept. 8, 1923. DO. teres = nates be Annual convention, National Canners’ Associa- | Jan. 22-28, 1923. tion. Baltimore, Md.......... Saas Poultry, Pigeon, and Small Stock | Dec. 5-9, 1922. ow. Dor. ce Sxpbaee eee Better Homes Exposition, Maryland State Uni- | Apr. 21-27, 1923. versity. Baton Rouge, La....... Farmers’ week, University of Louisiana......... Dec. 4-23, 1922. Billings, Mont.......... Midland Empire Fair. .2... 220. Ure 32 Sept. 19-22, 1922. Birmingham, Ala....... Alabama State Fair... 2.2.0.0. 05s re Oct. 2-7, 1922. IBOISGGaho! oo scet se Idaho State. 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Untrep States DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, States RELATIONS SERVICE, Washington, D. C., June 30, 1923. Sir: I have the honor to present herewith the report of the States Relations Service for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1923. A. C. True, Director. Hon. Henry C. WALLACE, Secretary of Agriculture. INTRODUCTION. With the end of the current fiscal year, June 30, 1923, the States Relations Service will cease to exist and its several offices will have new relations to the organization of the Department of Agriculture. It therefore seems fitting that this final report of the Director of the States Relations Service should contain a brief history of the work which has been under his direction for the past 30 years, together with reference to earlier matters which led to the inaugura- tion of this work. THE MOVEMENT FOR Neer apt RESEARCH IN THE UNITED In 1862 the land-grant act, providing endowment for agricul- tural colleges, and the act establishing the Department of Agricul- ture brought to a definite head on a national basis a movement for the application of science to agricultural problems through research, instruction, and dissemination of information which had been slowly growing in the United States for more than half a century. As soon as agricultural colleges were organized they began in a small way to carry on experiments. The agricultural branch of the Patent Office had for a number of years previous to 1862 made studies in chemistry, botany, entomology, and plant production. The chemical studies and field experiments at Rothamsted, Eng- land, and in France, together with the organization of experiment stations in Germany as public institutions, made an increasing impres- sion on friends of agricultural improvement in this country. The establishment of the Bussey Institution by Harvard College in 1870 and its early experiments, the similar activities of the California College of Agriculture and by Prof. S. W. Johnson at Yale College, 553 554 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. and the use of the grounds now occupied by the Department of Agriculture as an experiment farm, together with its scientific inves- tigations, served to stimulate nation-wide interest in such work. At length, in 1875, there was the definite establishment of an experiment station after the German plan in Connecticut and about the same time in California. A number of States very soon followed these examples, and the agricultural colleges and some farmers began to urge Federal appropriations for experiment stations. The first bill for this purpose was introduced in Congress in 1883 and after four years of agitation the Hatch Act was passed in 1887. Meanwhile the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations had been formed and with the cooperation of the United States Commissioner of Agriculture had advocated the establishment in the Department of Agriculture of an office to pro- mote the general interests of the stations. This was provided for in general terms in the Hatch Act, as follows: Sec. 3. That in order to secure, as far as practicable, uniformity of methods and results in the work of said stations, it shall be the duty of the United States Commissioner (now Secretary) of Agriculture to furnish forms, as far as practicable, for the tabulation of results of investigation or experiment; to indicate from time to time such lines of inquiry as to him shall seem most important, and, in general, to furnish such advice and assistance as will best promote the purpose of this act. The first appropriation under the Hatch Act was carried in the appropriation act of the department for 1888-89, together with an item of $10,000 for the Federal work called for in the Hatch Acct. » THE OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. By order of Commissioner Colman the Office of Experiment. Sta- tions was established in the Department of Agriculture October 1, 1888. Dr. W. O. Atwater, professor of chemistry in Wesleyan University, who had been director of the first experiment station established in Connecticut, was appointed Director of the Office of Experiment Stations, with the understanding that he would give two-thirds of his time to this work. A. W. Harris was appointed assistant director, and Miss S. L. Sommers was transferred from the War Department as clerk. In November, Dr. A. C. True joined this force under a temporary commission from the Government board for the Paris Exposition of 1889 to prepare a small exhibit of photographs and a report on the agricultural colleges and experiment stations for that exposition. On March 3, 1889, he became a member of the staff in an editorial capacity as the result of a civil-service examination. Immediately after its establishment, the Office of Experiment Sta- tions began to assemble information regarding the organization, revenues, work, equipment, and publications of the agricultural col- leges and experiment stations. An address list of the stations was soon published, and this was followed by an organization list, which was developed to include both college and station. This has been issued annually up to the present year. An effort was made to collect station publications, and this has been systematically continued, with the result that the office has the most complete set of these pub- lications from their beginning to the present day. STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. ir] The report of the Office of Experiment Stations for 1888 states that “ farmers’ bulletins” and technical monographs on special lines of research had been planned and begun. The farmers’ bulletins were to contain “the results of station work bearing upon special topics and the teachings of other research and put the whole into a form so plain that the intelligent farmer will understand it, so brief that he will read it through, and so practical that he will take it to heart.” The report also quotes with approval from a report of the com- mittee on station work of the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, in which the functions of the stations are outlined. In this report it is pointed out that while the stations should carry on practical experiments the results of which may “ directly and immediately help the farmer,” they should also conduct more fundamental research, for “ the prosperity of the enterprises as a whole will be proportioned to its success in the dis- covering of the laws that underlie the right practice of agriculture.” The committee also urged that it is— A part of the duty of the stations to teach, but to teach only well-attested and useful facts. By publishing information in terse, simple language, with appropriate explanations, by aitending farmers’ meetings, and demonstrating in lectures and otherwise the things farmers need and desire to know; by interesting farmers in experimental work, and securing their cooperation in earrying it out; in short, by diligent effort to carry knowledge to the farmer and help him with it, and at the same time help him to help himself, the workers in the stations will both do their duty and secure the support they need. The broad program thus outlined for the stations undoubtedly was intended to meet the situation under which they began their work under the Hatch Act when the agricultural colleges, of which with few exceptions the stations were departments, were for the most part weak institutions with few agricultural students and with practically no funds for extension work. The differentiation of the functions of these institutions as regards research, teaching, and ex- tension work with which we are now so familiar had hardly been thought of or begun. The coming of the Hatch funds made pos- sible the immediate expansion of the faculties of the agricultural colleges. The station workers needed to become acquainted with the agricultural students and the farming people whose problems they were to attempt to solve. It was natural, therefore, to give these experimenters duties also as teachers and extension workers. In this way they immediately did much useful work and secured a large measure of popular support, but at large sacrifice of research and with the arousing of expectations which they could not fulfill as long as they attempted to cover so broad a field. DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLICATIONS. During the first five years the principal work of the Office of Ex- periment Stations was the organization and development of its pub- lications. The early preparation of a digest of the annual re- ports of the stations for 1888, which contained a summary of the be- ginnings of station work under the Hatch Act, with many references to earlier work in a number of States, opened the way for a serial publication to record continuously their progress in research. 556 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. In 1889 the first number of Experiment Station Record was pre- pared. This contained abstracts of the publications of the stations in 13 States (Alabama to Kansas) arranged by States in alphabeti- cal order, lists of publications of the department and the stations, and brief editorial notes. The arrangement of abstracts by States was recognized as not ideal, but was adopted because at that time it was deemed quite important to emphasize the fact that the sta- tions were distinct departments of the colleges or separate institu- tions having a definite organization for experimental work. In other words, this helped to put the stations “on the map.” This arrange- ment was continued through three volumes. Thereafter the abstracts have been arranged by subjects under a number of the main divi- sions of agricultural science. In the third number of the first volume abstracts of department publications were added, and in the fourth number a beginning of recognition of the foreign stations was made by the publication of statistics of the German stations. The first volume also contains name and subject indexes. In 1890 Dr. E. W. Allen joined the staff of the office, followed by W. H. Beal early in 1891. This permitted a large expansion of the Record in its second volume and the introduction of abstracts of Canadian and European experiments, together with news notes about the stations. It is probably difficult for present readers of Ex- periment Station Record to realize how conservative the department was at the outset in undertaking the inclusion of abstracts of for- eign publications in the Record. ‘There were many doubts as to whether it had authority to do such work or whether it would be ac- ceptable to Congress and the public. In 1889 the first of a series of popular bulletins relating to experiment station work was published. There was much thought given to the choice of a name for this series before the title of “Farmers’ Bulletin” was adopted. The first of these bulletins, under the title of “The what and why of agricultural experiment stations,” gave a brief explanation of the purpose, history, work, and publications of the stations and an address list of the State stations. This was followed in the second number by brief sum- maries of station work in several lines. These bulletins proved so acceptable to the public that the Secretary of Agriculture made the series general for the department, and thereafter they have been prepared by the various bureaus of the department, though for a number of years the Office of Experiment Stations was the most frequent contributor to the series. From 1897 to 1913 the office also contributed to the Farmers’ Bulletin series 76 numbers of a sub- series entitled “ Experiment station work,” each number of which contained several brief popular articles based upon the more prac- tical work of the experiment stations and kindred institutions in this and other countries. In 1890 the card index of station publications was begun and in 1892 a handbook of experiment station work was prepared. In 1889 the office began the editing and publication of the proceedings of the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experi- ment Stations, which was continued through 1909, when the as- sociation itself undertook this work. A large number of technical bulletins on subjects relating to the work of the Office of Experiment Stations and the States Relations STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 557 Service have been published. Among these are the large monographs on the chemical composition of American food materials (Bulletin 28), first published in 1896 and repeatedly revised since; the cotton plant (Bulletin 33), published in 1896; a digest of metabolism experiments with men and domestic animals (Bulletin 45), pub- lished in 1897; and the history of the agricultural experiment sta- tions up to 1900 (Bulletin 80). DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONS WITH THE STATIONS. The Hatch Act made no provision for Federal administration of the funds granted to the stations beyond the requirement that each station should annually make “a full and detailed report of its operations, including a statement of receipts and expenditures,” to the governor of the State or Territory, a copy of which was to be sent to the Commissioner (now Secretary) of Agriculture and to the Secretary of the Treasury. There was much variety of opinion among governing boards and administrative officers in the States regarding the proper functions of agricultural experiment stations. Particularly the phrase used in the first section of the Hatch Act with reference to “diffusing among the people of the United States useful and practical information on subjects con- nected with agriculture” was often interpreted to permit station officers to engage in teaching or extension work or to carry on sub- stations or cooperative work with farmers in which the experimental fields were little more than demonstration farms. Allegations of diversion or looseness in the expenditure of the Federal funds came from time to time to the department. These attracted the attention of J. Sterling Morton in the early days of his administration as Secretary of Agriculture. He therefore appealed to Congress for authority to inquire into the expenditure of the Hatch funds. The result was that in the appropriation act for the department for the fiscal year 1894 and each succeeding year there has becu « provision that the Secretary of Agriculture shall prescribe the torn | of the annual financial statement of the stations required in the Hatch Act, shall ascertain whether the expenditures have been in accordance with the provisions of that act, and shall make report thereon to Congress. Under this authority the Office of Experiment Stations began in 1894 to make an annual inspection of the station work and expenditures in each State. It was determined at the outset not to employ special officers as inspectors, but to have this duty performed by the director of the office and his principal scientific assistants, who were constantly fol- lowing the publications of the stations in connection with the preparation of Experiment Station Record. At first only the di- rector and assistant director engaged in this work and thereafter were assisted by only two or three of the most experienced members of the staff. This enabled the pursuance of a consistent policy of administration and brought the office a thorough acquaintance with the conditions, requirements, and needs of the several stations. The examination of accounts became only a small part of the business transacted during visitations of the stations. These visits have been very largely conferences with administrative officers and the scientific staff of the station regarding their lines of work, ma- 558 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. terial equipment, personnel, publications, financial needs, obstacles, means of reaching the farmers, and various other matters. A sym- pathetic and helpful attitude has been assumed by the visitors. Much useful information has been given the station workers, and the requirements of station work have often been impressed on admin- istrative officers, governing boards, and sometimes on governors and legislatures. Standards of work and expenditures have been set up: as the result of intimate acquaintance with conditions existing throughout the United States. A progressive policy has been pur- sued with reference to strictness of legal interpretations and the atti- tude toward different lines of work. For a considerable time after the establishment of the stations: there was a great lack of properly trained investigators, particularly in the more purely agricultural lines of work which appealed par- ticularly to the farmers. It was therefore necessary for the stations to: make many comparatively simple experiments and to employ unusual methods to disseminate the results of their work so as to win the support of the farmers. It was also necessary to take a liberal atti- tude toward the assistance which station officers gave to the teaching departments of the colleges, since the strengthening of the agricul- tural instruction was imperative if there were to be well-trained investigators. On the other hand, it was very important that the unity of organ- ization of the station within the college should be maintained, that station workers should have time and means to do real experimental work, that station funds should not be wasted in trivial or unpro- ductive enterprises, and that the tendency to scatter these funds over the State in substations or otherwise should be checked, lest the whole station enterprise should be structurally weak. ‘The office therefore exerted constant pressure in these directions with results. which greatly strengthened the stations. When it became apparent that the stations needed more financial aid from the Federal Government than was given in the Hatch Act, ' the Office of Experiment Stations joined with those who believed that such aid should be given to strengthen the more fundamental inves- tigations of the stations. This movement resulted in the passage: of the Adams Act in 1906, with the provision that the use of the funds granted under that act should be restricted to “ original re- searches or experiments.” In administering this act the office has: arranged with the stations for the submission of their projects before putting them into effect. This has given opportunity for much helpful consultation on these projects and a large amount of rela- tively fundamental and thorough research has been carried on by the stations in recent years. The functions of the office as a clearing house of information and consultation on a great variety of matters relating to agricultural research throughout the world have steadily grown and have given it an important place in aiding the scientific work of the department and the stations. THE ALASKAN AND INSULAR STATIONS. Growing interest in Alaska led Congress to make an appropria- tion in 1897 for experimental work in agriculture in that Territory. STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 559 A station was established at Sitka and subsidiary stations have since been maintained at Kenai (transferred to Kodiak in 1908), Copper Center (transferred to Fairbanks in 1908), Rampart, Fairbanks, Matanuska, and on Kodiak Island. C. C. Georgeson has been in immediate charge of all the Alaska work since the beginning, and Walter H. Evans, who joined the Washington force of the Office of Experiment Stations in 1892, has represented that office in the general supervision of this enterprise. Through extensive travel of station officers, reports by settlers on their use of seeds distributed by the stations and on their other agricultural operations, and a large amount of experimental work with plants and animals, great progress has been made in determin- ing the agricultural possibilities of this vast Territory. Much has also been done in selecting and breeding varieties of plants adapted to the soil and climatic conditions in different parts of Alaska. Experiments with animals have also shown much regarding their breeding, care, and management as related to Alaskan conditions. It has been demonstrated that wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and many kinds of vegetables of good quality can be grown in different parts of the Territory. Numerous gardens in many places now regularly furnish settlers goodly contributions to their food supply and a considerable number of farmers and horticulturists are carry- ing on larger agricultural operations. A basis has thus been laid by the station work for considerable agriculture in Alaska when the growth of mining, lumbering, and other industries encourages a sufficiently large influx of farming people. Stations under the management of the Office of Experiment Sta- tions were established in Hawaii and Porto Rico in 1901 and in Guam in 1908. A station maintained by the Danish Governinent in the Virgin Islands was taken over when those islands were trans- ferred to the United States in 1918. All these insular stations, under the supervision of Doctor Evans, have done much to diversify and improve the tropical agriculture and horticulture of the islands and have disseminated much useful information among their people through publications and extension work. Among the greater accomplishments of the insular experiment stations have been the introduction and establishment of many improved forage plants as an essential to livestock improvement in the islands. The stations have also led in the introduction of purebred animals, with the result that the effect of the better blood is becoming widely evident. The Hawaii station found that a disease which was doing great damage to pineapples was due to excessive amounts of manganese in the soil, and showed that spraying the plants with a solution of iron sulphate corrects the trouble. These discoveries of the station made possible the replanting of more than 10,000 acres on which pineapple growing had been abandoned because of the disease. This station has also shown the value of cover crops in the Tropics and of rotations for sugar cane and pineapples, the leading crops of Hawaii, and has been instrumental in widely extending their use. The superiority of ammonium sulphate over nitrate of soda for fertilizing rice is another important result of the work of this station. 560 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The Porto Rico station has demonstrated the practicability of controlling cattle ticks through the use of dipping tanks, and there are now more than 100 public and private tanks in the island. Fol- lowing the control of ticks and with the introduction of improved forage plants, the livestock industry has developed rapidly, and dairying has become an actuality, The station led in the investi- gations which made these developments possible. The station has assisted very materially in the development of the citrus industry of the island, established vanilla growing as a profitable undertaking, and introduced Uba sugar cane, which is resistant to the mosaic disease and is now extensively planted. In Guam the demonstration of modern methods of agriculture and the introduction of improved varieties of crops and purebred livestock by the station have greatly improved the agricultural situation of the island, and stock raising, as an industry, has become established. As a result of the station’s investigations it is now possible for the people of Guam to produce a better quality and a larger quantity of copra, for which an enhanced price is obtained. Sugar-cane breeding has been an outstanding feature of the work of the Virgin Islands station, and a variety has been developed that not only outyields any of the varieties that are grown locally, but has proved its high value when tested in several other countries. THE NUTRITION INVESTIGATIONS. As the work of the Office of Experiment Stations in its relations with the State experiment stations touched lines of work for which the Department of Agriculture had at the time no organization, there was for a number of years a growing tendency to put under that office special investigations for which Congress provided funds. The first of such investigations to come to this office was that which dealt with human nutrition. This work grew out of the studies which were being made at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., in conjunction with the Storrs Experiment Station. The results of these studies had at- tracted the attention of Hon. Edward Atkinson, of Boston, Mass., who had compiled data on this subject from foreign sources and had been interested in the experimental and practical work of the New England Kitchen, in that city, conducted by Mrs. Ellen H. Richards, with the collaboration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Atkinson prepared a paper containing “Sug- gestions for the establishment of food laboratories in connection with the agricultural experiment stations,” which was published as Bulletin 17 of the Office of Experiment Stations. Secretary Morton became interested in this matter and asked Congress for an appro- priation for nutrition investigations, which was granted for the fiscal year 1894. The supervision of this work was assigned to the Office of Experi- ment Stations and Professor Atwater was put in charge, with head- quarters at Middletown. For a number of years the work was car- ried on in cooperation with Wesleyan University and Storrs Experi- mnt Station in Connecticut and with coll ges, experiment stations, and other institutions in many States. It consisted of the collection of information regarding the foods available and their uses in dif- STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. é 561 ferent regions; dietary studies among rural and urban people; diges- tion and metabolism experiments; experiments on the nutritive value and cost of diff rent rations; the effect of cooking on composition, digestibility, and nutritive value of foods; the compilation on a broad scale of analyses and experiments in this country and abroad; and the improvement of methods and apparatus for nutrition work. One very important enterprise in which the department aided was the completion and use of the respiration calorimeter devised by Professors Atwater and Rosa. The nutrition investigations con- tinued to grow in inter st and value as part of the work of the Office of Experiment Stations for over 20 years. A large number of technical publications were issued, together with numerous farm- ers’ bulletins, some of which had very wide circulation. Special efforts were made to bring the results of this work to the attention of colleges and schools. Much use was made of the department pub- jications on this subject in educational and other institutions. The information they contained was also widely incorporated in text- books and manuals published in this and other countries. In 1907 the laboratory equipment at Middletown was removed to Washington and installed in a Government building, and the nutri- tion investigations were continued here under the direction of Dr. C. F. Langworthy. OFFICE OF HOME ECONOMICS. In 1915, when the States Relations Service was organized, the nutrition inv. stigations were expanded to form the Office of Home Economics as a part of that service. Doctor Langworthy was ap- pointed chief, and a larger staff, increased appropriations, and additional laboratory and office space have followed, which have made possible a broader program and a greater output. The work, as defined in appropriation acts, has covered investigations of the relative utility and economy of agricultural products when used for food, clothing, or other purposes in the home. Some studies on household equipment and management have also been made. Ex- perimental studies of practical and technical problems have been made by appropriate laboratory methods, some of them especially adapted or devised for particular work. There have also been the collection and interpretation of statistical data regarding food con- sumption of individuals and families and studies of household labor and of household management. The respiration calorimeter as an instrument of precision has been shown to be well adapted to the study of a wide range of agricultural problems, in addition to those specially concerned with the home. The dietary-survey methods with individuals and families have been developed into a nation-wide dietary survey, a result of war- time need for definite information of this character. The machinery for carrying on such surveys has been perfected and includes co- operative features within the department and with agricultural col- leges which increase its usefulness out of proportion to the cost in- volved. Such surveys furnish per capita consumption data hitherto lacking and other information essential to agricultural production intelligently adjusted to the people’s needs. Such surveys can and should be extended to include clothing, equipment, etc., as well as 562 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. food, in order that production and consumption in general may be considered on the basis of information much needed but now lacking and other important economic problems furthered. The development and extension of earlier work on food prepara- tion and use have resulted in an “ experimental kitchen,” well pro- vided with physical and chemical apparatus, as well as household equipment, where a great variety of problems have been studied. A feature of this work has been the development of cooperation with home-economics workers in agricultural and other colleges. A plan has been devised for determining proper food selection in such a way that any housekeeper may feel sure that the food she pro- vides her family will meet their needs. This generalization can be so simply expressed that anyone can understand and apply it. On the other hand, it is so fundamental in its nature that it proves equally useful for advanced teaching and for technical discussions. More than a beginning has been made in work on clothing and household equipment, with the result that several bulletins have been published, and material accumulated for others includes results of tests as well as some generalizations. IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS. With the spread of irrigation in the Western States during the second half of the nineteenth century many problems arose regarding available water supply, water rights, control of appropriation and distribution of water, methods of irrigation, amounts of water re- quired for different crops, and the hke. The Geological Survey was given authority to study the problems of water supply and stor- age, and issued numerous publications on these subjects. The ex- periment stations in the States where irrigation was practiced col- lected information and made experiments on agricultural problems connected with irrigation. In several States irrigation engineers’ offices were established to administer State laws relating to irri- gation and collected considerable information bearing on legal and regulatory problems. In the appropriation act of the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year 1893 was an item of $6,000 for “the collection of infor- mation as to the best modes of agriculture by irrigation.” This appropriation was continued for three years and was raised to $15,000 for 1896 but discontinued the next year. An office of irri- gation inquiry was established. Department agents visited the Western States and collected information which was published in various ways. Among these publications were articles on “ Irriga- tion in California” in the Yearbook for 1895, and “ Irrigation on the Great Plains” in that for 1896. Irrigation had been practiced for many years in the Eastern States on a limited scale, especially on grasslands, and the success of irrigation in the West led to at- tempts to use this aid to agriculture more largely in the humid regions, particularly with garden and truck crops. The Yearbook for 1895 contains an article by L. R. Taft, of the Michigan Agri- cultural College, on “ Irrigation for garden and greenhouse.” The Office of Experiment Stations had from its beginning pub- lished in Experiment Station Record abstracts of the publications of the experiment stations bearing on irrigation. STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 563 In 1896 this office was called upon to extend its work relating to ir- rigation. Under its supervision were prepared Farmers’ Bulletin 46, “Irrigation in humid climates,” by Prof. F. H. King, of the Wisconsin College of Agriculture, who had studied irrigation prac- tices in several European countries in 1895; Department Bulletin 36, “ Notes on irrigation in Connecticut and New Jersey,” by C. 8. Phelps and E. B. Voorhees. Increasing need for wider investigation of the legal, adminis- trative, and agricultural problems relating to irrigation led to an appeal from interested parties in the Western States to Congress for an appropriation for this purpose. In the appropriation act for the department for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1898, was in- cluded an item of $10,000 for “ collecting from agricultural colleges, experiment stations, and other sources, including the employment of practical agents, valuable information and data on the subject of irrigation, and publishing the same in bulletin form.” By order of Secretary Wilson, supervision of this work was assigned to the Office of Experiment Stations. To aid in determining the lines of work to be conducted, a con- ference was held at Denver, July 12 and 18, 1898, which was at- tended by experiment station officers and irrigation engineers from six Western States, together with the director and Mr. Beal, of the Office of Experiment Stations. After careful consideration it was decided to confine the work of the office on irrigation to (1) the col- lation and publication of information regarding the laws and insti- tutions of the irrigated region in their relation to agriculture, and (2) the publication of available information regarding the use of irrigation waters in agriculture as determined by actual experience of farmers and experimental investigations, and the encouragement of further investigations in this line by the experiment stations. Elwood Mead, State engineer of Wyoming, was selected to have immediate charge of this work, with headquarters at Cheyenne, Wyo., which were afterwards transferred to Washington. Studies of laws and water rights were immediately begun and plans were made for cooperative investigations on the duty of water and other subjects. So much interest was aroused in this matter that Congress at its next session increased the appropriation to $35,000, of which $10,000 was made immediately available, and the language of the ap- propriation act was changed to provide for investigations and re- ports “upon the laws and institutions relating to irrigation and upon the use of irrigation waters, with special suggestions of better methods for the utilization of irrigation waters in agriculture than those in common use,” and for cooperation of the experiment sta- tions in this work. On this broader and more permanent basis irri- gation investigations were conducted by the Office of Experiment Stations for 16 years, until they were transferred to the Office of Public Roads in 1915, where they have since been continued. Doc- tor Mead resigned in 1907 to take charge of similar work in Aus- tralia and was succeeded by Dr. Samuel Fortier, who had been in charge of the work in California. The passage of the reclamation act in 1902 and the consequent great activity of the Government in the construction of large irriga- tion works in the Western States greatly stimulated public interest 564 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. in the use of water for irrigation and gave increased importance to the irrigation studies of the Office of Experiment Stations. At the outset the chief effort was made on what was then the most urgent problem of the irrigated region in the West, namely, the re- form of the legislation relating to irrigation. in the several States. Largely through the studies and efforts of the Office of Experiment Stations improved legislation was enacted in the arid States and the general principle of determining water rights according to the ac- tual and beneficial use of water was firmly established. Next in importance was the need of more economical use of the limited supplies of water available for irrigation. Therefore, studies to determine, first, how much water was being used, and then how much should be used, and how economical use could be secured under varying conditions and with different crops, have been a lead- ing line of investigation. Much of this work was done in coopera- tion with the State experiment stations. Devices for measuring water were tested and new devices were developed. Studies of losses of water in transit from stream to farm led to improvement in con- duits and the saving of much water. Much was also done to pro- mote water contracts and regulations which would encourage the economical use of water. Numerous technical and popular publica- tions were issued, and the results of the irrigation investigations have been incorporated in textbooks and manuals. DRAINAGE INVESTIGATIONS. In the earlier development of irrigation in the West the thoughts of settlers were so largely concentrated on securing a water supply and its application to crops that they generally overlooked the necessity of making provision for drainage until the appearance of alkali or other troubles menaced their crops. Realizing the danger to agriculture under irrigation from lack of drainage, the Office of Experiment Stations gave attention to this subject from the beginning of its irrigation investigations. Interest in drainage was thus stimulated in the West. Meanwhile the broad discussion of land reclamation by irrigation which preceded the passage of the reclamation act led also to much greater public interest in reclamation by drainage, for which there was ample opportunity in many localities in the humid region. Thus it came to pass that in 1902 C. G. Elliott, an experienced drainage engineer and author of Farmers’ Bulletin 40, on farm drainage, published in 1896, was added to the irrigation force in the Office of Experiment Stations. Under his leadership work relating to drainage was greatly expanded and in 1907 was made a separate division of the office and thus continued until 1915, when it was transferred to the Office of Public Roads. During this period of 13 years much progress was made toward a better understanding and solution of the problems of drainage of irrigated lands injured by seepage and alkali and toward the wider use of tile drainage, especially in the Southern States. A broader accomplishment was the surveying and planning of drainage sys- tems, often on a large scale, which involved community effort and the formation of drainage districts. In at least eight States gen- eral laws for the establishment of drainage districts and for financing STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 565 these districts through the issuance of bonds were enacted, largely as a result of the information acquired and disseminated by our drainage engineers. Under these laws hundreds of drainage districts were formed during the period of the investigations and hundreds of thousands of acres of swamp and overflowed lands were reclaimed. OTHER STUDIES IN RURAL ENGINEERING. In connection with the irrigation and drainage investigations con- siderable attention was given to studies of the machinery required in these lines of agricultural work, including pumps, windmills, devices for measuring and applying water, machines for digging and cleaning drainage ditches, and the like. Encouragement and as- sistance were also given to the agricultural colleges which were begin- ning to organize more definite courses relating to farm machinery, buildings, and other subjects connected with rural engineering. In 1907 an expert in farm machinery was employed in the Office of Experiment Stations and an attempt was made to inaugurate studies which it was hoped might lead to the improvement and standardization of the machines used on farms. The time was ap- parently not ripe for creating a permanent Federal agency for such work and the pressure of other enterprises led to its discontinuance after a year’s trial. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. From its beginning the Department of Agriculture has shown an interest in agricultural education. Some of its early reports gave accounts of institutions for agricultural education at home and abroad. The meetings of representatives of the agricultural colleges called by the Commissioner of Agriculture, Norman J. Colman, which led to the organization of the Association of American Agri- cultural Colleges and Experiment Stations and the passage of the Hatch Act, brought about a broader relation of the department to the cause of agricultural education. It was therefore natural that when the Office of Experiment Stations was established it should be encouraged to aid in a general way the colleges with which the stations were connected. As already stated (p. 554), one of the first pieces of work com- mitted to this office was the preparation of an exhibit and report on agricultural education in the United States. The Morrill Act of 1890 provided that copies of the annual reports of the agricultural colleges should be sent to the Department of Agriculture. When these were received they were intrusted to the Office of Experiment Stations. Thus a foundation was laid for the systematic collection and dissemination of information. regarding these institutions. Representatives of the office regularly attended the meetings of the association of agricultural colleges, and that office undertook the editing and publication of the proceedings of the association, begin- ning in 1889 and continuing through 1909. As soon as the office undertook an annual inspection of the experi- ment stations its representatives, especially the director and assistant director, were brought into personal contact with trustees, presi- dents, and teachers in the colleges. Many opportunities were thus afforded to give and receive information regarding agricultural education. The college association began in 1894 through a special 566 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. committee to study entrance requirements and the general content of courses of instruction. And in 1895 the association appointed a standing committee on instruction in agriculture which has made reports annually since that time and which has had a broad in- fluence on the organization and progress of agricultural education in this country. The director of the Office of Experiment Stations has been a member of this committee since its beginning and since 1902 has been its chairman. Having unusual facilities for the col- lection and dissemination of information on this subject, this office naturally became the headquarters of this committee, which thus was enabled to conduct its studies regularly and _ persistently. Gradually the office became a clearing house of information on agri- cultural education in this country and abroad. Annual reports on the progress of agricultural education were published for a number of years. The work went beyond collegiate instruction. Much active propaganda in favor of the introduction of agriculture and kindred subjects into secondary and elementary schools was carried on, definite propositions for courses of instruction in such schools were made, and in general there was much participation in the movement which has resulted in the teaching of agriculture in many secondary schools and in consolidated and some other elementary schools. In the earlier years much attention was given to the encourage- ment of nature study and school gardening as introductory to more formal teaching of agriculture. In 1902, on the suggestion of T. F. Hunt, dean of the College of Agriculture of Ohio State University, the first graduate school of agriculture in America was held at that university. The director of the Office of Experiment Stations was dean of that school. The faculty consisted of leading agricultural experts from the United States and other countries and the term of the school was the month of July. This school was so successful that a plan was worked out for other sessions under the auspices of the Association of Agricul- tural Colleges and the Department of Agriculture. Sessions were held with the same officer as dean at the agricultural colleges of Illinois in 1906, New York in 1908, Iowa in 1910, Michigan in 1912, Missouri in 1914, and Massachusetts in 1916. By this time much graduate instruction leading to advanced de- grees had developed in the agricultural colleges, and it was there- fore unnecessary to continue this school, which had largely served its purpose as an encouragement to the establishment of regular graduate courses in these institutions. In 1906 a section on agricultural instruction was organized in the Office of Experiment Stations and this was carried over into the States Relations Service. When the Federal Board for Vocational Education was established after the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917, the States Relations Service undertook to cooperate with that board in the preparation of subject-matter material for the use of teachers in the Smith-Hughes schools. This work is still continuing, and recently much attention has been given to formulating job analyses of various agricultural enterprises. In the work relating to elementary instruction there has been cooperation with a number of State departments of education and agricultural colleges. In recent years, since the Bureau of Educa- STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 567 tion and the Federal Board for Vocational Education have been taking an active interest in the problems connected with the or- ganization and administration of instruction in agriculture, the States Relations Service has confined its work to the preparation of subject matter in form for immediate use by teachers and to aid- ing teachers to obtain department publications, lantern slides, and other illustrative material. FARMERS’ INSTITUTES. Meetings of agricultural societies have been held in the United States since the closing years of the eighteenth century. In 1853, at a meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture, Doctor Hitch- cock, of Amherst College, read a paper on “Farmers’ institutes,” which he suggested should be organized after the example of teachers’ institutes. This name came into actual use for farmers’ meetings in that State in 1870 and a little earlier in Kansas. The agricultural colleges early took an active part in the insti- tutes, though their administration was often committed to the State boards or departments of agriculture. By the time of the passage of the Hatch Act the institutes were recognized as important agencies for the dissemination of agricultural information and the Office of Experiment Stations took an interest in them from its beginning. Its work of aiding the institute officers and lecturers came to be of sufficient importance to justify a special appropriation for this purpose, which was first made by Congress in 1902, and in 1903 Prof. John Hamilton, who had been a teacher of agriculture in the Penn- sylvania State College and secretary of agriculture in Pennsy]l- vania, was appointed farmers’ institute specialist. Annual reports on the progress of the institutes and of similar work in foreign countries have been published, the workers in the institutes have been furnished with publications, lantern slides, and other illus- trative materials, and the interests of the institutes have been pro- moted in various other ways. The work of the institutes grew in extent and importance until in the years immediately preceding the passage of the Smith-Lever Extension Act over 7,000 of these meet- ings were annually held, over 1,000 lecturers were regularly em- ployed, and the aggregate attendance rose to over 8,000,000 people. Since the passage of the Smith-Lever Extension Act the institutes in most of the States have been made a part of the general system of extension work carried on by the agricultural colleges, and the department’s work relating to the institutes is now conducted through the office of cooperative extension work. EXTENSION WORK. From their beginning the agricultural colleges and the Department of Agriculture disseminated agricultural information among the farming people through correspondence, distribution of publica- tions, and addresses at meetings by members of their staffs. This work was greatly increased through their connection with the farmers’ institutes. The colleges gradually enlarged the scope of their extension work, particularly in the decade beginning about 1905, when distinct extension divisions were organized. Among the 78007—agR 1923—— 37 : 568 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. activities added were reading and correspondence courses, extension schools, farmers’ weeks, and other short courses at the college, ex- hibits at fairs, competitive judging of livestock and other products, and boys’ and girls’ clubs. The spread of the cottori-boll weevil in Texas led the Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Plant Industry, to attempt not only to diminish the injury to the cotton crop by this insect but also to offset its attacks by improving the general practice of agri- culture in the South. Through this movement there was developed, under the leadership of Dr. Seaman A. Knapp, beginning in 1908, the system of extension work through supervised demonstrations by farmers on their own farms, county agricultural and home demon- stration agents, and boys’ and girls’ clubs. At first this work was independent on the colleges, but gradually they came into more or less definite cooperation with it. The States and counties in the South also made appropriations for its support. By 1914 more than 1,000 men and women agents were employed in 15 Southern States. In 1909 the office of farm management of the Bureau of Plant Industry began farm-demonstration work in Ohio, and in 1911 the first county agent was appointed in New York. This work spread in the Northern and Western States in cooperation with the agri- cultural colleges, counties, and local organizations. In 1914 over 200 agents were employed in this work. In 1905 a standing committee on extension work was appointed by the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experi- ment Stations. This committee reported in 1908 in favor of a Federal appropriation for extension work and in 1909 a similar recommendation by the committee was adopted by the association. As a result a bill for this purpose was introduced in the House of Representatives December 15, 1909, by Mr. McLaughlin, of Mich- igan. The same general proposition was embodied in other bills in both houses. The Department of Agriculture joined in this movement. After long and careful consideration Congress passed the Smith-Lever Extension Act, which was approved by President Wilson May 8, 1914. This act was broadly drawn to make possible the establishment of a permanent nation-wide system of extension work in agriculture and home economics which would include both the demonstration and county agent system and the other useful features of extension work as developed by the agricultural colleges. It provided for definite cooperation between the colleges and the Department of Agriculture in the planning, administration, and conduct of the work. Soon after the passage of the act the department and the colleges generally entered into a formal agreement, through a “memorandum of understanding,” regarding the organization of cooperative extension work and their respective relations thereto. Pending authorization by Congress of a permanent organization in the department to carry on the business necessitated by this act, a committee consisting of the director of the Office of Experiment Stations and the chiefs of the two offices in the Bureau of Plant Industry which were conducting demonstration work was appointed by Secretary Houston. On July 1, 1915, this business was taken over by the newly created States Relations Service. General supervision was committed to STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 569 the director of that service and the detailed work was intrusted to two .offices of extension work transferred from the Bureau of Plant Industry. The office of extension work in the South was given charge of the work in 15 Southern States and the office of extension work in the North and West of the work in 33 Northern and Western States. In addition to work under the Smith-Lever Act, the States Relations Service has administered the direct depart- ment appropriations for farmers’ cooperative demonstration work. These funds have been used mainly in the States, but also for the maintenance of the Washington extension offices. Among the major problems which necessarily received much attention in the first years after the passage of the Smith-Lever Act were the interpretation of this act as related to the legality of expenditures under it; the establishment of a system for plans of work, budgets, accounting, and reporting; the uniting of the force employed by the department in the South with the college extension forces; the development on a larger scale of the county agent system in the North and West and the building up of home demonstration and boys’ and girls’ club work in that region; and the further development of organizations of farming people to support the ex- tension work and participate in it. The new plans and methods of work in the department and the States under the Smith-Lever Act and related Federal and State legislation were hardly well established when the entrance of the United States into the World War brought unusual difficulties and a very great expansion of effort. Most of the men engaged in ex- tension work were of military age, many of them had special training which made them unusually useful to the Government in time of war, and their patriotism led them to offer themselves freely for such war service as the Government desired to have them undertake. At the same time the need of greatly increased agricultural production and the conservation of the food supply of the country called for the rapid expansion of the extension forces in order that the farming people might have as much help as possible from the colleges and the department in their efforts to meet these new demands on them at a time when the farm-labor supply was greatly depleted by the withdrawal into the Army and Navy of multitudes of the most vigor- ous men on the farms. Moreover, the Government needed agents in every county to explain to the people its aims in the conduct of the war and the extent of agricultural production and food con- servation required by the war, and to keep itself informed regarding what was going on throughout the country and what measures should be taken to aid the people in their efforts to meet the unusual re- quirements brought about by the war. Under the food production act the States Relations Service received $4,348,400 in 1917 and $6,100,000 in 1918. This money was used to supplement the regular Federal, State, and county extension funds in stimulating agricultural production and food conservation. Much of the work under the latter head was done in cooperation with the Food Administration. In other lines of war work there was also much cooperation with the Red Cross, Council of National Defense, War Department, Public Health Service, Fuel Administration, Treas- ury Department (in Liberty loan campaigns), and other agencies. 570 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The organization of the counties for extension work was pushed forward very rapidly until over 2,400 counties had agricultural agents and about 1,700 counties and 200 cities had home demonstration agents. About 2,000,000 boys and girls were enrolled in clubs. The agents and clerks with headquarters at the colleges and the depart- ment were also greatly increased in number. At one time about 7,000 persons were carried on the rolls of the States Relations Serv- ice. The employment of so many people, many of whom were un- familiar with the requirements and restrictions of Government serv- ice, made the duties of administrative officers very difficult and burdensome. However, the patriotic spirit and earnest purpose which pervaded the extension force throughout the country enabled it to do a great work in aiding the farmers to produce greater crops ponent before and our people generally to conserve their food supply. To Peo tict this task it was necessary to organize the farming people more thoroughly. The extension forces, therefore, were very active in promoting the older organizations and forming new ones. In the Northern and Western States farm bureaus were organized in a large number of counties. This had unexpected results after the war, when economic conditions aroused the farmers to the im- portance of cooperative marketing and of legislation pertaining to agricultural affairs. The county farm bureaus expanded their work beyond the educational field and formed State and National federations. This movement has spread into almost all the States and has resulted in one of the strongest and most influential of our farm organizations. It has made necessary a readjustment of the relations of the extension forces to the farm bureaus in order that the extension work may remain an educational enterprise. In a broader way the period since the war has been a time of reor- ganization and readjustment of the extension work and forces to meet new conditions. When the war emergency funds were withdrawn the number of extension workers was materially decreased, while at the same time the expense of the work greatly increased and the economic status of the farming people became very difficult and de- pressing. In spite of these conditions the interest of the people in the extension work remained strong, and during the past year the number of county extension agents has begun to increase again. The emphasis in the agricultural work shifted from production to economics, particularly cooperative marketing. Much has been ac- complished in this direction and the extension forces have had a considerable share in bringing this about. It is now becoming clearer that successful and economic production is after all the farmer’s greatest problem and the best foundation for successful cooperation in marketing. Undoubtedly greater relative importance will be at- tached to work on production in future extension enterprises. The boys’ and girls’ club work, as a preparation for successful rural life and leadership in rural affairs, is attracting wider at- tention, and the number of young people enrolled in this work has materially increased during the past year. The task of adjusting the extension work among the farm women to the conditions actually prevailing in the farm home and rural community has in many localities been quite difficult. While the extent and usefulness of that work is large in the aggregate. it has STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 571 not made much progress as regards the organization of new territory since the withdrawal of a large part of the home demonstration force immediately after the war. An encouraging element in the present development of extension work, which it is believed will favorably affect the whole enterprise, is the increasing attention paid to community organization, involvy- ing larger and more.intimate participation of both men and women in the planning and conduct of the local extension work. With the nation-wide spread of the extension work and the ap- proximate standardization of its purposes and methods it became apparent that it would be much better to have the Federal business connected with this work transacted through a single office in the States Relations Service. Therefore in 1920 the two offices were combined. Since that time much has been done toward adjusting the Washington office to new conditions in the department and the States. In order that the department as a whole might enter more fully into the extension work and the different bureaus might have more definite relations to the extension office and the State and county cooperative workers, general supervision of the extension work of the department has been temporarily given to the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and the way prepared for such supervision by a permanent director of extension work, provided for in the ap- propriation act for the next fiscal year. Extension representatives of different bureaus have been put under the direction of the office of cooperative extension work as regards their plans of work and con- tacts with the field, while they office in the bureaus which are held responsible for the subject matter of their extension teaching. The Washington extension office has been reorganized into three divisions: (1) Office administration, (2) programs, and (3) methods of extension organization and teaching. The division of programs carries on the work relating to the administration of the Smith- Lever Act and related Federal legislation, including plans of work, budgets, inspection of work and expenditures, and consultations with State extension officers regarding the administration of their work. ‘The division of methods collects and disseminates information re- garding methods of organization of different lines of extension work and methods of extension teaching of different subjects. Con- tacts with the extension forces in the field are made through the extension directors. A distinct effort has been made to consider the extension work as one unified enterprise for the benefit of the men, women, and children on American farms and to interest all extension agents in the promotion of the enterprise as a whole, rather than simply the particular line of work in which they in- dividually are engaged. During the nine years since the passage of the Smith-Lever Exten- sion Act a broad system of practical instruction for the men, women, and children on American farms, outside the schools, has been developed on a permanent basis by the cooperative efforts of the department and the State agricultural colleges, aided by the counties, farm organizations, and numerous individuals. This extension sys- tem is now organized to a greater or less extent in over 2,100 agri- cultural counties and annually reaches directly several millions of our farming people. More and more it has formed a broad basis of popular support of research and education in agriculture and 572 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. home economics through Federal, State, and local institutions, and undoubtedly the influence of the extension work will be increasingly felt in the development of these institutions. EXHIBITS AT EXPOSITIONS. _ The Office of Experiment Stations did a large amount of work in cooperation with the agricultural colleges and experiment stations in the preparation and management of collective exhibits of its own work and that of the cooperating institutions at the expositions at Paris in 1889 and 1900, Chicago in 1893, Atlanta in 1895, Omaha in 1898, Buffalo in 1901, Charleston in 1901-2, St. Louis in 1904, Port- Jand in 1905, Jamestown in 1907, and Seattle in 1909. THE CHANGE IN DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION AFFECTING THE STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. The Office of Experiment Stations and its successor, the States Relations Service, have necessarily dealt so broadly with matters relating to agricultural research and education that they have con- stantly operated in fields of subject matter covered also in the work of the department bureaus. The relations of the bureaus with the agricultural colleges and experiment stations have also become in- creasingly intimate and cooperative. There have therefore developed good reasons for such a reorganization of the department’s agencies dealing with the colleges and stations as would bring them within the office of the Secretary and put them in charge of officers repre- senting the department as a whole. This has been provided for in the creation of the offices of director of scientific work and director of extension work and by authority from Congress to abolish the States Relations Service on June 30, 1923, the Office of Experiment Stations to be put in charge of the director of scientific work and the office of cooperative extension work in charge of the director of ex- tension work. The office of home economics will be transformed into the Bureau of Home Economics and thus will have the same status as the other bureaus of the department. Through these changes a more logical arrangement for the trans- action of the department’s business hitherto conducted by the States Relations Service will be made, which it is hoped will have very satisfactory results and strengthen the cooperative relations of the department with the State institutions for agricultural research and education. The Office of Experiment Stations and the States Relations Service have been operated under practically the same general poli- cies for 35 years and to an unusual extent for many years in the more important positions by the same personnel. During their existence these agencies have been closely identified with the general movement for agricultural research and education and have done much toward the development of this movement in a broad way and on a permanent basis, with results which already have brought about many improvements in agricultural practice and in the home and community life of our rural people, as well as contributing in large measure to the general welfare and prosperity of our urban people. STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 573 These Federal agencies have in a large way demonstrated what can be done through broad advisory and cooperative relations with State and local institutions and organizations when a fairly consistent policy is pursued during a considerable number of years and loyalty to successive administrations representing different parties is com- Pay ae freedom from the objectionable features of political control. It has been the aim of these agencies to establish standards for the organization and conduct of our institutions for research, teach- ing, and extension work in agriculture and home economics; to emphasize the great importance of fundamental and continued re- search in these fields; to aid in putting the teaching of agriculture and home economics in colleges and schools on an equal footing with other subjects taught in such institutions; and to help in developing a broad system of practical instruction for the men, women, and children on our farms which would include matters relating to agricultural production and economics, and to the mate- rial and social interests of the farm home and the rural community. Whatever has been accomplished in these directions has been brought about through the active and cordial interest and cooperation of many institutions and individuals in all the States and Territories. A most encouraging feature in the development of the American system of agricultural research and education has been the growth of the cooperative spirit in the institutions and organizations devoted to this work. This has manifested itself in greater measure and in a larger number of worth-while enterprises with the progress of the years, and the outlook for the future is very promising. A REVIEW OF THE WORK OF THE PAST YEAR. The more important features of the work of the different divisions of the service during the past year are briefly reviewed in the follow- ing pages. OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR. The general administrative business of the State Relations Serv- ice connected with appointments, accounts, supplies, and the prepa- ration and dissemination of publications and illustrative material was large in amount and covered a great variety of subjects involved in the work of the agricultural experiment stations and extension divisions of the agricultural colleges. After the establishment by Executive order of the Federal Council of Citizenship Training, the director of the service was designated by the Secretary of Agriculture as the representative of this depart- ment on that council and has since participated in its work. EDITORIAL DIVISION. W. H. Beat, Chief. The editorial division handled, as heretofore, the business of the service relating to publications, job printing, publicity, duplicating, and illustrative material. Pupuications.—There were printed for the service during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1928, 52 technical and popular documents, 574 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ageregating 38,480 pages, as follows: 21 numbers of Experiment Station Record, including 3 index numbers; 3 administrative reports, including the report of the Director of the States Relations Service, 1922, work and expenditures of the agricultural experiment stations, 1920, and cooperative extension work in agriculture and home eco- nomics, 1921; 14 publications of the experiment stations in Alaska and the insular possessions, including reports of the Alaska, Hawaii, Porto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands experiment stations for 1921, 2 bulletins of the Hawaii station, 2 bulletins of the Porto Rico station, 3 bulletins and 1 circular of the Guam station, and 1 bulletin of the Virgin Islands station; 1 department bulletin dealing with the digestibility of various oils and blended hydrogenated fats; 6 department circulars dealing respectively with county-agent, home- demonstration, and boys’ and girls’ club work, extension work in the Southern States, homemade apple and citrus pectin extracts, Fed- eral legislation, regulations, and rulings affecting land-grant col- leges and experiment stations, and statistics of cooperative extension work; 2 farmers’ bulletins dealing respectively with corn and its uses as food and good proportions in the diet; and 3 miscellaneous documents giving lists of workers in subjects pertaining to agri- culture, and dealing with education and research in agriculture and home economics in the United States, the latter prepared for dis- tribution at the Brazil Centennial Exposition. pet 40 orders for job printing and binding were handled during the year. The division cooperated with the press service of the department in assembling and preparing about 500 articles relating to the work of the service for press release and for the Official Record. Approximately 265 pieces of duplicating were done for the service during the year by the Division of Publications, and 465 pieces by the small duplicating unit operated under the direction of the edi- torial division. InLtustTRATIONS Section.—This section cooperated with other offices of the service in securing several carefully planned series of photo- graphs illustrating the work of the service for use in publications, publicity, and exhibits, and for distribution in lantern-slide form. Eight States (Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, Pennsylvania) and points in the District of Columbia were visited for this purpose during the year. About 2.200 photographs were added to the collection, making , the total number now in the collection 18,608, of which 16,166 are mounted, classified, and catalogued for ready use. In cooperation with other offices of the service and other bureaus of the department, 16 series of lantern slides were prepared for the use of extension workers and agricultural teachers on the following subjects: Farm drainage in the humid section, child feeding, growing annual flowering plants, farm dairy houses, sheep judging and breeds of sheep, foot-and-mouth disease, judging breeding cattle, preparing beef cattle for show or sale, control and reclamation of gullies, educa- tional milk-for-health campaigns, important cultivated grasses, how to get rid of rats, the anatomy of the honeybee, exhibit shown at the International Live Stock Exposition, exhibit at the National Dairy Exposition, and the United States Department of Agriculture. STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 575 The preparation of 23 other series and revisions of outlines of two series previously issued were undertaken. A total of 858 sets of slides were distributed for the various offices of the service. Over 6,600 lantern slides, 277 bromide enlargements, and 68 posters were colored, and 327 charts, drawings, and designs were made in the section. In addition the photographic laboratory of the Division of Publications prepared for the use of the service 3,124 negatives, 14,048 prints, 6,622 slides, and 1,207 miscellaneous items, inclusive of blue prints. In cooperation with the office of extension work outlines for four motion pictures were prepared and submitted to the office of motion pictures as follows: (1) Birds of a feather, (2) A letter to dad, (3) Bill Jones—champion, and (4) Seeing Washington; and a program for producing motion pictures especially adapted to extension use was developed, including 39 subjects, 11 of which, now in various stages of production, are as follows: (1) Improved potato produc- tion through seed selection and certification; (2) Efficient farm home management, including budgeting of funds and the selection of food, clothing, and equipment; (3) The farm garden as a source of a better diet for the farm family; (4) Cooperative marketing of livestock (beef cattle and hogs); (5) Production and distribution of improved cereal seeds; (6) Liming soils with special reference to the use of ground limestone; (7) Tobacco marketing; (8) Com- munity cotton standardization; (9) Cooperative cotton marketing associations; (10) Improved management of range sheep; and (11) Improvement of conditions in farm homes through installation of conveniences and improvement of surroundings. In addition to giving field employees of the service information and assistance in the preparation of exhibit material, the section is cooperating with the office of exhibits in the preparation of ma- terial for two interstate boys’ and girls’ club work exhibits (Spring- field, Mass., and Sioux City, Iowa) under the supervision of the office of extension work, similar to those held last year. It also cooperated in the preparation of exhibits for the National Dairy Show and for the International Livestock Show. With the coopera- tion of the office of extension work and the office of exhibits, a pro- gram for the preparation of exhibits supplementing the coopera- tive extension program and bringing extension workers in the Washington office in closer contact with exhibit activities was de- veloped. At the request of State extension services and State departments of education, short talks and demonstrations were given in methods of extension photography and the preparation and use of illus- trative material by a representative of the section at conferences in eight States (North Carolina, Virginia, South Dakota, Iowa, Minne- sota, Indiana, West Virginia, and New Jersey). INVESTIGATIONS ON AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS. BE. H. Suinn, Chief Specialist in Agricultural Education. The work of the service relating to agricultural instruction in schools continued during the year along practically the same lines as heretofore. There are distinct evidences of progress in the devel- opment of vocational agricultural education. New schools have been 576 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. established as a result of an increase in appropriations from both State and Federal sources, and the increase in the number of schools has created a demand for more teachers of agriculture. The agri- cultural colleges and a few of the State normal schools, designated as agencies to train teachers for the vocational schools, have suc- ceeded in most cases in graduating a sufficient number of teachers each year to meet the increased demand. Since the passage of the vocational education act in 1917 there has been rapid development and improvement in the teaching of agriculture in secondary schools. The supervised practice work on the students’ farms is functioning. better in the community and is stimulating greater public interest in the study of agriculture in the schools. There has also been increased interest in the teaching of agricul- ture in the elementary rural schools, and officials in charge of voca- tional agricultural education in the high schools are in many in- stances actively assisting in developing programs for teaching agri- culture in the upper grades of the elementary schools. The agricul- tural courses offered in the rural schools have been strong influences in certain localities in stimulating students to enter the agricultural classes in the high schools, commonly known as Smith-Hughes schools. More than half of the States either require or encourage the teaching of agriculture in rural schools. Many teachers in these schools are therefore anxious to secure material that will be helpful in teaching agriculture. The division of agricultural instruction en- deavors to make available to both teacher and students of agri- culture useful material derived from the large amount of agricultural information which has been accumulated by the department and the State agricultural colleges and experiment stations. Since better facilities are now offered in the agricultural colleges, the State nor- mal schools, and the secondary agricultural schools for training agricultural teachers these institutions desire to obtain the latest developments in methods of instruction and other information which can be used by them to good advantage. To meet this demand the division cooperates with the subject-matter specialists of the different bureaus of the department in the preparation of outlines and in mak- ing available to agricultural teachers other helpful information. Cooperation was continued during the year as heretofore with the following agencies outside the Department of Agriculture: (1) The Federal Board for Vocational Education, (2) States which desire to have prepared special outlined courses of study in agriculture for rural schools, (3) teacher-training divisions in the States, and (4) teachers in service. The division continued to cooperate with the Federal Board for Vocational Education in analyses of certain farm enterprises. A publication entitled “Suggestive Job Lesson Units on Some Truck and Fruit Crops Adapted to Southern Conditions” has recently been completed, and a job analysis of the management of a farm business is being prepared. Analyses of farm enterprises on corn, cotton, and dairying are being planned. Such analyses are now much in favor as a basis for vocational instruction in agriculture in the schools receiving the benefits of the vocational education act. Cooperating with State departments of education and State agri- cultural colleges in the preparation and use,of courses of study in ——————— -- STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 577 elementary agriculture for rural schools, the summer schools in North Carolina were visited and suggestions were made as to the best use of the course of study in elementary agriculture prepared for that State. Conferences were also held with the State super- intendent of education and other officials in Arkansas in regard to the use of the course of study in agriculture prepared recently for that State. The departments of education of these two States re- port that these courses are being used extensively by the rural teachers. Courses of study in elementary agriculture for rural schools in Oklahoma and Utah are now in the process of preparation. The division has cooperated closely with the teacher-training divi- sions of the land-grant colleges through conferences and correspond- ence. They have also been supplied with publications, lantern slides, motion-picture films, and sources of information regarding other helpful material. There has been an increasing demand from teachers of agriculture in service for publications of the department and for information regarding the sources of other materials needed in their work. Large numbers of teachers have been furnished lists of publications of the department best adapted to their needs. Teachers are realizing more and more the value of the Farmers’ Bulletins of the depart- ment, not only for their own use, but for students as supplementary reading in connection with their regular textbooks. These teachers have also been supplied with large numbers of sets of lantern slides during the year. Plans are being made to revise many of the sets of lantern slides now in use and to prepare additional sets. The division keeps in close contact with new developments in agri- cultural education by attending and participating in annual confer- ences of State and National workers in this field. One member of the staff attended the annual meeting of the National Society for Vo- cational Education and conferred with teachers regarding progress in the development of teacher-training programs and secured sug- gestions relative to the practical value of certain publications pre- pared by the division. Another member of the staff attended the National Education Association and discussed the topic, “ What school credit should be given for school garden work in elementary schools?” A representative of the division attended and took part in the con- ference called by the United States Commissioner of Education in co- operation with the Federal Board for Vocational Education, which met at Tuskegee, Ala., January 15 and 16, 1923. This was one of a series of annual conferences which have been called during the past three years, looking to a better standardization of the curricula of the negro land-grant colleges. Much interest has been manifested in these conferences by leading white and colored educators of the Southern States. Reports weve made on standards of equipment, qualifications of teachers, actual funds available, and types of cur- ricula. It is evident that these conferences are having a stimulat- ing effect on the negro colleges. White and negro educators of the South are realizing the need of raising the standards and of increas- ing the efficiency of the negro land-grant colleges. The director of the service addressed the conference on “ The importance of voca- tional education under modern industrial conditions and the growing demand for trained workers in agriculture and other vocations.” He 578 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. urged the presidents of the negro land-grant colleges to develop strong vocational courses rather than to put too much emphasis on the academic subjects. Cooperation with the Association of Land-Grant Colleges was continued through its committee on instruction in agriculture, home economics, and mechanic arts, of which the director of the service is chairman. The committee made a report on “ Methods for the professional improvement while in service of college teachers of technical subjects,” with special reference to (1) the means employed to encourage the professional improvement of teachers of agricul- ture, home economics, and engineering subjects while actively en- gaged, and (2) the practices with reference to assigning work to young teachers as between subjects narrowly specialized and those of a more general character. In preparation for the next report of the committee members of the staff visited the agricultural colleges in a number of the States to confer with presidents and deans in regard to efforts that are being made by the land-grant colleges to adapt the methods of instruction to students of varying capacities. The division continues to review and abstract the literature on agricultural education for Experiment Station Record. OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. BE. W. Aten, Chief. The past year completed 35 years of operation of experiment sta- tions in the States under the Hatch Act. The maintenance of these State stations has been a great cooperative undertaking, the most notable example of joint effort in the support of research to be found in any country or any field of science. That it has been successful is attested by the position these institutions have attained and by the fact that no previous period has marked such notable advance- ment in knowledge of matters relating to the principles and prac- tice of agriculture. In no other time have such extensive and far- reaching additions been made to the fund of facts, scientific rea- son, and understanding as in the third of a century involved. The cooperation on the part of the Federal Government in this vast enterprise has not been confined to the donation of funds and their technical audit. It has been in the nature of participation— not in the actual conduct of investigation, but in the provision and stabilizing of conditions essential to productive research. Few par- allels are to be found in the administration of funds for scientific research. Through the Office of Experiment Stations the Federal Government has followed its funds into the States, and has seen to it that they were devoted to the purposes originally intended. This has inevitably meant, not alone the interpretation of the Federal acts, but the defining of research efforts, the setting up and develop- ment of ideals, and the outlining of the essentials fundamental to the proper employment of these resources. This interpretation of implied requirements has been progressive, taking account of the general status of the stations in the States and the character of aid most needed from them. Naturally it has advanced with the chang- ing conditions surrounding. these stations, the increase in the chan- nels for the diffusion of agricultural information, and the demand for more intensive study of certain types of problems. STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 579 Throughout the course of this administrative control the effort has been to lead through the force of influence rather than to require by administrative action. Occasionally the veto power has been necessary, but for the most part the largest measure of local initia- tive and judgment has been encouraged. The advantage of this course has been steadily demonstrated with advancing years. The cordial and sympathetic relations which have prevailed with the stations have made suggestions welcome and have made it possible to bring about changes where desirable without reference to the authority provided by law. Occasionally, however, progress has seemed so lacking and public sentiment so inadequate of expression as to necessitate more affirmative action. A case in point, which illustrates anew the disregard of the essen- tials to productive research, occurred the past spring in Oklahoma. The overthrow of the president of the college after only a two-year period of service has been accompanied by the practical disruption of the station forces and the jeopardizing of its investigations. The requirements of a successful and efficient station have not yet been realized, and hence after all these years it is not immune to danger from such instability. Research is from its nature the first branch to be seriously affected by change and uncertainty, and the effects are more far-reaching than in any other branch of the college. Since 1900 there have been 10 changes in directorship at that station, which in itself illustrates the impossibility of any fixed continuous policy. These and the many changes in staff have resulted in proj- ects becoming well-nigh sterile, with little real progress from one period to another and a frequent losing sight of the original objective. Fortunately, these conditions are very exceptional. For the most part the stations have made steady advancement in the past few years in strengthening their forces and their work and raising their in- vestigation to a higher level. Although few of them have received material increase in State appropriations since the close of the war, they have, by the reorganization of their work and a reduction in the number of leading projects, placed themselves in a stronger posi- tion for advanced inquiry. Their means are in many cases quite inadequate to the needs, but to meet the situation this office has urged a revision of the programs of work, careful study of the field to determine the more important lines of operation, and a scrutiny of long-time projects to determine their exact status and the further steps warranted. The publication from year to year of the program of work of the experiment stations, consisting of a classified list of the projects of all the stations, has had the effect of calling this matter forcefully to mind. The request for the list of active projects, sent out in connec- tion with the annual revision of this program, and the correspondence following it have led to modifications of title, frequently a narrowing of scope, and the giving of more definite direction to projects which had become largely routine. During the year a revision of the list of projects has been nearly completed, which when issued will constitute the fourth of the series. There has been increasing call for this document as it has come to the attention of workers. This call is not confined to investigators in the experiment stations or, indeed, to this country, but the list has seemed 580 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. to be a matter of widening interest. It is supplying the basis for a larger measure of cooperative effort and is obviating duplication in cases where it is not justified. This list is issued in mimeographed form in an edition of only a few hundred copies. RELATIONS WITH THE STATIONS. During the year all the experiment stations in the States receiving Federal funds were visited by a representative of this office. On these visitations the accounts on the Federal funds were examined in detail, and the exact use made of these funds, in administration and in the carrying out of specific projects, was determined. In this connection the principal attention is given to conferences with the director on matters relating to the work and administration of the station and discussions with individual members of the staff regarding the progress of their projects. While in the latter special consideration is aimed at those projects supported partly or wholly from Federal funds, the work of the station as a whole largely comes into con- sideration. The attempt is made to secure a comprehensive view of the investigation carried on by each station with all its funds and the general situation surrounding it. There is a very general desire on the part of directors that no man’s work shall be overlooked, but that the office representative shall take the time to go over the projects of each individual and supply sug- gestions and criticisms freely. Indeed, constructive criticism is wel- comed by the station authorities and suggestions are invariably in- vited for the strengthening of the activities in various lines or the promotion of the general welfare of research. This annual visitation, with its personal contact with the station officers and workers, con- tinues to be an important factor in the exercise of helpful relations with the experiment stations. To meet the requirements of the new classification of accounts, de- vised by the office of the Comptroller General and applying to all funds required to be reported to Congress, a revised system of classi- fication of experiment-station accounts has been prepared. ‘This is an adaptation to the essentials of the new Government system, retain- ing such former headings as feasible, in order to make the reports for the future more nearly comparable with those in the past. To assist in the introduction of this new system in the station accounting offices an analytical key or glossary has been prepared of quite comprehen- sive character to replace the one formerly in use. A difficulty which is sometimes met with in the administration of the Federal funds grows out of an increasing disposition to impose local regulations of the funds of the colleges, both State and Federal, and to prescribe procedure which restricts the free use of these funds. In some cases the regulation of expenditures is becoming quite dras- tic and threatens to interfere with the application of the Federal funds or hamper their use. This matter is being inquired into quite closely and the effects determined. The Federal funds for the sta- tions are paid in advance, in order that the latter may be able to meet promptly the requirements of their investigations, and it is main- tained that no procedure should be set up which will interfere with this or place the station at a disadvantage in the use of these funds after plans have been approved by the local authorities. STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 581 Correspondence with the stations continued to be heavy through- out the year. It related to matters of administration and policy as well as to projects and accounts. A considerable number of new projects have been submitted for review and approval, while in other cases the office has requested the revision of existing projects to make them more effective, and in still other cases has advised that steps be taken toward their completion and termination. Greater atten- tion to the making of a general plan of operations to cover a period of several years has been advocated, and steps in that direction are being more generally taken. The more definite planning of specific projects is also being emphasized, with full reference to the present status of information and a clear setting forth of the problem in restricted form, an indication of the point of attack, and the general method of procedure. From an administrative standpoint this is found by directors to be increasingly important, serving to maintain latitude and direction without unnecessary restriction. The office has compiled a list of.the station bulletins from their beginning, at the suggestion of the director of scientific work. This makes a voluminous document, but should be helpful as a check list and as a means of determining when and where specific investiga- tions were carried on and published. The chief of the office has continued to cooperate with the standing committee of the Association of Land-Grant Colleges on experiment station organization and policy, and with that on projects and correlation of research. PROBLEMS OF ADMINISTRATION. Many administrative problems continue to surround the stations, and these have been the object of considerable attention. Emphasis has continued to be laid on the distinctive place of the experiment station in the scheme of the agricultural college. This calls for an organization and administration to deal with its work and the gen- eral promotion of its welfare. There is still opportunity in some cases for the perfection of the station organization, the recognition of its distinct field, and the direction of its energies in the most profitable channels. Not only the conservation of its resources, both technical and financial, but the development of an esprit de corps and of a consciousness of membership in an organized branch of effort, - are implied in the type of organization advocated. In some cases there has been little progress in the direction of closer unity of pur- pose and responsibility to the station and its constituents as a whole, while the division of former departments and the multiplication of units has sometimes tended to diffuse and segregate interest. It has led also to a less distinct recognition of the special field and function of the station as an agency primarily for research. The combination of the office of dean and director has not always worked advantageously to the station, and has been the subject of no little comment on the part of the office. Frequently it is not adequate to the needs of the station for administrative attention, and it does not necessarily result in the selection of a person especially compe- tent by training and experience to exercise leadership in research. Such a form of organization may affect the office in its relations with the stations connected with large colleges. Unless an associate is 582 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. provided to follow the affairs of the station, there is scant time for adequate consideration of matters which are fundamental to a studied program of operation and the highest effectiveness of the station. Without provision for adequate study and attention to sta- tion affairs, the conditions for growth are not favorable and in- creased funds will not necessarily mean larger effectiveness. In its dealings with the stations, the development of local leader- ship has been urged by the office as one of the fundamental require- ments. This relates not only to lines of work and the organization of projects around problems too complex for a single division, but to the work of the station as a unit. It is contended that adminis- tration has its function in research as in every other organized effort, and this implies more than the routine of correspondence, reports, allotment of funds and approval of vouchers. Training and insight which enable critical judgment, the exercise of a sympathetic and appreciative attitude, and vision of possibilities and means of accomplishment, are important assets in the administration of a research institution. These things are of vital importance, as is evident when a national view of the situation is taken; and this has led to the pointing out of weaknesses and the urging of a stronger organization. In a number of cases the station organization has become quite loose and is little more than a nominal one. In such cases the station has little cohesion or existence as a definite institution or department, but stands as an aggregation of separate divisions having little interest in common. To an extent this may result in the obliteration of boundaries or distinctions between the station functions and those of other branches of the institution. Some tendency in the latter direction is developing in relation to the graduate school, to which attention has been directed by the office. The employment by the station of students engaged in graduate work in the college has grown from small proportions to a quite widely recognized practice. Statistics collected show that at least half the stations are now making use of graduate students in their work, the number being as high as 15 in some stations. Com- monly such graduate students receive pay for their labors, and they are often given the rank of research assistant in the station staff. Many stations use for these scholarships funds assigned to the sta- tion for research, the amount ranging in individual cases from a few hundred dollars up to as much as $15,000 a year. Wherever the Federal funds have been so used, special attention has been given to the nature and amount of the services rendered, and in some individual cases objection has been made to the practice. The experiment station laboratories and problems may on occa- sion offer special opportunity for the graduate student, the station may be able to utilize such services to its advantage in prosecut- ing its problems, and in general it is to the interest of the stations to encourage graduate study along agricultural lines as a means of increasing the supply of trained investigators. But this, it is con- tended, ought not to result in any confusion of function, or to be done at any sacrifice of the station’s funds or the provision of a competent staff of workers. Reliance upon such help in place of trained assistants and more continuous service is advised against. STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 583 and is not in accord with the expectations in maintaining an ex- periment station as a competent going institution. Another matter to which effort has been directed is the securing of a more definite and exact exposition of the financial resources of the stations for research. Conditions have left considerable to be desired in this respect. This is especially the case with certain stations where there are difficulties in drawing the lines between the research activity and other activities of the college, or where there have been turned over to the station large regulatory, commer- cial, and other enterprises. A clearer determination of the funds actually available and employed for constructive inquiry will enable more critical examination of their use and develop more definitely the actual need for added support. It will furthermore avoid error in the public mind as to the support already accorded. It is planned to inaugurate a classification of returns in connection with the annual financial report which will make possible a more reliable interpretation of the amount and use of non-Federal funds. EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. During the year volumes 47 and 48 of the Record were com- pleted, each consisting of the usual nine numbers and an index number. No large deviation was made from the prevailing policies relative to the periodical, about 92 per cent of the space available being utilized for the presentation of technical abstracts of the cur- rent scientific literature pertaining to agriculture, and the remain- der to monthly editorials discussing problems relating to the promo- tion of agricultural education and research and brief notes on the progress in these subjects at home and abroad. The primary function of an abstract journal such as the Record is, of course, to conserve the time of investigators, teachers, and other workers interested in the current and previous literature in their respective fields. The magnitude of this task for the individual under present-day conditions may perhaps be better appreciated when it is stated that in the case of the Record an average of about 200 periodicals are examined daily, together with fully 9,000 books, pamphlets, and similar publications each year. From this great bulk of material a total of 6,644 articles, aggregating nearly 300.000 printed pages, were selected for abstracting, reduced during the process to about 13 lines per abstract, and assembled in classified form to make a total for the two volumes of only 1,653 pages. When it is recalled that these publications originate all over the world and appear in more than a dozen foreign languages, the need for a service of this sort from a centralized agency becomes ap- parent. In the case of the Record the mere assembling of the raw materials is in itself a large undertaking and one which would hardly be feasible but for the resources and facilities of the depart- ment library and the active cooperation of its staff. With the beginning of volume 47 the listing in Experiment Sta- tion Record of the various scientific contributions of members of the department to outside publications was discontinued. A similar list is compiled by the staff of the Official Record, and as this periodical appears weekly more prompt dissemination of the information is secured through this channel. 78007—aar 1923 38 584 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Preparation was resumed of the revised list of abbreviated titles of periodicals used in the Record, for which many requests have been received. The revision was nearing completion at the end of the year, and its early distribution was anticipated. Following the issuing of more rigid restrictions as to the free dis- tribution of the department’s periodicals a revision of the Record mailing list was completed. Requests for both current and back numbers of the publication have been unusually numerous, especially within recent months, indicating that it is continuing to render a service which is being much appreciated. DIVISION OF INSULAR STATIONS. WALTER H. Evans, Chief. The agricultural experiment stations maintained by the Depart- ment of Agriculture in Alaska, Hawaii, Porto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands of the United States are administered by the Division of Insular Stations of the Office of Experiment Stations. The policy laid out for these stations when they were established was the development and diversification of agriculture of their re- spective territories. At that time Alaska had no agriculture; that of Hawaii, Porto Rico, and the Virgin Islands centered on sugar pro- duction; and that of Guam was in a very primitive condition, with many of the ranches abandoned and food production at a low state. By consistently following the original policy the stations have ac- complished a great deal, and new agricultural industries have been established, some of which are in a flourishing condition. During the past year all the projects of the stations were reviewed and a number were suspended or terminated. An effort is being made to concentrate on fewer projects and to bring some of them to a conclusion, so that other pressing problems can be given atten- tion. Practically every station is in need of a larger income, so that the work may be properly developed. The incomes of the several sta- tions for the fiscal year 1923 were: Alaska, $75,000; Hawaii, $50,000; Porto Rico, $50,000; Virgin Islands, $20,000; and Guam, $15,000. These sums have not been changed since 1920, except that the appro- priation for Guam was reduced $10,000. During the war period miscellaneous expenses were kept as low as possible, and many de- sired buildings and repairs were deferred to a more propitious time. Following this policy, during the fiscal years 1918 to 1922, the sta- tions returned to the United States Treasury $11,618.54 and there was deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts derived from the sale of products $32,709.67. The officers in charge of the stations report very urgently needed improvements. At the Fairbanks sta- tion the log buildings erected in 1907 are deteriorating rapidly, and there is need of more cleared land at the Fairbanks and Matanuska stations to supply pasturage and feed for the rapidly increasing herds and flocks. The Guam station is in need of additional build- ings, and the animal husbandman in charge of the station reports that the damage done by the typhoon of March 26 probably would not have been so great had it been possible to keep the buildings and fences in good condition. The Virgin Islands station is sorely in need of adequate water storage to carry it over periods of light STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 585 rainfall such as have prevailed here for the past three years. The Hawaii station needs funds for sanitary sewers to connect with those of the city of Honolulu, which has grown up to and is surrounding it on two sides. A few changes in personnel took place during the year. The vacancies reported last year have not been filled through a lack of funds to pay adequate salaries. Not one of the stations is fully manned at this time. ALASKA STATIONS. The climatic conditions in the interior of Alaska during the sum- mer of 1922 were very unfavorable for crop production. An un- precedented rainfall of 5.37 inches at Fairbanks in July, accompanied by an unusual number of cloudy days, retarded normal development of all crops, and frosts during the last week of August destroyed all grain crops in the fields. About 200 acres had been seeded to grain in the Tanana Valley, and after the frost the crops were cut and made excellent hay. At the Fairbanks station some of the grains seeded in small plats matured a portion of their seed. This enabled the station to maintain seed of some of the valuable hybrids with which it was experimenting. Through the Farmers’ Cooperative Association about 50 tons of seed grain was secured from the Dakotas for seeding in 1923. Conditions were as unfavorable for grain at the Rampart station as at Fairbanks. In the Matanuska Valley conditions were similar to those in the Tanana Valley, but being considerably farther south the frost damage was not so severe and some crops matured in the fields at the station and elsewhere. In the plat trials at the station, sufficient grain matured to insure the continuation of most of the hybrids that were under trial. Root crops did better than grains, though the potato crop was lowered in quantity and quality by the unfavorable season at the interior stations. Hardy alfalfas and grasses, especially Bromus inermis, were favored by the heavy rainfall and produced excellent crops, though they matured less seed than usual. Several strains of alfalfa survived the winter at the Matanuska station. Canada field peas made vigorous growth in the Matanuska Valley, but did not mature and were cut for hay. The work at the Sitka station was continued along horticultural lines. the climate of southeastern Alaska not being suited to grain farming. Experiments in producing hardy varieties of strawberries by crossing commercial varieties with the hardy native species have progressed to a stage where some of the hybrids are being given wide trial, and although they were produced in the coast region several have proved winter hardy at the stations in the interior of the Territory and elsewhere. Considerable attention is given to the production of new varieties of potatoes through the growing of seedlings. Out of about 200 seedlings some very promising forms have been secured that will be given a wide trial to determine their adaptability to Alaskan conditions. The livestock work at Kodiak has been reduced, as the income of the station would not permit its continuance on the previous scale. 586 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The number of purebred Galloways has been reduced by sales, and the station now is maintaining only enough to continue its experiment in the production of a hardy milk cow by crossing the Galloway and Holstein breeds. Although this experiment has been in progress since 1916, developments have been very slow, owing to the limited number of animals available and the fact that about 75 per cent of all calves have been males. There are now three crossbred heifers in milk, and their milk production appears to be about midway between the records of the purebred herds. All the crossbred animals have the rangy bodies of the Holstein breed and the black coats and polled characters of the Galloways. As a result of the reduction in the station herd the stock is now quartered at Kodiak and the Kalsin Bay station has been closed, temporarily at least. The present pure- bred herd at Kodiak consists of 7 cows, 2 bulls, and 4 calves of the Galloway breed and 4 cows and 2 bulls of the Holstein breed. Of the crossbred animals there are 5 heifers and 2 bull calves. The best of the sheep in the Kodiak flock were sent to Matanuska, where they are doing exceedingly well, an increase of 100 per cent being re- ported in 1923. The Milking Shorthorn cattle are proving well adapted to the regions of Fairbanks and Matanuska. With the in- crease in the herds at Matanuska and Fairbanks there is an immedi- ate need of more cleared land for pastures and for the production of hay. At Kodiak additional land was added to the station in 1922. Fencing and clearing was begun, and it will soon be possible to pro- duce all the pasturage and silage needed without having to cut grass in widely scattered areas and bring it in by boat. The work at the Rampart station has been temporarily reduced to growing in small quantities the hybrid grains and the forage crops that have been under test at that place. This station seems especially adapted to work of this character. Pending the resumption of plant breeding the station is in charge of a caretaker. Beginning in May, 1923, the stations have taken up cooperative and demonstration work with farmers in the more developed val- leys of the Territory. M. D. Snodgrass, who was for seven years in charge of the Fairbanks station and previously in charge of the Kodiak station, was appointed to have immediate charge of this work, and he will visit the different localities, so far as possible, and advise the farmers and homesteaders concerning their problems. It is expected that he will establish cooperative tests of grains and vegetables in many places and thus gain information regarding their adaptability much more rapidly than formerly. Supplies of seed were furnished him and the work was begun very auspiciously. It is believed that this new enterprise will prove popular and of great advantage to the farmer settler. HAWAII STATION. The station is continuing its efforts to develop agricultural in- dustries that will supplement the growing of sugar cane and pine- apples and make the islands less dependent upon the mainland for their necessities. It is well recognized that dependence could not long be placed on sugar and pineapples to maintain the people in case of isolation, and consequently the station is trying to solve some of the principles underlying the production of minor crops in the STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 587 hope that under normal conditions the surplus could be exported and under stress they would serve to feed the population. When the station was established pineapple production was in its infancy. One of the earliest investigations undertaken was that of the disease known as pineapple yellows. It was found that the trouble was due to an excess of manganese in the soil, and that spraying the affected plants with a solution of iron sulphate would control it. This can be done at small expense and has made possible the replanting of more than 10,000 acres on which pineapple growing had been aban- doned. ‘The growth of the pineapple industry is shown by the fact that exports in 1903 were valued at $7,500 and in 1921 at $29,841,- 000. The horticulturist continued his investigations on tropical fruits and especially of their propagation. During the year a modified tongue graft was found adapted to the propagation of the mango, 96 per cent of the grafts proving successful as compared with 50 per cent for the best method previously employed. Attention has been turned to banana growing as a possible industry, and a collec- tion of 35 varieties has been brought together for further study. Among them are a number of native varieties that have never come into commercial planting, and some of them appear to be very prom- ising. The station has introduced a number of late fruiting avoca- dos to secure a continuous supply of that fruit throughout the year, the ordinary varieties maturing fruit only during the sum- mer season. The avocado has a high content of fat and attempts are being made to utilize surplus fruits in various ways. The Zante currant, or the currant grape of Greece, has been successfully intro- duced, and an attempt is being made to establish its culture on the semiarid hillsides and mountain sides which are of frequent occur- rence throughout the island. For several years considerable attention has been given to the growing of acid limes, not only to supply local demands but as a possible source of citrate of lime and citric acid for export, and the variety Kusaie has been extensively propagated and distributed as the best for Hawaiian conditions. The agronomist has given especial attention to the development of coarse forage grasses to be cut green and fed to dairy stock. A rapidly growing plant that can be cut frequently is required for this purpose. It has been found that Uba cane apparently meets the re- quirements. In cooperation with the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Experiment Station successful attempts were made to hybridize Uba cane with pollen from some of the best varieties of sugar cane. Uba cane seldom flowers in Hawaii, but the station overcame this difficulty and a number of hybrids are being tested for forage and for sugar production. Considerable attention is being given to crops adapted to rotate with sugar cane and pineapples. Pigeon peas have given very promising results in rotations with pineapples. Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) has been found excellent as a green manure crop on exhausted pineapple lands, and demonstrations with it are in progress on the various islands. Hybridizing and selection work with Guam and other varieties of corn and the seedling pro- duction of sweet potatoes have given excellent results, and some well- fixed strains have been secured for wide trial by the growers of these crops. 588 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The chemical department has devoted much time to study of the utilization of surplus fruits, vegetables, etc., and has been in- strumental in developing a starch industry as well as industries for the preservation of various fruits. Preliminary experiments have shown that there is probably no basis for the rather common belief that locally grown vegetables are deficient in iron and other mineral substances, and that, therefore, imported vegetables have a higher nutritive value. The extension activities organized in 1914 have been extended to cover all the larger islands, and helpful contacts have been estab- lished with various agricultural interests. An agent on the island of Hawaii has charge of the Glenwood demonstration farm and he visited all important localities and assisted in the solution of some of their more pressing difficulties. At the Haleakala demon- stration farm on Maui work is in progress to show what crops are adapted to that homestead area, and some assistance has been given to school clubs and home gardeners. Preliminary work with boys’ and girls’ clubs gave such promising results that a full-time leader to develop this work was appointed in April and a number of clubs have been organized. A part-time collaborator carried on demon- strations of the use of locally grown food products, especially of some of those less widely known, and an average of more than 500 contacts with parents of various nationalities were established monthly. The campaign also included efforts to encourage the wider use of milk and milk products which are not sufficiently used in the diet of many of the people. PORTO RICO STATION. The Porto Rico station is endeavoring to withdraw from the ex- tension field in favor of local agencies and is devoting its energies more and more to the solution of various problems connected with the diversified agriculture of the island. The insular bureau of agriculture is expanding and as rapidly as it is prepared to do so is taking over the extension work, the station being called upon to act as technical adviser and instructor of the various local agents. Ever since the establishment of the station attention has been given to problems connected with the management of soils under tropical conditions. The former chemist has completed a series of reports on the reaction of soils to various amendments, and in his last contribution gave an account of the efficiency of phosphatic fertilizers in Porto Rican soils as influenced by liming and by the length of time they remain in the soil. The character of the soil was found to materially influence the availability of added phos- phates and the effect of the different phosphates varied widely under the conditions of the experiments. The relation of the lime requirement of soils to the efficiency of phosphates was determined for a number of typical soils. In another investigation reported by the chemical department of the station, certain nitrogenous fer- tilizers were found to favor the development of chlorosis in rice, either through their action on the plant or by rendering the iron in the soil unavailable. Nitrates in general were found less suitable for the fertilization of young rice plants than were the ammonium salts used. STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 589 The station continued its efforts for the control of cattle ticks which started with the construction at the station of the first dip- ping tank on the island. There are now nearly 200 public and private dipping vats in the island and sentiment is believed to have been developed that will result in an eradication campaign by the insular authorities in the near future. Following the cleaning up of individual plantations, the livestock industry, and especially dairying, has received a great impetus and many purebred animals are being introduced. The station showed the value of purebred sires in the upgrading of its dairy herd, which now consists mostly of three-quarters or seven eighths grade Guernseys. The milk pro- duction of the grades largely exceeds that. of a number of native cows whose records were obtained. In the rapid development of the cattle industry that has taken place during the last few years the activity of the station in the in- troduction and dissemination of improved forage plants has played an important part. Napier or elephant grass, Guatemala grass, and velvet beans, all of which were introduced by the station, have proved well adapted to local conditions, and many individual plant- ers now have large acreages of each from which their neighbors can obtain seed and cuttings for planting. Another important intro- duction was Uba sugar cane, which is not affected by the mosaic disease that is so destructive to many of the varieties commonly grown. The first of this variety of cane grown in Porto Rico was introduced by the station, and extensive trials have shown that in addition to being resistant to the mottling disease, or mosaic, it tillers well and produces a high tonnage of cane. On the higher lands, where the standard varieties can not be grown at a profit, Uba cane is giving excellent results. The station has continued its activities in the production and testing of seedling varieties of sugar cane, and during the current year about 15,000 seedlings were pro- duced from which to make selections. New seedling varieties are rapidly replacing the old ones which have deteriorated from various causes. In 1909 the station began an experiment in growing vanilla in Porto Rico, and it reports that one planter has now 10 acres of old coffee land planted to vanilla. In 1922 he harvested from 2 acres of vanilla, planted in 1918, and from scattered plantings just coming into bearing, 850 pounds of cured beans for which he received $4 per pound. Vanilla culture has been found quite profitable in connec- tion with the renovation of coffee plantations, and a number of planters are taking up this new industry. A very satisfactory experiment in the control of citrus scab was conducted during the year. More than 3,000 grapefruit trees were sprayed four times with Bordeaux mixture to which 0.5 per cent of oil emulsion was.added, with the result that the sprayed trees produced fruit, 94.4 per cent of which was entirely free from scab as compared with less than 10 per cent clean fruit from the unsprayed trees. Tobacco manufacturers in Porto Rico often experience heavy losses due to the tobacco, or cigarette, beetle. So great was the damage done by this pest that one of the largest manufacturers of cigars enlisted the station in an investigation of the matter and financed cooperative experiments in the fumigation of all its factories and 690 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. warehouses. Examinations made subsequent to the final fumigation showed that the manufactured cigars were free from beetles, as was also the baled tobacco, the hydrocyanic-acid gas having completely penetrated the bales. The station continued its plant-breeding work along several lines. A very prolific white-seeded strain of a black bean from Venezuela has been obtained. The mango orchard has been extended and the station now has about 60 varieties of introduced mangoes, many of which are coming into bearing. Studies are made of the character of the different fruits and the possibility of their utilization by ship- ping to the mainland or by canning or preserving. Successful efforts have been made to can mangoes, and a very attractive product that retains its flavor has been produced. Investigations of some of the factors which influence the price of Porto Rican citrus fruits are in progress, and a large amount of data has been secured on the effect of temperature, humidity, ventilation, and other conditions on the quality of the fruit when it reaches the mainland markets. GUAM STATION. The island of Guam was visited by a destructive typhoon on March 26, 1923, and much damage was done to buildings, fences, and crops. The animal husbandman in charge placed the damage to the station property at $8,000. As the regular appropriation to the station was not sufficient to meet the expense, $5,000 was transferred to the station from department funds, under authority given in the act making appropriations for the department. Immediate tem- porary repairs were made to protect the station property, and the permanent restoration of the buildings and fences is being pushed as rapidly as materials can be obtained. During the year the animal husbandman in charge of the station made a visit to the Philippine Islands, where he had opportunity to confer with the insular authorities regarding experiment station matters and to secure a large amount of information and material that it is believed will be of value to Guam. Arrangements were made for the inspection and fumigation of a large quantity of economic plant material that was taken to Guam and provision was also made for future supplies of the same character. The reduction in the appropriation has made it impossible to fill the positions of agronomist and horticulturist and of extension agent. The work is maintained as far as possible by the animal husbandman in charge, with such assistants as he can obtain locally, none of whom has had much scientific or technical training. The station continues to be about the only source from which animals for breeding purposes can be obtained, and as a consequence its work in up-breeding horses, cattle, swine, goats, and poultry is being given special attention. One of the greatest difficulties met with in stock raising in Guam, aside from the degenerated stock, is the absence of suitable feeds. In connection with the breeding work, experiments in feeding are in progress with all types of animals to determine the possibility of substituting local feeds that may be available in quantity for the high-priced concentrates that are brought from the States. The results of experiments with horses, STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 591 in which copra meal was substituted for part or all of the grain feed, appear to indicate that copra meal can not be substituted for the entire grain ration, but it can replace a portion of it, probably up to 50 per cent. With cattle, copra meal, as a portion of the concen- trate, has given economical results, since it can be secured at a very low price. The use of a small amount of concentrate with cows on an exclusive green-forage ration was followed with an increase in milk throughout the entire period of lactation. With swine, a ra- tion consisting of two parts cooked breadfruit, one part damaged rice, and one part copra meal, together with 3 to 4 ounces tankage per head daily, proved a satisfactory ration for dry sows and mature boars during a feeding period of 125 days. The poultry work has been reduced to experiments in breeding, particularly an attempt to develop a new breed through the crossing of the Rhode Island Red with a selected strain of white native hens. The first cross has resulted in more vigorous and livelier fowls than the Rhode Island Reds but of poor egg-laying qualities. All sorts of colors of plumage were obtained. In the second gen- eration crosses some pure white birds have been secured. The work with purebred Rhode Island Reds is progressing satisfactorily and through continued selection a flock of high producing fowls has been developed. Surplus breeding stock was disposed of through boys’ and girls’ poultry clubs. In the forage-crop investigations, grazing and feeding tests were made with Napier, Guatemala, and Para grasses, and Japanese cane. It was found that Napier grass made the quickest growth, and that it should be cut when from 36 to 45 inches in height, otherwise the stems become woody. Guatemala grass remains succulent much longer and may be cut at a much later stage. The season was favor- able for the growth of grasses and large yields of green forage were obtained, 83 tons per acre for the third cutting of Guatemala grass and 68.5 tons for the second cutting of Napier grass. Japanese cane gave 87.5 tons for its second cutting. The corn work was confined to improvement. Oo iw) BO ac 978]... ..-|15, 848)... 232, 841 Pye"? Wag): as New York......./419 Niagara Falls....|..-.|...]. Philadelphia. .... saul eee Port Huron). 22... ae Portland, Oreg..-|...|.-.| IRIGHIOLG eee cee Stclllatel San Francisco.... Seattle--...2.scae FPAeS a) so selena See act Sl Sst sin |e cstg cee | ieee | eel ae 231 THALY | eecchrcio se cece Cine [octet Oe oe le nee | eee meena VSO) TAB os sacs lone eels eal=elec eee lect 334 Japan: \ostee eee oe este cee | near [sees Iie Sel eee ia See | cement ane eo tea lenmees 791|. 791 Scotlands saree teeter PLS sere D0 aaa sloence seme Pity (OA Cee el halle eallas- _ 3,413 SST pre ate se elem er ate eae | sae 4 S05 | corse aera ito lberiveleses ae BL seve slee'| nearer | lace 7, 433 Switzerland. seers aici apven cA loacer Ee ede Sse ase ZO | Sore ost erersote apes [etre ese [ears (eee 185 Wises -ccie cenecre eects Ve acavofall acre eral) care iG | area | ecenerere eeereeneks BANS Coc be nar [aice tess pele 44 TOUH hencn ene ncsomee '8, 030)7, 664/19, 728|1, 197|1, 062/21, 473/57, 239|16, 350/17, 774/760)791/33}158|818/153, 077 1 if TABLE 10.—Imports of cottonseed, seed cotton, and cottonseed products, 1922-23. Port of entry. Boston CaIOXICOl Lc os oo eines cnislscisinicineaatle ws oajnaceucisiss'e'alelaie aly 'e Eagle PassS....-.--------e- cece eee eee cee e eee e ce ceneee 1 Shown in cotton tables as 7,964 bales of unginned cotton. Cotton- seed. 24, 731 Seed cotton. 15,973 Cotton- Cotton- seed cake. | seed meal. Tons. Tons 769 10 yea a Pri Ws Some 9 eB 1,171 10 642 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. IMPORTATIONS OF FRUITS path. aati UNDER QUARAN- The entry of fruits and vegetables from Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Canal Zone, Costa Ric and Java is restricted under a Q India, Philippine Islands, Ceylon, uarantine 49, on account of the black fly. The records of importations under this quarantine for the year are given in the following tables: TABLE 11.—Fruit and vegetables imported under Quarantine No. 49 during fiscal year ended June 80, 1928, by countries of origin. Philip- 4 Baha- Costa ‘ P Kind. Canal Zone. : Cuba. Jamaica. pine mas. Rica Islands. Avocadoes.......... crates. - 8) | acca tou ealsewneeetece 57, 092 Oi lew eOne Bananas.......... bunches 52 563,300 | 3,485,756 | 1,742,519 | 10,033, 261 10 IRGENSS oo Sete cincset Cravess:. | sl eate |e eee eee | see eee SIG Hera dtecons|teeerees Beets...... te) 88) cepatesoms (ecnarencace DOOM BEE. Se cccs s|poecmeae Carrots;. 3 ses. Ae do a 1 een ¢ hd men BE Rae ore eee) eee Cassava Son isccctee do bo Lesa aces pee ae eee D488 ee ce ee A ee @oaconuts. ...se ens number. 15,150 | 14, 869, 444 138, 360 | 1,206,200 | 21,211,577 |........ Gopra 3... s eee aeshsa2 oes =e LS. acseeutaer 100 YO 3 5 el apa Cucumbers......... YATES ©. | 22-2 eee < dee tea eetai ae | ielei sige BVH (bP he ic eh ol eee | Wee plants. ccoeoeeee ro Poe ORY & Ae Poe SS Sr [el ae G45 208 Se Re. BS ee Grapefruit........3.6. do 350! | ic Secs siee 567 261, 653 593) Iie nee Lima beans.......... (0 (0 See) Ree ne aie (ee Ye ee see POSES Mee eee hele es Dimess 4. sees MOL ee Ale eee os Sai] = Reese 388 181 82) oes | Malanvasteestseccere GOe sl sa. fo te sl onemee neem leeseee acres [hs Ou BEABRR SACS cee ae | Mammeas..........-. do 7 RS Ae A A tea ae fs 0 al eee epee a ee eet Mangoes)... SUL. GO, WOES. Wes P a CS | See 8, 638 207 1} Okra eos cetoceeaee Deen Sooo ce sacl Accs setowre el leaeaeie emote W197 (esctece cscs |eermsmee Onilonss-.. shel eee GOs eel L a wice coec|oeces cao ORs cee eeeets 145108 12 oaece eestor eaeet Orangessct eee cere (6.105, Io AE Sa RO a EE he 2,702 5, 122 15796) |e = lae Parsleyc se toe eee do Gas ne Se eke et eeeee ee [S2teeserserr ren | ome Peas... coeoseceses GOS al saccg< asics ace oct geesl| bore mentee 107 5 loo lee ete Pepperseccaeteen ceeeee te) 31 fst BE oeeoene 161, 564 AAT Lents Tea Pineapples........... do... 782 1,344 23,744 | 1,377,395 O85 Oe eseea. | Plantains......... bunches. . 6 1,378 71 80, 107 TAT, Ose Pumpkins .seoee ee CYALGS Sel os sac se == |s-55 5 <>< Ce ese - Ze 215 Suh leensosee Sapodilias: .-.. 22-5. * do.. CS 1 ee ees oie el SS ee Se | O lb casecucics oelescancee SOurmSOpS:...3:.e0-0- Goseeeeee UG |. Sec.c. ck leoee osacmee 7 EU ie eam ae espe 5 ES Squashs.o-. oo. begeses Gis 2) a ree) ease oe | 2) 040 Lo eects |eectesces Tangerines........... CONN Meets: sec cc ooeccee 6 | DAG Ae cee hen see Nee i a | Pomaoesae: sees Sse LOMO ETOONO77- 25-28 ict asec loaacee neers F169! G53 || bie aeeess eee ee | Not specified... - os ¥doreee (ih (ates ae ee (Preise i tc, | 657 Sr i Miscellaneous: | | | RYUitssies cto ose doeses|saeee cs: He ch ocje al eee 143 3 canoer Vegetables....... Gover esernes cleee nec ern 184 [2 eee | Total. 57, 109 15, 824, 898: 316 FEDERAL HORTICULTURAL BOARD. 643 TABLE 12.—Fruits and vegetables imported under Quarantine No. 49 during fiscal year ended June 30, 1923, by ports of entry. | B Itim: Bost Key W ane M rid ; | Baltimore, oston, ey West,| Ange- | Miami, Wehid? Md. | Mass.’ | Fla. | Jes, | Fla. '| Orleans, alif. ° PAsvocadoess(< 5s) Bele c sce yal 2 WS; IGS 322. 2 8 22,017 BANANAS: «3.4. 44.7552. = Poe bunches. .| 2,437,200 | 1,668,736 6,262 | 11.795 | 41,404 533, 288 Beans TOI AO. A erates. 322s) aoe | Re aes ial | (eae IBGGES <8... sah ye ee aie ee OO wcd = |oen Fo ee essed aeges coc, ett: cpel. SE ee ee CATTOCS aa Sanne: ee Seen ene ee CO? os roc omen eens casieal sine sis aise aa] s semitone lec aan oete enee ee MWASSOV El d6.d20se. chi Lag ee do. ib? Her ees 2 B73! (Ua. ER EL eee CaCOnUES: joka. Hoce oa O number..| 1,493, 800 75, 000 2} O00! es acise 14,650 | 1,322,900 Capra 0.9122 9 Ee Bagel. | Uc Uir cee thd aceieh feces hae SA eee Cucumbers: :.- ..-.J223 IS 65 Cratos’) a5 te: Soleo ae Ol Sd ssseckle Soaaes 2 Pea a 29 1,241 teen: 454 34} 130 We oe 3° |gedeemtes peated pi ai 74 453° 2, Aes Mpa 6 1 cpa aA Mee 2 Pees 80, 317 48, 847 eA eee! fa 7 dhe aed, we 73 Tampa,) Seattle Fla. | Wash,| Total. POPPSlS= ac... -sseeyoee a eee doses Dy EEE Roane 2,588 PINEGADDICS- 20 na sec e oon eee eee Goss: 482 6, 887 | 1,045, 158 Elsntains. .(J0 2 5s. Be eae bunches. .|.....-..... 38 28, 227 Pum pins) 8) . 2)... 2 eee, Jo cratesielletrre: scot. |ssee ce eee 23 Sapodillac: 253 ese 2 ee eee (3 (0 Pee ey re Sy (ee eS SOWUDSOpSess 2225.2. 52. ee eee 7 RR OR pe eras a Soeerr es Nee 140 USSD: Spc oace -aercsts ce ceee meee dO: .-|Secasetieesl besoectaeeed 35 Mangerines 2 eased oe eee eee ee ro (a ea a Pet aN ae 8) 3 242 WIOMALOES =< = 5 tae eke ee eRe 0 Vs aR PR eee . nessa sean Go. -e Mangoes. 52-20 Sic aose= = baa do Okras. ... 30 2. 98 do OVONS = ..o. cn ccut en ete eomee do Oranpes.. - 3e ice eee ee do Parsl6y. ek2uc ceed eee aee eee do Peas. oe hst sores Saath Ps cee do PGPpers) 2) ocssdecetae = onsen do Pineapples 7: 1222%. J33ssese do Plantains x= % <== eee bunch Pimpkins /..332525.ests-02 crates Sapodillas.. [$7 . oman dod..t Saur'Sops!..2.-.42s:-eecames ore do.. Squash]! .. i3222h- tb see do. TAnPeOrINeS . 2. .eb-.ss-—---se0n do...-| 160 t=. 38.0 EE FEED BS TIES 5: Fa bohm ise 319, 930 sei dgyeele pe -nee 671 i a EEE EES 146 re ER Se 256 NE 644 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. IMPORTATIONS OF BROOMS AND BROOMCORN. The record kept by the board of the importation of broomcorn, including manufactured brooms, is a matter of special interest on ac- count of its relation to the important corn borer subject. (See dis- cussion under “ European corn borer,” p. 6.) A statement is given. in Table 13 indicating the quantities imported and the countries of origin of such broomcorn. As elsewhere indicated the importations. this year were unusually heavy, totaling 42,000 bales of broomcorn and 13,108 bundles of brooms—all entered and sterilized through the ports of New York and Boston, with the exception of 254 bales of broomcorn from Argentina and one bale from Australia, which were entered and sterilized at the port of San Francisco. The sterilization of manufactured brooms was limited to those, usually of large size,. which, from the nature of their manufacture, contained large ele- ments of the stalk in such condition as to be a means of carrying the larve of the corn borer. TABLE 13.—Importations of brooms and broomcorn during fiscal year ended . June 30, 1923. Country of | Country of origin. Brooms. | Broomcorn. origin. Brooms. Broomcorn. ] | | | Argentina). ssccs\sesesectectce secs] 1,935 bales. Ttaly senses seer 277 bales, 126 | 10,813 bales, } Australias. cscctlteeecsestosé ccec)s| 1 bale. | bundles, 24 package. Austria... ..32 22 493 bundles. ....| | packages. Belgium........ 1 bundle..-..... | Yugo Slavia....; 12,000 brooms. .. Germany....... 2,153 bundles. ..| 748 bales. Rimaniagessess | 2 bales, 1,899 | 8 cases, 3 bags. Hungary.....-- 480 bundles, | 28,446 bales, bundles, 2 cases. 7,500 brooms. | 2,447 bun- Spainsisssaercs | 31 bales. -....... | | dles, 51 bags, | 1 package. IMPORTATIONS OF OTHER RESTRICTED PLANT PRODUCTS. In addition to the foregoing record of plants and plant products, the board has supervised the importation under quarantine of 16,391 bushels of potatoes from Mexico, 45,121 cases of Satsuma oranges. from Japan, and to insure freedom from earth 30,549 packages of horseradish. The board has also supervised and safeguarded importation for immediate exportation in bond to other countries of considerable quantities of prohibited or restricted plants and plant products. TERMINAL INSPECTION OF MAIL SHIPMENTS OF PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS. Arrangements were made during the fiscal year 1923 by Oregon for terminal inspection of mail shipments of plants and plant prod- ucts under the authority of the act of March 4, 1915, and the ter- minal inspection points in Hawaii, Utah, California, and Washing- ton were revised. California, Arizona, Montana, Florida, Wash- ington, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Mississippi, the Ter- ritory of Hawaii, and Utah had previously, in the order named, availed themselves of the provisions of the act referred to. Such terminal inspection is conducted entirely at the expense of the States concerned and has proved to be of great value to the board in FEDERAL HORTICULTURAL BOARD. 645 the enforcement of its domestic quarantines. This is particularly true of our white pine blister rust quarantines. CONVICTIONS FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE PLANT QUARANTINE ACT. _During the year the solicitor of the department reported 49 con- victions for violations of the plant quarantine act, 11 in regard to the gipsy moth and brown-tail moth quarantine, 34 in regard to the white pine blister rust quarantine, 2 in regard to the Mediter- ranean fruit fly and melon fly quarantine, and 1 each in regard to the European corn borer quarantine and the avocado or alligator pear quarantine. Fines aggregating $1,920 and costs were imposed. NEW AND REVISED PLANT QUARANTINES. The following quarantines and other restrictive orders have been either promulgated or revised during the period, July 1, 1922, to the date of the preparation of this report, October 1, 1923: Domestic quarantines—The European corn borer quarantine, amended July 28, 1922, September 2, 1922, November 16, 1922, and March 26, 1923; the Mediterranean fruit fly and melon fly quarantine, revised October 9, 1922; the black stem rust quarantine, amended December 26, 1922; the white pine blister rust quarantine (No. 54), amended March 2, 1923; the pink bollworm quarantine, revised May 19, 1923, and amended October 8, 1923; the Japanese beetle quaran- tine, revised April 9, 1923; and the gipsy moth and browntail moth quarantine, amended June 6, 1923, and August 21, 1923. Foreign quarantines—The nursery stock, plant, and seed quaran- tine, amended October 13, 1922, and December 18, 1922, and revised April 5, 1923; the European corn borer quarantine, revised August 4, 1923; the seed or paddy rice quarantine, promulgated July 17, 1923; and the fruit and vegetable quarantine, promulgated August 1, 1928. Other restrictive orders—Regulations governing the importation of cotton and cotton wrappings into the United States, revised February 24, 1923; and regulations governing the importation of potatoes into the United States, amended January 17, 1923 (with- drawn February 13, 1923). The Federal Horticultural Board is now enforcing 22 foreign and 15 domestic quarantines. A list of the domestic and foreign quarantines and other restrictive orders as now in force follows. - 646 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. LIST OF CURRENT QUARANTINE AND OTHER RESTRIC- TIVE ORDERS. QUARANTINE ORDERS. The numbers assigned to these quarantines indicate merely the chronological order of issuance of both domestic and foreign quarantines in one numerical series. The quarantine numbers missing in this list are quarantines which have either been superseded or revoked. For convenience of reference these quarantines are here classified as domestic and foreign. DOMESTIC QUARANTINES. Date paims.—Quarantine No. 6: Regulates the interstate movement of date palms and date-palm offshoots from Riverside County, Calif., east of the San Bernardino meridian; Imperial County, Calif.; Yuma, Maricopa, and Pinal Counties, Ariz.; and Webb County, Tex.; on account of the Parlatoria seale (Parlatoria blanchardi) and the Phoenicococcus scale (Phoenicococcus mar- lattt). ; Haveaiian fruits—Quarantine No. 13, revised: Prohibits or regulates the importation from Hawaii of all fruits and vegetables, in the natural or raw state, on account of the Mediterranean fruit fly and the melon fly. Sugar cane.—Quarantine No. 16: Prohibits the importation from Hawaii and Porto Rico of living canes of sugar cane, or cuttings or parts thereof, on account of certain injurious insects and fungous diseases. Five-leafed pines, Ribes and Grossularia.—Quarantine No. 26, as amended: Prohibits the interstate movement of five-leafed pines, currant, and gooseberry plants from all States east of and including the States of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana to points outside of this area; prohibits further (1) the interstate movement of five-leafed pines and black-currant plants to points outside the area comprising the States of Maine, New Hamp- shire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York, and, (2) to protect the State of New York, the movement from the New England States, on account of the white pine blister rust. Sweet potato and yam.—Quarantine No. 30: Prohibits the movement from the Territories of Hawaii and Porto Rico into or through any other Territory, State, or District of the United States of all varieties of sweet potatoes and yams (Ipomoea batatas and Dioscorea spp.), regardless of the use for which the same are intended, on account of the sweet-potato weevil (Cylas formi- carius) and the sweet-potato scarabee (Huscepes batate). Banana plants.—Quarantine No. 32: Prohibits the movement from the Ter- ritories of Hawaii and Porto Rico into or through any other Territory, State, or District of the United States of any species or variety of banana plants (Musa spp.), regardless of the use for which the same are intended, on account of two injurious weevils, Rhabdocnemis obscurus and Metamasius hemipterus. Black stem rust.—Quarantine No. 38 as amended: Prohibits the movement interstate to any point outside of the quarantined area of the common bar- berry and its horticultural varieties as well as certain other species of Berberis and Mahonia, on account of the black stem rust of wheat, oats, barley, rye, and many wild and cultivated grasses. European corn borer—Quarantine No. 43 (second revision) as amended: Regulates the movement interstate to any point outside of the quarantined area of (1) corn and broomcorn (including all parts of the stalk), all sorghums, sudan grass, celery, green beans in the pod, beets with tops, spinach, rhubarb, oat and rye straw as such or when used as packing, cut flowers or entire plants of chrysanthemum, aster, cosmos, zinnia, hollyhock, and cut flowers or entire plants of gladiolus and dahlia, except the bulbs thereof, without stems, from infested areas in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, and (2) corn and broomcorn (including all parts of the stalk), all sorghums, and sudan grass from infested areas in New York, Penn- sylvania, Ohio, and Michigan on account of the European corn borer (Pyrausta nubilalis). Gipsy moth and brown-tail moth.—Quarantine No. 45, as amended: Regulates the movement interstate to any point outside of the quarantined towns and territory, or from points in the generally infested area to points in the lightly infested area, of stone or quarry products, and of the plants and the plant products listed therein. The quarantine covers all the New England States. FEDERAL HORTICULTURAL BOARD. 647 Hawaiian and Porto Rican cotton, cottonseed, and cottonseed products.—- Quarantine No. 47: Regulates the movement of cotton, cottonseed, and cotton- seed products from Hawaii and Porto Rico on account of the pink bollworm and the cotton blister mite, respectively. Japanese beetle.—Quarantine No. 48, revised: Regulates the movement inter- State to any point outside of certain portions of the counties of Mercer, Bur- lington, Gloucester, and Camden, N. J., and certain portions of the counties of Delaware, Chester, Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Bucks, Pa., of the follow- ing articles: (1) The interstate movement of green, sweet, or sugar corn; cab- bage, lettuce, and grapes; and unthreshed grains, straw, and forage crops, originating in the farm-products area is prohibited between June 15 and October 15, inclusive, except as to direct shipments from the point of production, namely, from the point where grown or a local packing house, to the point of destination outside of the farm-products area and under inspection and certifi- cation. The products enumerated may move interstate without restriction be- tween October 16 and June 14, inclusive; (2) the interstate movement of soil, compost, and manure from the farm-products area is prohibited except where absolute freedom from infestation is determined by an inspector of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, or when such soil, compost, or manure has been disinfected or treated under the supervision and to the satisfaction of such inspector; (3) the interstate movement of nursery and ornamental stock, except bulbs and cut flowers, originating within the Japanese beetle area to any point outside the farm-products area, except under inspection and certification, is prohibited, on acount of the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica). United States quarantined to protect Hawaii.—Quarantine No. 51: Regulates the movement from the United States to the Territory of Hawaii, as ships’ stores or as baggage or effects of passengers or crews, of sugar cane, corn, eotton, alfalfa, and the fruits of the avocado and papaya. Pink bollworm.—Quarantine No. 52, with revised rules and regulations: Pro- hibits the interstate movement from the regulated areas of Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico of cotton, including all parts of the plant, seed cotton, cotton lint, linters, gin waste and all other forms of cotton lint, cottonseed, cotton- seed hulls, cottonseed cake and meal, bagging and other containers of the articles enumerated, and also railway cars, boats, and other vehicles which have been used in conveying cotton and cotton products grown in such regu- lated areas or which are fouled with such products, farm products other than hay, farm household goods, and farm equipment, except as provided in the rules and regulations supplemental thereto, on account of the pink bollworm of eotton (Pectinophora gossypiella Saunders). Satin moth.—Quarantine No. 53: Prohibits the interstate movement to points outside of the infested areas in New Hampshire and Massachusetts of all species or varieties of poplar and willow on account of the satin moth (Stilp- notia salicis L.). White-pine blister rust—Quarantine No. 54, as amended: Prohibits the move- ment from the State of Washington of five-leafed pines, currant and gooseberry plants, on account of the white-pine blister rust. FOREIGN QUARANTINES. Trish potatoes.—Quarantine No, 3: Prohibits the importation of the common or Irish potato from Newfoundland; the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon; Great Britain, including England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; Germany; and Austria-Hungary, on account of the disease kown as potato wart. Mexican fruits —Quarantine No. 5, as amended: Prohibits the importation of oranges, sweet limes, grapefruit, mangoes, achras sapotes, peaches, guavas, and plums from the Republic of Mexico, on account of the Mexican fruit fly. Five-leafed pines, Ribes, and Grossularia.—Quarantine No. 7, as amended: Prohibits the importation from each and every country of Hurope and Asia, and from the Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland, of all five-leafed pines and all species and varieties of the genera Ribes and Grossularia, on account of the white-pine blister rust. : ; Cottonseed and cottonseed hulls—Quarantine No. 8, as amended: Prohibits the importation from any foreign locality and country, excepting only the lo- eality of the Imperial Valley, in the State of Lower California, Mexico, of cotton seed (including seed cotton) of all species and varieties, and cottonseed hulls, on account of the pink bollworm. Cotton and cottonseed from the Imperial Valley may be entered under permit and regulation. 78007—acr 19238 42 648 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Seeds of avocado or alligator pear.—Quarantine No. 12: Prohibits the impor- tation from Mexico and the countries of Central America of the seeds of the avocado or alligator pear on account of the avocado weevil. Sugar cane.—Quarantine No. 15: Prohibits the importation from all foreign countries of living canes of sugar cane, or cuttings or parts thereof, on account of certain injurious insects and fungous diseases. There are no restrictions on the entry of such materials into Hawaii and Porto Rico. Citrus nursery stock.—Quarantine No. 19: Prohibits the importation from all foreign localities and countries of all citrus nursery stock, including buds, scions, and seeds, on account of the citrus canker and other dangerous citrus diseases. The term “citrus,” as used in this quarantine, includes all plants belonging to the subfamily or tribe Citratae. European pines.—Quarantine No. 20: Prohibits, on account of the European pine-shoot moth (Hvetria buoliana), the importation from all European coun- tries and localities of all pines not already excluded by Quarantine No. 7. Indian corn or maize and related plants.—Quarantine No. 24, as amended: Prohibits the importation from southeastern Asia (including India, Siam, Indo- China, and China), Malayan Archipelago, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, Philippine Islands, Formosa, Japan, and adjacent islands, in the raw or unmanu- factured state, of seed and all other portions of Indian corn or maize (Zea mays L.), and the closely related plants, including all species of Teosinte (Huchlaena), Job’s tears (Coiz), Polytoca, Chionachne, and Sclerachne, on account of the downy mildews and Physoderma diseases of Indian corn, except that Indian corn or maize may be imported under permit and upon compliance with the conditions prescribed in the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture. Citrus frwit— Quarantine No. 28: Prohibits the importation from eastern and southeastern Asia (including India, Siam, Indo-China, and China), the Malayan Archipelago, the Philippine Islands, Oceania (except Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand), Japan (including Formosa and other islands adjacent to Japan), and the Union of South Africa, of all species and varieties of citrus fruits, on account of the citrus canker, except that oranges of the mandarin class (in- cluding satsuma and tangerine varieties) may be imported under permit and upon compliance with the conditions prescribed in the regulations of the Secre- tary of Agriculture. Sweet potato and yan.—Quarantine No. 29: Prohibits the importation for any purpose of any variety of sweet potatoes or yams (Ipomoea batatas and Dioscorea spp.) from all foreign countries and localities, on account of the sweet-potato weevils (Cylas spp.) and the sweet-potato scarabee (Huscepes batatae). Banana plants—Quarantine No. 31: Prohibits the importation for any pur- pose of any species or variety of banana plants (Musa spp.), or portions thereof, from all foreign countries and localities, on account of the banana-root borer (Cosmopolites sordidus). No restrictions are placed on the importation of the fruit of the banana. Bamboo.—Quarantine No. 34: Prohibits the importation for any purpose of any variety of bamboo seed, plants, or cuttings thereof capable of propagation, including all genera and species of the tribe Bambuseae, from all foreign coun- tries and localities, on account of dangerous plant diseases, including the bam- boo smut (Ustilago shiraiana). This quarantine order does not apply to bam- boo timber consisting of the mature dried culms or canes which are imported for fishing rods, furniture making, or other purposes, or to any kind of article manufactured from bamboo, or to bamboo shoots cooked or otherwise preserved. Nursery stock, plants, and seeds.—Quarantine No. 37, with regulations, re- vised: Prohibits the importation of nursery stock and other plants and seeds from all foreign countries and localities, on account of certain injurious insects and fungous diseases, except aS provided in the regulations. Under this quar- antine the following plants and plant products may be imported without re- striction: Fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other plant products imported for medicinal, food, or manufacturing purposes, and field, vegetable, and flower seeds. The entry of the following nursery stock and other plants and seeds is permitted under permit: (1) Bulbs of the following genera: Lilium (lily), Convallaria (lily of the valley), Hyacinthus (hyacinth), Tulipa (tulip), and Crocus; and, for a period not exceeding three years from January 1, 1923, Chionodoxa (glory-of-the- snow), Galanthus (snowdrop), Scilla (squill), Fritillaria imperialis (crown imperial), Fritillaria meleagris (guinea-hen flower), Muscari (grape hyacinth), Ixia, Hranthis (winter aconite), and Narcissus (jonquil, daffodil, etc.). FEDERAL HORTICULTURAL BOARD. 649 (2) Stocks, cuttings, scions, and buds of fruits for propagation. (8) Rose stocks for propagation, including Manetti, Multiflora, brier Rose. and Rosa Rugosa. ‘4) Nuts, including palm seeds, for propagation. (5) Seeds of fruit, forest, ornamental, and shade trees, seeds of deciduous and evergreen ornamental shrubs, and seeds of hardy perennial plants. Provision is also made for the issuance of special permits under safeguards to be prescribed in such permits for the entry in limited quantities of nursery stock and other plants and seeds not covered in the preceding lists for the purpose of keeping the country supplied with new varieties and necessary propagating stock. Flag smut and take-all—Quarantine No. 39, with regulations: Prohibits the importation of seed or paddy rice from Australia, India, Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, and Brazil on account of two dan- gerous plant diseases known as flag smut (Urocystis tritici) and take-all (Ophiobolus graminis). Wheat, oats, barley, and rye may be imported from the countries named only under permit and upon compliance with the conditions prescribed in the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture. European corn borer.—Quarantine No. 41, with regulations, revised: Pro- hibits the importation of the stalk and all other parts, whether used for packing or other purposes, in the raw or unmanufactured state, of Indian corn or maize, broom corn, sweet sorghums, grain sorghums, Sudan grass, Johnson grass, sugar cane, pearl millet, napier grass, teosinte, and Job’s tears, from all foreign countries and localities, except as provided in the rules and regulations sup- plemental thereto, on account of the European corn borer (Pyrausta nubilalis) and other dangerous insects and plant diseases. Mexican corn.—Quarantine No. 42, with regulations: Prohibits the importa- tion of Indian corn or maize from Mexico, except as provided in the rules and regulations supplemental thereto, on account of the contamination of such corn with cottonseed more or less infested with the pink bollworm. Stocks, cuttings, scions, and buds of fruits—Quarantine No. 44: Prohibits the importation of stocks, cuttings, scions, and buds of fruits from Asia, Japan, Philippine Islands, and Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) on account of dangerous plant diseases, including Japanese apple cankers, blister blight, and rusts, and injurious insect pests, including the oriental fruit moth, the pear fruit borer, the apple moth, etc. Citrus black fly.—Quarantine No. 49, with regulations: Prohibits the impor- tation of fruits and vegetables and of plants or portions of plants used as packing material in connection with shipments of such fruits and vegetables, or otherwise, from Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Canal Zone, Costa Rica, India, Philippine Islands, Ceylon, and Java, except as provided in the rules and regulations supplemental thereto, on account of the citrus black fly (Aleuro- canthus woglumt). Seed or paddy rice——Quarantine No. 55: Prohibits the importation of seed or paddy rice from all foreign countries and localities on account of injurious fungous diseases of rice, including downy mildew (Sclerospora macrocarpa), leaf-smut (Hntyloma, oryzae), blight (Oospora oryztorum), and glume bloteh (Melanomma glumarum), as well as dangerous insect pests, except that such seed or paddy rice may be imported from the Republie of Mexico upon com- pliance with the conditions prescribed in the rules and regulations supple- mental thereto. This quarantine is supplemental to Quarantine No. 39. Fruits and vegetables.—Quarantine No. 56: Prohibits the importation of fruits and vegetables not already the subject of special quarantines or other restrictive orders, and of plants or portions of plants used as packing material in connection with shipments of such fruits and vegetables, from all foreign countries and localities other than the Dominion of Canada, except as pro- vided in the rules and regulations supplemental thereto, on account of inju- rious insects, including fruit and melon flies (Trypetidae). Ineludes and supersedes Quarantine No. 49 on account of the citrus black fly. OTHER RESTRICTIVE ORDERS. The regulation of the entry of nursery stock from foreign countries into the United States was specifically provided for in the plant quarantine act. The act further provides for the similar regulation of any other class of plants or plant products when the need therefor shall be determined. The entry of the plants and plant products listed below has been breught under such regulation: 650 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Nursery stock.—The conditions governing the entry of nursery stock and other plants and seeds from all foreign countries and localities are indicated above under “ Foreign quarantines.” (See Quarantine No. 37, revised.) Irish potatoes.—The importation of Irish potatoes is prohibited altogether from the countries enumerated in the potato quarantine. Potatoes may be admitted from other foreign countries under permit and in accordance with the provisions of the regulations issued under order of December 22, 1913, bringing the entry of potatoes under restriction on account of injurious potato diseases and insect pests. Importation of potatoes is now authorized from the following countries: Bermuda and the Dominion of Canada; also from the States of Chihuahua and Sonora, and the Imperial Valley of Lower California, Mexico. The regulations issued under this order have been amended so as to permit, free of any restrictions whatsoever under the plant quarantine act, the importa- tion of potatoes from any foreign country into the Territories of Porto Rico and Hawaii for local use only and from the Dominion of Canada and Bermuda into the United States or any of its Territories or Districts. Avocado, or alligator pear.—The order of February 27, 1914, prohibits the importation from Mexico and the countries of Central America of the fruits of the avocado, or alligator pear, except under permit and in accordance with the other provisions of the regulations issued under said order, on account of the avocado weevil. Entry is permitted through the port of New York only and is limited to the large, thick-skinned variety of the avocado. The importa- tion of the small, purple, thin-skinned variety of the fruit of the avocado and ot avocado nursery stock under 18 months of age is prohibited. Cotton—The order of April 27, 1915, prohibits the importation of cotton from all foreign countries and localities, except under permit and in accordance with the other provisions of the regulations issued under said order, on account of injurious insects, including the pink bollworm. These regulations apply in part to cotton grown in and imported from the Imperial Valley, in the State of Lower California, Mexico. Cottonseed products.—The order of June 23, 1917, prohibits the importation of cottonseed cake, meal, and all other cottonseed products, except oil, from all foreign countries, and a second order of June 23, 1917, prohibits the impor- tation of cottonseed oil from Mexico, except under permit and in accordance with the other provisions of the regulations issued under said orders, on account of injurious insects, including the pink bollworm. MISCELLANEOUS REGULATIONS. Rules and regulations governing (1) entry for immediate export, (2) entry for immediate transportation and exportation in bond, and (3) safeguarding the arrival at a port where entry or landing is not intended of prohibited plants and plant products.—These rules and regulations, as revised August 1, 1920, gov- ern the unloading and transfer of cargoes and transportation in bond when it is determined that such entry can be made without involving risk to the plant cultures of the United States, and also provide for the safeguarding at a port or within the territorial waters of the United States where entry or landing is not intended of any prohibited or restricted plants and plant products. Rules and regulations governing the movement of plants and plant products into and out of the District of Columbia—These rules and regulations were promulgated August 26, 1920, under the amendment to the plant quarantine act of May 31 of that year. They provide for the regulation of the movement of plants and plant products, including nursery stock, from or into the District of Columbia and for the control of injurious plant diseases and insect pests within the said District. REPORT OF THE INSECTICIDE AND FUNGICIDE BOARD. Unitep States DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, INsEcTICIDE AND Funcicipe Boarp, Washington, D. C., September 8, 1923. Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith the report of the work of we Insecticide and Fungicide Board for the fiscal year ended June 0, 1923. Respectfully, J. K. Haywoop, Chairman. Hon. Henry C. Watace, Secretary of Agriculture. SUMMARY. The insecticide and fungicide board aids the Secretary of Agri- culture in the enforcement of the insecticide act of 1910. This act was designed to prevent the manufacture, sale, or transportation of insecticides or fungicides (including disinfectants) which are below the strength claimed for them, which will not accomplish the re- sults promised, which will be injurious to vegetation, or which fail to comply with any other provision of the act, the purpose being to have labels contain only truthful statements. The products regulated by this act are of varied character and used for multifarious purposes. The effect of the enforcement of this law is felt on the farm, cattle range, in the orchard, home, school, hospital, and all places where the human race is engaged in the un- ending struggle for supremacy over the armies of insects and germs, which at times take such heavy toll of life and property. All classes of people are directly benefited by the enforcement of this law. The enforcement of this law has had a marked effect upon the in- dustry engaged in the manufacture and sale of insecticides and fungi- cides, and each year sees progress in the direction of more truthful labels and a higher standard of quality in the products on the market. The industry has made tremendous strides since the inception of this regulatory work and the board is constantly confronted with new problems. Each year sees a new crop of insecticides and fungi- cides. Some represent new manufactures of the recognized standard remedies, but there is always a certain percentage of new theories of treatment represented by these new articles. ‘The board has been busily engaged in inspecting shipments and making tests to deter- mine whether the new remedies really possess the virtues claimed for them. This work necessarily takes time, but the aim is to get conclu- sive results and therefore these tests must be thorough. The boll weevil has probably been the cause of the largest number of these new theories. As the result of the widespread ravages of the cotton- 651 652 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. boll weevil, various new, so-called remedies have appeared on the market. The board has attempted to collect all of these, with the idea of submitting them to analysis and test. This is a tremendous undertaking, and it will probably take several years’ work before this situation is cleaned up and worthless preparations driven off the market. In fact, this work can not be carried to completion with our present funds, but must be pursued on a small scale until further funds can be obtained from Congress. There have been a number of preparations encountered during the year which are represented to be effective against chicken lice and mites when fed to chickens with their food or water. Tests that have been completed so far have shown the ineffectiveness of these preparations, and the board has recommended action against the manufacturers. The campaign inaugurated in 1919 and involving the inspection of the domestic supply of calcium arsenate used for cotton-boll wee- vil control was continued during the fiscal year 1923, and it was found that the composition of this article was growing more constant and satisfactory from the point of view of control and lack of burning qualities. However, enough of the offgrade material continues on the market to demand our attention. One of the outstanding new features of our control work during the past year was the investigation of large shipments of calcium arsenate sent in from abroad. Up to the present year no calcium ar- senate had been imported, but this year some large shipments came from Germany and England. Investigation showed that some of the shipments were satisfactory, while others consisted of a very poor grade of calcium arsenate that was irregular in composition and contained enough water-soluble arsenic to cause the product to be seriously injurious to cotton. Unsatisfactory shipments of calcium arsenate were, of course, excluded from the country. The campaign designed to improve the quality and labeling of Bordeaux mixture and Bordeaux-lead arsenate was continued during the fiscal year 1923 and the labels for most of these preparations _ brought in entire conformity with law. Work was continued on new brands of these preparations appearing on the market and on old brands in those cases in which it will be probably necessary to take action against the manufacturers under the provisions of the law to bring about satisfactory corrections of their labels. The campaign against so-called pine-oil disinfectants and coal-tar dips and disinfectants adulterated with mineral oil started in 1921, was continued during the fiscal year 1923, with the result that this form of adulteration has been greatly reduced. This campaign will be continued from year to year. The campaign against adulterated and misbranded disinfectants of various kinds has been continued throughout the year. Special attention has been given to pine-oil disinfectants sold for general disinfecting purposes, whereas tests had shown that the material was not effective except against a limited class of germs, paradichloro- benzene powders and blocks, erroneously sold as disinfectants, and many new disinfectants which have appeared on the market. A great improvement has been brought about, but not such an improve- ment as to warrant the abandonment of the campaign. INSECTICIDE AND FUNGICIDE BOARD. 653 The campaign started during the fiscal year 1919 against insect powders adulterated with daisy flowers and insect flower stems, was continued during the fiscal year 1923. This campaign will be con- tinued from year to year. _ These are a few of the more important activities of the board dur- ing the year, in addition to which there was a large amount of in- spectional work required to determine whether the more commonly used remedies were being maintained at the proper standard to ren- der them safe and effective. The inspectional records also reveal that a large number of insecticides and fungicides that had not been pre- viously brought to the attention of the board were collected by our inspectors during the year. It is the experience of the board that the consumers of this class of materials are too ready to purchase untried remedies, which too often results not only in the loss of the purchase price, but more im- portant, the failure to control the conditions sought to be remedied, with the attendant damage to crops or health. It would be well for consumers to be assured of the safety and effectiveness of these new preparations before substituting them for the standard remedies which have proved their worth under practical conditions. The worth-while developments in insecticides and fungicides are practi- cally invariably the result of study by trained investigators, and the easy and simple control methods which frequently appeal to the con- sumers are often advocated without a sufficient attempt to demon- strate the real value of the treatment. Real progressiveness is de- sirable and valuable, but the hasty conclusion which abandons the old remedy for the new may too often result in great loss. There is still a large field for improvement in control methods, and there are many losses being sustained by damage from insects and diseases, but improvement can be looked for through the efforts of the scientific investigators rather than through the discoveries of the promoters of new theories of control who have not the proper basis or training for demonstrating their theories through carefully con- ducted experiments. INTERSTATE SAMPLES. During the fiscal year the board reported to the solicitor of the department 71 cases presenting alleged violations of law, with recom- mendations that the facts be transmitted to the Attorney General to institute criminal action or seizure proceedings. Disposition was made of 221 cases by correspondence with the manufacturers. These cases presented violations which were technical only, not flagrant, or cases In which the manufacturer gave reasonable and adequate ex- planation of his failure to conform to the provisions of the act. Action was taken to place in abeyance 693 samples which upon exami- nation and test were shown to be in compliance with the provisions of the law or were from shipments of the same goods made prior to shipments for which the manufacturer had been convicted and had after citation conformed to the requirements of the law. On June 30, 1923, 91 cases were pending preliminary hearings or before the board for final action, 107 were held in temporary abeyance pending the receipt of further information or the outcome of prosecution 654 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. based on the same product or correspondence with the manufacturers, and 791 samples were undergoing analysis and test. The inspectors and sample collectors of the board operating throughout the United States collected 1,236 samples during the year. A general classification of the articles represented in the collection is as follows: : Interstate samples collected. | Number Class of samples. | of | samples. ATSEMAte OU CHICHIM sesame nse se = cece = aocicc lose cic cicincieelns ca ade ofaisi emt ape eleete elnic min = ele eterna 33: LIVER AO NBEO Soon ec ooeo sa a4 SERIE EEE hier SOs ECO IIe Rone > 24400 yao sac eee ge gen suereser see sa! | 80° Bordeaux mixture and combinations of Bordeaux mixture with insecticides..........-...-.-.. 51 Chiomnapeditinnese ss estes sociod - Saee prr be erier> - apie ome emneata= eee sap eee b= sae ki eee ie aes 10 DAS Geib CCE DSO Reeea Re SesEeee aBR pee SEE Babes seat noo eceo tS sees tec c nese ockdasesss Ha cicke 69 Dismfectants, peyuricides,spactenicides.'s3j323- 3852. 2c h ccm sa ane oo ita= 24 aoe a eee 174 Rl yapEeparanlons Oana Soccer ooo. co sci. nie Ee = se anne een aa ee eee | 59 Fish-oil and whale-oil preparations. - . - 10 Formaldehyde preparations. .......-.-. 38: Insect preparations, household use.....-. 202 Miscellaneous insecticide and fungicide preparations 169 IQTOSCMO OHA SIGHSes teas om ae 2 Saye ann oe = ine ono einiois wae abide pia ae a ee eee 3 ECOG Mite KIROESa Ios. fe Joc desc ce Sas. a acon bee. cee ate tome clea ee eiate ate ott amie rate cre ie aoe ait | 58: Lime-sulphur solution and sulphur preparations..........-..-------- 2-0-5 -- 2-22 e eee eee e eee ees 68. Wicobine ProparawlOls-oseee. hace. ca ce shen cigs ete sive cs sag erlnapilowa elas seis ener a oe eee eee 34 Parisiorean maser ee rekeeen diss too dade tooo esse ep eeeics ta. ee be ote eeenet spree a aeee = ereetee 31 Pyrouinimr and BEUSROLO DOW OCIS! x. - oe b= - as oe don ee ee ee Pee cone Pea semen en 92 MiscellamGOns sees secs See ae is SRR k CBE ticle Saree ete tastete o winters stele Oi ietatcte olefin e atalniata ate armen 5d | 1, 236 | IMPORT SAMPLES. During the year 181 official and unofficial import samples of in- secticides and fungicides were collected through the various port laboratories of the Bureau of Chemistry for examination and test by the board. Disposition was made of 169 samples. Eleven official samples were found adulterated and misbranded, and it was recom- mended that the consignments be refused entry until correctly labeled. The remaining samples were unofficial, 9 of them being found to be adulterated or misbranded, or both, and in these cases it was recommended that future shipments be detained, while 145 were neither adulterated nor misbranded. Four official samples were found to be neither adulterated nor misbranded and the ship- ments were released. SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS. The routine work necessary in analyzing and testing the official samples collected during the year by the board’s inspectors has re- quired so much of the time of the scientists of the board that little time has remained to pursue special investigations for the determi- nation of basic scientific facts necessary in the enforcement of the insecticide act. Therefore, little work has been done along this line, the work on most of the special investigations remaining at very much the same point as when reported upon a year ago. As time permitted during the year studies of the preparation, composition, and properties of certain arsenates of calcium were continued. Some further work was performed in the preparation INSECTICIDE AND FUNGICIDE BOARD. 655» of a paper which will be entitled “The Arsenates of Calcium, IJ, Equilibrium in the System Arsenic Pentoxide, Calcium Oxide, and Water at 35° (Basic Section).” This paper will not be offered for publication until certain check work can be performed. The investigations started about two years ago to determine the active principles of two species of larkspur seeds (Delphinium con- solida and LD. staphisagria) have been continued. A method of extracting and separating the oils and alkaloids on a considerable scale has been developed, and considerable quantities of oil (free from alkaloids) and of alkaloids have been separated. The oil is: now being tested against various species of insects and the chemical and physical properties of the alkaloids are being investigated. The investigation begun some three years ago to determine what changes commercial samples of calcium arsenate undergo during storage has been completed and the results published as Depart- ment of Agriculture Bulletin No. 1115, entitled “ Chemical Changes: in Calcium Arsenate During Storage.” The study inaugurated some years ago to determine the rate of loss of nicotine in potash-nicotine and soda-nicotine soaps and in papers impregnated with nicotine and to determine the effect of different types of containers on the rate of nicotine loss, the con- ditions under which loss does and does not occur, and the conditions. that will prevent loss has been completed from the chemical point of-view. ‘The results have been collated and studied and are now being prepared for publication, if publication appears to be ex- pedient. The study started about three years ago in regard to changes: on storage of commercial nicotine solutions, packed in different types. of containers, and nicotine dusts, using various carriers and packed in different types of containers, has been continued throughout the year. This work will be continued until definite conclusions. can be drawn that will enable the board to handle cases involving shortages in nicotine in nicotine solutions and nicotine filler dusts. It is often necessary to know the possible and probable rates at which samples of chlorinated lime lose available chlorine in order to be able to successfully prosecute cases based on shortage of avail- able chlorine in commercial samples of chlorinated lime. In 1921 samples of most of the commercial brands of chlorinated lime sold on the market were placed in storage and the changes in composi- tion studied from time to time. During the past year samples of known origin have been packed under commercial conditions by board chemists and the changes taking place in such samples with lapse of time are being studied. The data on this subject will be offered for publication as soon as it is completed. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 795, entitled “ The Adul- teration of Insect Powder with Powdered Daisy Flowers,” has been revised and reprinted. The plant pathologists of the board have continued investigations to determine more definitely the amount of active ingredients necessary and safe for some of the more important types of fungi- cides. This has included work principally on the various sulphur and copper fungicides. In some sections lime-sulphur solution, used at standard strengths for the midsummer application on apples, 656 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. has caused objectionable injury, and various methods of avoiding this have been recommended. We have therefore attempted to de- termine whether the recommendations for a weaker dilution for these applications might be permissible, aud whether other less injurious fungicides might efficiently be substituted in part for the lime- sulphur solution at this time. In this connection special tests are being made of the efficiency of the so-called “ dry mix,” a mixture of sulphur, lime, and casein spreader, combined with an arsenical where necessary. Studies are also being made of the efficiency and pos- sible benefit from the addition of various casein spreaders and stickers found on the market as compared to the several standard types of fungicides. For the guidance of the board in passing on directions given in labels, an investigation is being made to determine what fungicides may or may not safely be combined with calcium arsenate, and also to determine the effect of this combination on the efficiency of the fungicides as compared with their combination with lead arsenate. Investigation of the fungicidal value of various dusting mixtures, and also of the dry lime-sulphur products as compared with the liquid, are being continued. The work on the effects of proprietary preparations and various miscellaneous materials on the chicken mite has been completed and submitted for publication. Tests with the dry substitutes for liquid lime-sulphur for San Jose scale have been practically completed. The investigations of dusting mixtures containing various contact insecticides have been continued, but the great variations due to the different types now on the market have rendered the drawing of general conclusions very difficult. It is planned to carry on this work very extensively during the summer of 1924. Special attention has been given to the value of hypochlorite solutions, chlorinated lime, and the ordinary coal-tar disinfectant as remedies against house flies, and considerable progress has been made in this investigation. The scientific workers of the Bureau of Animal Industry branch of the board have made investigations to determine the active in- gredients of sabadilla seed. A series of tests has been made to de- termine the penetration of certain insecticides into the skin of ani- mals. Investigations have been made upon capsules of carbon tetra- chloride taken from lots from which capsules had been used on foxes as anthelmintics and which were thought to have caused the death of many valuable animals. Investigations have been started to find out how to differentiate between certain hydrocarbons normally ap- pearing in low-temperature coal-tar creosote and similar hydrocar- bons appearing in petroleum. The efficiency of these hydrocarbons as insecticides is under investigation. REPORT OF THE PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS ADMINISTRATION. Unitep States DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS ADMINISTRATION, Washington, D. C., September 10, 1923. Sir: I submit herewith the second annual report of the Packers and Stockyards Administration. Respectfully, Cuester Morrinu, Assistant to the Secretary. Hon. H. C. Wau.acz, Secretary of Agriculture. This is the second annual report of the Packers and Stockyards Administration, but it is the first report that covers a full year’s activities, as the packers and stockyards act had not been in effect an entire fiscal year at the time the first annual report was issued. In the first report brief reference was made to the importance of the industry affected by the packers and stockyards act, the general causes leading up to its enactment, and the general nature of the authority provided in the act. A general outline of the organization and plans for the administration of the act was given, including also a brief résumé of the chief activities engaged in during that part of the fiscal year in which the administration had functioned. During this first complete fiscal year in the development of the Packers and Stockyards Administration permanent progress has been made both in connection with the development of the organization itself and in determining the definite course that the work of the administration must necessarily follow; also the proportions the work is apt to assume have been indicated to a fairly definite degree. The constructive and helpful administration of regulatory stat- utes assigned to it has always been the aim of the Department of Agriculture. This often is not an easy task, both by reason of its inherent difficulties and scarcity of available personnel, or opposition to a law, and other conditions. It calls for something more than the holding of hearings, the issuance of complaints, the prosecution of litigation, and the entering of orders. In fact, it demands thor- ough and continued study, which involves fair-minded and competent investigations within the industry on both its practical and theoreti- cal sides. Such procedure makes law enforcement an intelligent, reasonable operation ultimately commanding the confidence of those whose con- duct it affects. Constant care and due determination to represent 657 658 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. without partiality not the interests of any class, stratum, or area, but those of the Nation as a whole can be exercised to the full extent only when the Government is in possession of full and exact facts as to the inside working of an industry placed under its supervision by reason of the fact that it is stamped profoundly with the public interest. That Congress realized the importance of complete and accurate information to guide law enforcement is indicated by the fact that in passing the packers and stockyards act it conferred upon the Secretary of Agriculture the full powers of investigation into the packing industry theretofore lodged in the Federal Trade Commis- sion. A wide variety of economic, legal, and other questions have arisen during the year, connected directly and indirectly with the administration of the law; hence, the duties imposed have been car- ried out in many directions. It has been the constant aim to bring the administration of the law as close as possible in a practical way to the markets and the people engaged in the industry. As was indicated in the first report, a need was recognized for the utmost flexibility in organization arrangements. Therefore, the work of every branch has been carried on with full cognizance of the activities of the other branches, and while the work has not been separated into projects, it has been arranged as a matter of conven- ience in the assignment of duties, and, for the purpose of this report, into divisions as outlined below, in connection with which the per- sonnel of the various divisions of the work is also given. This gen- eral divisional outline follows: (1) Administration: Stephen Bray, specialist in marketing livestock and meats, general assistant. George T. Ash, chief clerk. (2) Rates, Charges, and Registration: G. N. Dagger, agricultural economist, in charge. C. E. Miles, examiner, assistant. (3) Trade Practices: Howard M. Gore, specialist in marketing livestock, in charge. (4) Audits and Accounts: Arthur S. French, general auditor, in charge. William E. Fink, senior accountant, assistant. (5) Economics: Charles J. Brand, consulting specialist in marketing, in charge. (6) Law: Bayard T. Hainer, attorney, in charge. Lyman §. Hulbert, examiner, assistant. The work of the various divisions is discussed under these head- ings. p ADMINISTRATION. It is not considered necessary to repeat or discuss in this report the personnel and routine phases of the work that composes the usual administrative activities of the organization, but brief reference is made to one or two special features, as follows: For convenience in handling administrative matters with respect to livestock market supervision, the United States has been arranged into four geographical divisions, which are subdivided into dis- tricts. Each division is under the supervision of a division super- PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS ADMINISTRATION. 659 visor who exercises general supervision over the work of district supervisors and their assistants. The division supervisors are James Christensen, at Denver, for the western division; Dr. F. W. Miller, at Kansas City, for the central division; and W. A. Williams, at Chicago, for the northern division; the eastern division being handled from Washington. The district (local) supervisors have their headquarters at the following markets and visit all other markets at frequent intervals: Buffalo, N. Y. Kansas City, Mo. Omaha, Nebr. ‘Chicago, Il. Los Angeles, Calif. Pittsburgh, Pa. Cincinnati, Ohio. Nashville, Tenn. Sioux City, Iowa. Denver, Colo. National Stock Yards, Ill. South St. Paul, Minn. Fort Worth, Tex. New York, N. Y. South St. Joseph, Mo. Indianapolis, Ind. North Portland, Oreg. Washington, D. C. In this way the Washington general office is relieved of much de- tail work which otherwise it would have to handle. Furthermore, the administrative work, both general and special, is reflected throughout the work of all the divisions which will be discussed under separate chapters. The supervisors are the points of contact of the administration with the various agencies operating in the public stockyard markets. It is their duty to acquaint themselves with all phases of the opera- tions and personnel of the markets under their supervision, to be watchful for conditions that may adversely affect marketing condi- tions and the interests of shippers and others who patronize the markets, and to secure adjustments through informal action, when- ever possible, of complaints that they may receive. They are not confined to purely regulatory activities, but render helpful service in any way that may appear desirable. For example, during the period of serious car shortage in the fall of 1922 they rendered every service possible to shippers and market agencies and kept in close touch with the railroads and with supervisors at other markets, to- gether with the Washington office, which in turn handled such mat- ters with the Interstate Commerce Commission and the American Railway Association. Under normal conditions they have assisted in securing improved train service and other facilities for handling livestock to and from the stockyards, and they have not hesitated to place themselves at the service of shippers and market agencies in any way that would better their markets. In the report of Col. Henry W. Anderson, trustee under what is known as the “ packer consent decree,” made under date of March 21, 1923, to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, is found the following with reference to the packers and stockyards act: Its effect has been beneficial, especially upon the relations between the public and the stockyards companies, in that it had provided at each of the yards an authorized representative of the Department of Agriculture, to whom any person having complaints on any matter arising on the yards could present such complaints for adjustment. It was the general testimony of the man- agement of these yards that the supervisors appointed by the Department of Agriculture had been useful in the adjustment of such questions and in bring- ing to the attention of the management any matter which might be the subject of complaint which had escaped their attention, and that the presence of these supervisors and the knowledge that the yards were under the general super- vision of the Department of Agriculture had tended to satisfy the public, to remove irritation and complaint. 660 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. It will no doubt be of interest to state here the general plan that is followed in keeping the members of the organization and the public advised concerning the activities of the Packers and Stock- yards Administration. This is done through the issuance to members of the organization of a confidential weekly summary of its activities, and through the issuance to the public of a monthly summary of the activities engaged in by the various supervisors and officials of the administration, through the issuance of press items from the depart- ment’s press service, through public addresses made by members of the staff and supervisors as occasion requires, and through confer- ences and general correspondence conducted in the usual way. One other feature of the Washington part of the work may be mentioned. The Assistant to the Secretary, in charge of the Packers and Stockyards Administration, is also the head of the Grain Fu- tures Administration. Although the affairs of the two organizations are entirely separate and distinct and could be separated physically at any time, a very economical administration in the Washington office has been effected through single direction. In addition to the officer in charge and his secretary, the chief clerk and the clerical force in Washington constitute a joint organization and a single set of offices is used for both. Every possible duplication of person- nel or expense has been avoided, and the saving in salaries and other administrative expenses is substantial. RATES, CHARGES, AND REGISTRATIONS. During the year there have been about 400 cancellations of regis- trations, and at the same time there has been a constant stream of new registrations coming to this division for which certificates were issued. At the close of the year there were registered with the Packers and Stockyards Administration 4,002 dealers and 1,169 mar- ket agencies. In this work the market supervisors assisted very greatly. In order to provide an adequate filing system a complete alpha- betical file of registrants was prepared in addition to the numerical file and the market file. This required the keeping of card records for each registrant, so that quick reference can be had to the facts. concerning any registrant. The stockyards located at Dublin, Ga., and Birmingham, Ala., were dismissed from the jurisdiction of the Packers and Stockyards Administration during this fiscal year by orders of the Secretary of Agriculture, dated, respectively, June 27 and May 19, 1923. Seven additional yards were brought under the jurisdiction of the Packers and Stockyards Administration during this period. These yards are: Western Stockyards, Amarillo, Tex.; Pursley Stockyards, Chatta- nooga, Tenn.; Union Stockyards, Dallas, Tex.; Fort Wayne Union Stockyards, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Union Stockyards, Laredo, Tex.; Los Angeles Union Stockyards, Los Angeles, Calif.; and the Union Stockyards, Roanoke, Va. A list of stockyards subject to the jurisdiction of the Packers and Stockyards Administration at the close of the fiscal year follows: PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS ADMINISTRATION. 661 Name of yard. City Date posted. Vy SSL ORGS (a Gl ages Clie bs Se enaeReppoe seoUE shoes ooseed Jdaaate Ul oes Me) Bee eenee san Seno S July 1,1922 New iOnleans Stock: Yards) (Inc.)).b:: #..23-. £2 Jeceee 2: Avabl, Bass 2 Jeet cs ona. Nov. 1,1921 MalleriUnion Stock; Yards 22.002. ..4.;ccieais sso tose ceo Atlanta, (Gare. > ches toes eoee Do. JoawWi eatterson Commission Co: 25. .2222. 22222 ce-se eee |e =e does: hi SL. PBA Apr. 1,1922 RinGlos Menage ae MUMSADS sare sete 5 clare = ciate arc joie eemaeiaeistet= | eetees GO. fp seaeddeccdonsetgaseeee 0. PARI RTIS Ce ST OGkKa ANG COs ee ee oho eee ae LAT Ta TIS RTC eee cee cacenaare Nov. 1,1921 Union Stock Yard Co...........-- be, SEES Baltimore; 'Md!.2o...2...25-5---- Do. Union Stock Yard Co. of New Jersey. -.-.......-..------- Benning, D.C.... i Do. IBTIeRtONSLOGE YATdS COn c- nos on denser ne. aad eee eal Brighton, Mass. - . B Do. PNOPETITAIONSLOCK ViALOSs see ee cw se U eine caine ecleaweeae IB TEALOWIN ec So no ce sect Do. Houst-Yarnell Stock Wards2. .cj521. 52.22. Jf4 ages see ees Chattanooga, ‘Tenn: /:..2222t-2- Do. BUTS O VAS LOGY AlOStae eee ep ostis i =o os oa sees ene G \) SEE SEE Je osteo acae July 1,1922° Union Stock Yard & Transit Co. of Chicago............ Chicago TW 320. 3.2. tet Nov. 1,192] Cinamnati Union Stock, Yard Co....$..-..9.----9sceaeee Cineinnafti, Ohio: ..--ecn' des = Do. Cleveland Union Stock Yards Co.............-...----.- Cleveland, Obiot= ~~. .-m2- 2-2-1 Do. ColumbiaStock Yards . 5520222 2..(2a.0i we asceevsseiet Columbia} iS:iCs earths e223 Do. WDroversiUmom stock VATGS: ---c.cec sc aes o- cee vance eae Golumibus, Ohios-- o---.-ss2-ee- Do. DsilasMnion Stock Yards Cowie... ssc bee Js seccea dee Dallas, Pex. ioses-seee eee ee July 1,1922 aT SLOG Ky ANOS CO oF ae a m'm!sinis sin ops aisls sb (aiald seinieiaptele Dayton} Ohio ses ee scere ~ asa Nov. 1,1921 Denver Union sucky ard Con ies. 2 seve cgceces ee mene Meniver,(Colotp sss sckeasssesace-s Do. PHGMIGiROlpStOGKs MalGS 3st. 2c. 5 el bh = ols see. saee Detroit, Mich Ste - 22h 444255 Do. HitPasosUnion stock Wards ©0.: 2.6 652---2-pe-- secs se Bl Paso, Lex. - 2. cosesecees cscs Do. fidenandent Stock Mardsi! dU). i. ..b 22 enki elie fee eae GO. 2 aS ES Do. Evansville Union Stock Yards Co..............--.-.---- Byvansvalle, nid So. sta- anata -k Do. Fort Wayne Union Stock Yards Co..........-.....-..-- Hort Wayne, ind. = 2.2... c.qe- July 1,1922 HOT NOLES LOCK OVIALOS O02. 5 - ccin5 oe ice wis am Rees Hort, Wiorthephe@se)s.5:22-6- = Nov. 1,1921 Hostoria Union Stock Yards'Co...-..-...0.---2-8 +--+. Fostoria, Ohi0=: «4-2 se.2s55--0-= | Do. Belt Railroad and Stock Yards Co............-...------ Indianapolis indie tet. sae. Do. IN ATION AMS TOG ANOS seco es ob n te stm acon 's Newnan see ee Jacksonville, Fla.......-..------ Do. Mhoeersey Cry stock Yards’! CO. 22. 20.2.2 esse ct nent FETSEVPCLEY RIN sanssoeaess «nase Do. Kansas City Stock Yards Co Kansas City, Mop 2222: .2:402- <4 | Do. East Tennessee Stock Yards Knoxville wenn 2224522. <\- ot Do. Lafayette Union Stock Yard Co...........-.........- Lafayette, Ind | Do. UTMIONES COCKY ANG O Ole aca nen his, = ob aie ain arm = sneer oem Lancaster, Pa. Do. TaArede Winton srock Ly alGS~) 2 .os5-20c kee sede ee sees Tanedow Remorse te cat cise cine Dee. 1,1922 Los Angeles Union Stock Yards Co....-...-...-.---.--- LosyAneelesyGalif. s.4:2¢-2 . 5. - Nov. 1,1922° PEVOUIT OLMIS TOC KaNGaN COO 2 cioyere sales 6 ore = are S ayaicqure oe sete ciel tose OWISVINe eKoKee a een repo nenee Nov. 1,1921 Marion Union Stock Yards Co................--..------ Marlon Ohiger etoeecsebclnse asim Do. Memphis UmiOn SLOCK iY ALGSe on noe oe ae nee me min ieee ie Memphis; Tenn? -j....-60t<--4---| Do. Dixie National Stock Yards (ime:)s-. 5.22. 22-2 ee - | de oe (81 Dee eanctmenel oes eee Sem Se Do. South Memphis Stock Yards..........-......---------- PEG OTE ete CEC oe ee cree eS Do. Mabwankea SLOCKAMArdS COte cls to. coc 2s nce nee esacees Milwaukee, WiS- 2... 2.2 . .2-04a5- 24 SSeS Eee ODMR Eee core eet. § a oT 1, 703 $100 | $170,300 5. | 200 | 1, 000 Rea een | 171, 300 i | z A number of conferences between attorneys for certain railroads and the officials of the Department of Justice were participated in for the purpose of effecting amicable settlements of suits brought against uth railroads for violating the 28-hour law. These con- ferences resulted in securing, among others, settlement of 876 cases against the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. by the confession of judgment and the payment of a penalty of $100 in each case, amounting in all to $87,600; the settlement of 527 cases against the New York Central Railroad Co. by the confession of judgment and the payment of a penalty of $100 in each case, amounting in all to $52,700; the settle- ment of 50 cases against the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad Co. by the confession of judgment and the payment of a penalty of $100 in each case, amounting in all to $5,000; the settlement of 18 cases against the Michigan Central Railroad Co. by the confession of judgment and the payment of a penalty of $100 in each case, amount- ing in all to $1,800; the settlement of 13 cases against the Grand Trunk Railway system by the confession of judgment and the pay- ment of a penalty of $100 in each case, amounting in all to $1,300; and the settlement of 9 cases against the Wabash Railway Co. by the confession of judgment and the payment of a penalty of $100 in each case, amounting in all to $900. 708 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ACTS RELATING TO THE INTERSTATE MOVEMENT OF LIVESTOCK FROM QUARANTINED DISTRICTS, PROHIBITING THE INTERSTATE MOVEMENT OF DISEASED LIVESTOCK, AND PROHIBITING THE IMPORTATION. OF. DISEASED LIVESTOCK (23 Stat. 31; 26 Stat. 414; 32 Stat. 791; 33 Stat. 1264). Five cases involving: violations of the act of May 29, 1884 (23 Stat. 31), were reported to the Attorney General for prosecution. Of these, 1 was terminated by a fine of $100, and 1 by a fine of $100 and costs. In one case the defendant was found guilty and sen- tenced to one day in the custody of the United States marshal. Of the cases pending at the close of the fiscal year 1922, 1 was terminated by a fine of $400, 4 by a fine of $300 each, 7 by a fine of $200 each, 2 by a fine of $100 and costs each, 11 by a fine of $100 each, and 1 by a fine of $10; 8 cases were dismissed and 1 was nolle prossed. Forty-seven cases were reported to the Attorney General for prosecution under the act of February 2, 1903 (32 Stat. 791), of which six were terminated by a fine of $100 and costs and four by fines of $100, $50, $25, and $10, respectively. Two cases were dismissed, and in each of two cases reported for prosecution by indictment the grand jury returned a verdict of “no true bill.” Of the cases pending at the close of the fiscal year 1922, 13 were terminated by a fine of $100 and costs each, 27 by a fine of $100 each, and 1 by a fine of $200; 1 case was nolle prossed, 4 were dismissed, and in each of 6 cases reported for prosecution by indictment the grand jury returned a verdict of ‘‘no true bill.” Twenty-eight cases were reported to the Attorney General charging a violation of the act of March 3, 1905 (33 Stat. 1264), of which five were terminated by a fine of $100 each and four by fines of $200, $200 and costs, $100 and costs, and $1, respectively. In each of three cases reported for prosecution by indictment, the grand jury returned a verdict of “‘no true bill.” Of the cases pending at the close of the fiscal year 1922, 18 were terminated by a fine of $100 each, 9 by a fine of $100 and costs each, 1 by a fine of $150 and costs, and 1 by a fine of $50; 1 case was terminated by a verdict of ‘‘not guilty,’ 4 were dismissed, 2 were nolle prossed, and the prosecution of 1 was barred by the statute of limitations. In all, 80 cases under the animal quarantine laws were reported to the Department of Justice. Number . | | Number . ai onses: Fines. | Total. } aleaces’ Fines. Total. i 1 $1 $1 | 10 $200 $2,000 2 10 20 | 4 | 300 1, 200 1 25 25 1 400 400 2 50 100 95 100 9, 500 WFR Bees 13,396 1 150 150 | In each of the cases reported to the Attorney General for prosecu- tion under the acts of May 29, 1884, February 2, 1903, and March 3, 1905, a suggested form of indictment or criminal information was prepared and submitted therewith for use by the United States attorneys. OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR. » A 709 THE MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT (40 Stat. 755). Four hundred and ninety-two cases were reported to the Depart- ment of Justice. . Fines imposed under the migratory bird treaty act. | 1] Number | Amount || Number | Amount | of cases. | of fines. ee || of cases. | of fines. | Eptal 2 | Costs Ears 1 37.00 37. 00 | $0. 01 $0. O1 128 10. 00 1, 280. 00 47 | 1.00 | 47.00 | 82 25. 00 2, 050. 00 1 12.50 12.50 || 1 27.00 27.00 23, 15.00 345.00. || 1 40. 00 40. 00 oF | 20.00 420.00 | 16 50. 00 800. 00 1 2.00 2.00 13 100. 00 1, 300. 00 3 2.50 7.50 1 125. 00 125. 00 1 3.00 | 3.00 1 250.00 | 250. 00 2 4.00 8.00 || —— ; 72 5. 00 360.00 | es ee ee 7, 084. 01 | | In several cases defendants were sentenced to jail for terms ranging from six days to five months. Defendants were acquitted in 13 cases. THE LACEY ACT (35 Stat. 1137). Five cases were reported, to the Department of Justice. Fines imposed under the Lacey Act. | Number | Amount | | of cases. | of fines. | otal. | io in | 1 $25° | $25 | | 1 50 a | 2 75 150 | AW ts Uae 225 | PISGAH GAME PRESERVE LAW (39 Siat. 476). Five cases were reported to the Department of Justice. Fines imposed under the Pisgah game preserve law. ney Vee [ Number peanta of cases. | of fines. Total. 2 $25 $50 1 50. | 50 | nave: Jebane ne 100 | NATIONAL FOREST GAME REGULATIONS (Regulation T-1). Sixty-one cases involving hunting and fishing on national forests in violation of State laws were reported. Of these, 58 were closed, 55 by conviction and the imposition of fines, 2 by verdict of not guilty, and 1 by dismissal. In 3 cases jail sentences of 30 days each were imposed in addition to fines. 710 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Fines imposed in cases involving game violations on national forests. Number | Amount Number | Amount of cases. | of fines. Total. of cases. | offines.| Total. 2 | $10. 00 $20. 00 1 $40. 00 $40. 00 28 25. 00 700. 00 1 50. 00 50. 00 4 | 27:50 110. 00 1 55. 00 55. 00 2 | 28.00 56.00 1 | 77.20 77.20 “6 | . 28.50 171.00 1 | 84.70 84.70 1 ae 29. 00 1 87. 50 87. 50 2 | 32.50 | 65.00 || 1 | 163.00 163. 00 i 1a) 37200; | 37. 00 2 | 39.00 78.00 |! 5H cane et 1, $23. 40 UNITED STATES GRAIN STANDARDS ACT (39 Stat. 482). Consideration was given to the suspension and cancellation of a number of licenses issued under the act. The evidence introduced at hearings in eight cases involving viola- tions of section 5 of the act was examined. In six of these findings of fact were prepared and published. Two of the cases were returned to the Bureau of Agricultural Economics with the suggestion that the facts relating thereto be not published. Reports of the bureau in six cases involving the violation of section 4 of the act were considered, and, together with forms of information prepared, were referred to the Attorney General with recommenda- tions that criminal proceedings be instituted. Five of the cases were successfully concluded and the defendants fined in sums aggregating $400. The remaining case is pending. Opinions were rendered on questions arising under the act and assistance was given the bureau in drafting amendments to the regu- lations promulgated thereunder. . : THE GRAIN FUTURES ACT (42 Stat. 998). On September 21, 1922, Congress passed “the grain futures act,” the purpose of which, as expressed in its title, is the prevention of obstructions and burdens upon interstate commerce in grain by regu- lating transactions on grain futures exchanges. This act was passed to take the place of ‘the futures trading act” of August 24, 1921, declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court on May 15, 1922, in Hill v. Wallace (259 U. S. 44). The futures trading act was based upon the taxing power of Congress. The court held that it was not passed for the purpose of raising revenue, but for the regulation of the grain exchanges, and was therefore unconstitutional. The new act, in the drafting of which this office assisted, is based upon the power of Congress over interstate commerce. In due time suits were filed by the principal grain exchanges to test its constitu- tionality. The one filed by Bean hieape Board of Trade was decided by the Supreme Court on April 16, 1923. The court upheld the valid- ity of the act. The Government’s answer, which was filed by the United States attorney in the district court; and a brief which the Solicitor General of the United States filed as an appendix to his brief before the Supreme Court, were prepared in this office in cooper- ation with the attorney for the Packers and Stockyards Administra- tion. The applications of the several grain exchanges dealing in futures for designation as ‘contract markets”? under the act were OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR, Til examined for the purpose of ascertaming whether such exchanges had met the requirements of the act. . The regulations for carrying out the act were reviewed as to their legality and necessary modifications suggested. UNITED STATES WAREHOUSE ACT (39 Stat. 486; 41 Stat. 266; 42 Stat. 1282). There has been considerable activity under the warehouse act during the last fiscal year. The amendment of the act of February 23, 1923, necessitated the preparation of new bond and license forms. Various other forms were prepared in special cases under State and Federal laws. Five hundred bonds submitted in connection with applications for warehouse licenses were examined and action taken to cure such defects as rendered them doubtful of enforcement. ao regulations for cotton warehouses were reviewed in this office. PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS ACT (42 Stat. 159). An attorney from this office was assigned to assist the attorney for the Packers and Stockyards Administration in the Armour- Morris merger case. Other matters arising in the administration of the act have been referred to this office for consideration and advice. FOOD PRODUCTS INSPECTION LAW (42 Stat. 507, 532). The inspection service authorized by this law was extended to additional products during the year by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. Assistance was given the bureau in the preparation of cooperative agreements and regulations necessary to effect the ‘additional service thus provided. Several claims for inspection charges due under this law were prepared and filed in bankruptcy proceedings. COTTON FUTURES ACT (39 Stat. 476). Amendments to the regulations and a revision of the cotton stand- ards promulgated under the act were reviewed as to their legal sufficiency. In a suit between private parties (Brown v. Thorne, 260 U. S. 137), which was removed to the Supreme Court of the United States, that court held that section 4 of the act does’ not require that a memorandum of sale be signed by both parties, but is sufficient if signed by the party against whom demand is made. It was argued that the act was unconstitutional in view of the deci- sion (Hill v. Wallace, 259 U.S. 44), holding the future trading act. invalid, but the court did not pass upon that question. FEDERAL WATER POWER ACT (41 Stat. 1063). A number of opinions. prepared by the chief counsel of the Federal Power Commission on legal questions arismg im the administration of the Federal water power act, submitted to this department for consideration, were carefully examined and returned with appro- priate comment. 78007—acGr 19238 46 712 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. THE UNITED STATES COTTON STANDARDS ACT (42 Stat. 1517). Regulations prepared by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, under the United States cotton standards act, were reviewed and spemetiong made as to their legal sufficiency. oon after the act was passed the question arose as to whether it would apply to shipments of cotton made after August 1 in ful- fillment of contracts made prior to March 1 and to contracts made after March 1 but prior to August 1. The question was submitted to the Attorney General for an opinion, and he advised that. all shipments made on and after August 1 are subject to the act, regard- less of when the contract was made. CAPPER-VOLSTEAD COOPERATIVE MARKETING ACT (42 Stat. 388). A number of inquiries, oral and written, respecting the scope and effect of the act were answered. FEDERAL HIGHWAY ACT (42 Stat. 212). Project statements for 1,282 projects were reviewed during the year to determine whether the projects were eligible for Federal aid. Of these, 1,278 were approved and 4 disapproved. The 1,278 projects. which were approved involved a total estimated expendi- ture of $173,995,084.86 and Federal aid in the amount of $79,461,- 548.41 and 8,284.9 miles of road. : During the fiscal year project agreements and certificates, of .ap- proval of plans, specifications, and estimates prepared by the Bureau of Public Roads involving 1,447 projects were reviewed as to their legal form and. sufficiency, and also as to the sufficiency of their execution by the State highway departments in cases where such papers have been executed by the State authorities before sub- mission to the department. Altogether, these agreements involved 9,805.2 miles of road and a total estimated expenditure of $189,- 223,126.14 and Federal aid aggregating about $87,040,043.51. Drafts of 719 modifications or cancellations of project agreements and certificates, prepared by the Bureau of Public Roads and exe- cuted by the State highway departments or for signature by the Secretary before submission to the States, were similarly reviewed. In addition to the above, there were reviewed as to legal form and substance 73 original agreements for the construction of roads within or partly within the national forests, under the provisions of section 23 of the Federal highway act. IMPORTANT OPINION INVOLVING THE SNS EU | OF THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY On June 23, the Acting Attorney General, in response to the request of this department, rendered an opinion involving the title to and disposition of certain classes of the war materials, Squipmn eDis and supplies distributed among the States under section 5 of the act. This opinion held that the title to such road-building equipment passed to the State, subject to the obligation to use it on Federal-aid roads, and that such material becoming unserviceable for road con- struction work might be sold or exchanged, with the obligation to use the receipts either in the purchase of other equipment to be used OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR. 718 on like roads or in other ways in construction work thereon. This was the holding with respect to road-building material which was found to be unserviceable (a) because it was in such condition when delivered, (6) because not usable in a reasonable time owing to changes in the State’s road plans subsequent to the request for and delivery of the equipment, and (c) because worn out in road construc- tion use. It was held, however, that a different situation existed as to equipment found to be unserviceable because, owing to mistakes in packing or in the inventory thereof, it was in itself unsuitable for road-building work. As to equipment of this kind, it was held that the title thereto was still in the United States, the State holding it merely as gratuitous bailee, and that such equipment should either be reshipped to some officer of the United States where it could be used profitably, or in cases where it might not be so shipped profitably, it might be disposed of for the account of the United States, and that the “ proceeds”’ (R. S. 3618) of such sale to be forwarded to the department would be the selling price of the equipment, less prior freight charges thereon paid by the State. PLANT QUARANTINE ACT (37 Stat. 315). During the year 63 cases were reported to the Attorney Genera | for prosecution under the plant quarantine act of August 20, 1912, as amended by the act of March 4, 1917 (39 Stat. 1165). Of these 63 cases, 33 have been closed during the year by the imposition of fines. At the close of the fiscal year 1922 there were 40 cases pending, 22 of which have been closed by the imposition of fines ane 11 by dis- missal, nolle prosequi, etc. The record of the fines imposed in the 55 cases is as follows: Number Amount of cases. of fine. Total. 1 $1 $1 | 3 5 15 14 10 140 20 80 22 25 550 10 50 500 1 75 75 | ists Reale 4 AL OLS Ba ay | 1, 361 | | The total number of cases still pending is 37, made up of 7 of those pending at the beginning of the present fiscal year and 30 of those submitted during the present fiscal year. CENTER MARKET ACT (41 Stat. 1441). Assistance was given the Bureau of Agricultural Economics in the revision of the regulations governing, and the forms of leases, permits, etc., used in the administration of Center Market. Assistance was rendered the United States attorney for the Dis- trict of Columbia in successfully defending suits filed by one of the tenants in Center Market to enjoin department officials from ter- minating his occupancy of a stand in the market. The controvers was finally terminated by the dispossession of the tenant under land- lord-and-tenant proceedings instituted in the municipal court of the District of Columbia. 714 ANNUAL REPORTS’ OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COLLECTION AND Sa ama oe BE ITRET EXCESS PROFITS ON WOOL CLIP 1918. In the spring of 1918, the need of the armed forces for woolen clothing and other equipment, together with a world-wide shortage of wool, made necessary the taking over of the entire domestic clip of that year and the regulation by the War Industries Board of the handling of the wool by dealers. The regulations required all dealers to be licensed by the board and provided that any profits made in excess of those permitted by the regulations should be disposed of as the Government might decide. Upon the dissolution of the War Industries Board on December 31, 1918, the President devolved upon the Bureau of Markets of this department the duties of the board respecting the controlled clip. Thereafter, Congress directed that such excess profits should be dis- posed of by being paid over to the department and distributed by the department to the growers of the wool. The principal duties of the department in this regard have been, therefore, the ascer- tainment of the excess profits made by the respective dealers, the collection of such profits, and the distribution of them among the growers. In an early period of the work, certain dealers developed a deter- mined resistance to the collection by the department of the excess profits, and that spirit spread until more then 50 dealers were in- volved, most of whom have acted apparently more or less in concert. The attitude of these dealers necessitated the institution of civil actions to recover the excess profits found to have been made by them. Forty such cases have been reported to the Department of Justice and 29 are now pending in 19 Federal judicial districts, the others having been disposed of by judgment and collection or volun- tary payment, or, in cases where the defendants were so insolvent as to render collection by legal process impossible, by compromise. Preliminary to the institution of suits, this office prepared a very exhaustive memorandum on the legal authority of the War Indus- tries Board to prescribe and enforce the regulations and furnished this to the Department of Justice and the various United States attorneys to whom cases were referred. The first phase of the dealers’ opposition took the form of demurrers questioning the legal existence of the War Industries Board and its authority to control the clip or make regulations in regard thereto, and also the general authority of the United States to maintain the actions. Cases involving those questions have been heard and decided in favor of the Government in seven districts. Three of the cases have been reported—United States v. Powers (274 Fed. 131), United States v. Smith (285 Fed. 751), and United States v. Gordin (287 Fed. 565). In two of the cases this office participated in the oral arguments in the courts. Two others were argued for the Government by the office in cooperation with United States attor- neys. In the remaining three, the office prepared the exhaustive briefs which were filed. There were no unfavorable decisions durin the year. In one of the cases, a writ of error to the Circuit Court o Appeals is now pending. Four cases have come to trial upon the merits. In two the facts were stipulated and judgments entered in favor of the Government. OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR, 715 In another there was no contest, but in the remaining case, tried during the closing days of June, there was stubborn resistance. The trial consumed five days, and at its conclusion the jury was dis- charged and the court has not yet rendered a decision. This case involves the correctness of many of the department’s interpretations of the regulations and is a case of first impression in that regard. The trial was conducted for the Government by this office in coopera- tion with the United States attorney. The work of this office has consisted chiefly in preparing the cases for the institution of action, including the drafting of pleadings, reporting them to the Department of Justice, preparing an exhaus- tive brief in support of the Government’s contentions as to the validity of the regulations, and supplemental and reply briefs, where necessary, assisting the United States attorneys at the hearings and trials, and acting as a clearing house whereby information of interest- ing developments in each case is disseminated quickly among all the United States attorneys handling these cases. In short, the office has directed the fight to sustain the action of the War Industries Board and to enforce the regulations. Assistance was rendered the United States attorney for the Dis- trict of Columbia in drafting an indictment charging a former auditor of the department and two members of a firm of wool dealers with conspiracy to defraud the United States in the payment by those dealers of a sum of money to the auditor whereby he was induced to make a false audit of their transactions. The two dealers plead guilty and fines aggregating $4,000 were imposed. The auditor is awaiting trial. PATENTS. Thirty-six applications for letters patent on inventions of employees of the department for dedication to the public were prepared and filed. During the year 27 were allowed and 5 disallowed. The fol- lowing table shows the status of applications on June 30, 1923: Patents applied for by members of the department. Applicant. Bureau. Invention. Pree RobertGa Merritt .225.:555.25.- Forest Service....- EY DSOMGLAL a wo ee ca a So Allowed. Avra we Een ieee ee ey ot oe a oe cae to ee a ese ats Decolorizing carbon........----.-- Pending in in- terference. TSI TD MET TSB PSs ae ee Chemistry...-...-. Sublimation. -29:-seceteoetecete es Allowed. morse FA RPS SLO A IS do:. to GaN Anthracene press cake...........-- Do. AGA GHINS Sten serce en ead PETES 0s oe Suplimations-<2..c+cb a ease Do. Bs Dronmiond. oo. 2: 23222 3h. Plant Industry....| Support for branches of fruit trees. .| Disallowed. CORSE TSTT IaH Tie ee es ORE en ie Chemistry-.-....... Purification of gelatin and glue....| Allowed. H. D. Tiemann and R. Thelen. .| Forest Service-.... MG Sede ore So -e same aos hence _ Do. A. L. Hein and J. D. MacLean..!|....-. 15 (0 Soke ae ad Se Propeller protractor...........-.-- Disallowed. M. Phillips and G. H. Mains....| Chemistry......... ) SHIT Ear ALS Sac sacle ae aeiecia aie Allowed. 54 DA af as) 002 | RS a a Public Roads. .... Recording instrument......-..-..- Do. REPENS loner wee ee oP ae Forest Service..... RAN 35 Sareea bate ene eee oes Pending. PERG ATOINOT. beset ee ELE Soustett et Soil fertilizer.......... Do. Bt OWArG. 2s e2 ees! eet Entomology.......| Density tester Allowed. MMW SEMWATLZE 0 62) co nk Ciertisiny. 923 ot 7a) we OS ON ors ate a cle wo fem taal == Disallowed. EO AGID DS oo. 5.5 eo ce ds ates acehe 2268 Gori. uses | bay ey from vanadium pent- | Allowed. oxide. J. S. Bright and L. I. Hewes...| Public Roads.....| Pavements............-...-------- Pending. Le AVR OREES 2 ors chine nena sees Apirnal inGuShry shy Milks. o\ oe cea eete cece ee ee sen Disallowed. Hh Gs POMmAnaNs 531252252555 ee <' Plant Industry-...| Delinting cottonseed...........--- Allowed. Guy Matehoelts cc see wee Chemistry...-..... Beverage producing substances....| Pending. poled at yale 5 a ae Se ee ee eee re ke Synthetiotbymoler. sees ee Allowe iS: ongeneckers.). 2.60. sen<|-452< Oe SR a Separating rotors..... ie Sepa seBoee Do. Bp lnan tow ee Shee eu 2 See AG ees bia | Photographic sensitizing dyes..... Do. 716 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Patents applied for by members of the department—Continued. Applicant. Bureau. Invention. W. H. Ross, C. B. Durgin, and | Soils............-. Phosphoric deid {57342 2 ssee eat R. M. Jones. © A.C. Morgan, K.B. McKinney, | Entomology....... Powder-dusting machine.......... and J. Milam. Ss. ee and C. K. Cooper- | Forest Service..... Waterproof adhesive.............. rider. BC) Sherrard. fee eae 2s (6 {sey Re Ethylialeogholss aoe te Sok See J. M. Sherman and E. O. Whit- | Animal Industry..| Purification of propionates........ tier. J. M. Sherman and R. H. Shaw.)..... Ge oat seine tee (PIOPIONIG ACI ee eet Aol eee Olt h. ae AI SG Bes. E GOES R Lee Acceleration of propionic fermen- tation. Reh. dlenloy2s2 ee. Behe be NOs GOS AS Clarified serum antitoxin.......... Ave Weimar rel alee. oJ ees doe 04. eee Inseepicide: t Fosse Fb Soe Pee eee CO Brooks! cee J cece eee Plant Industry....| Preserving apples................- Kiker Matheson: 22Gi 029200 Animal Industry..| Swiss cheese.................-.---- Bais SIM WINE ayes ee Pee ee le Res TI eh ak Bird-nest bows. .'2. shark Pesos sta WIC! Wineolne fe ees ACI eS Biological Survey.|' Bird trap... oi.) 5 3. 2 SERRE GrbV Walton}: 2 aia ssh Chemistry.........| Sirup from cane sugar...........-- H. S. Paine and J. Hamilton...|..... dO ss Suaee ae WONGRHES fevee. Whee aay me een oe C. F. Walton and H.S. Paine..|..... Gol2533. GAEe Maple sirup of high density.-...-.- eee men i ale ED AP seer GOz eas: aes Manle:product .225 2 eta a 22. Soa: IM OM bib evo Sy Tyme ae eee Cee Ne Forest Service....- Blood albumin glue............... H.S. Paineand F. W. Reynolds} Chemistry-.-..._... Desugarizing molasses............- T. H. Scheffer and L. K. Couch..| Biological Survey_| Beaver trap................-.--..- SAW Es Durmentiniel M2 o. e. Soise Lipset eer Countercurrent lixiviator.........-. ERAC GOrG a ooe or 2. Boke SE Chemistry......... Gane sirup resis) 2 ee iy Sate eeree F. B. Power and V. K. Chesnut.|...-. dos2..2 ot Synthetic apple oil.............--- A. Hermann and C. A. Menzel...| Forest Service.....| Hygrometer................-...-.- Pe Coromerrand deste ups ee cha wee GOs Banc te ome BOCK tOOd sae ate ee eee Cee TPG RC armick O41. His es 8iN Public Roads..... Filler for cracks in concrete roads.. EST OMUNSOM SoBe ees. Me See 2 F aw os 0 Co Be Oe Powder Sprayer: =e) .\./t esos ees ROSE unig eec a! 257 484. oes | Forest Service... -. Controlling humidity of work- rooms, W. H. Ross and W. Hazen.....! OLS shee pee ee Potassium phosphates............- {DOM S32 .4 SS hee SUE 3 nee ane Beeee Got cee ease Concentrated fertilizer............- Ue OMReeds! ee veo. sseeeke Aes Chemistry: -\-.haac. Pneumatic cleaning nozzle........ JOB UDI NDT abelhe 5 Beet aitey eet oe (ae ie do. 35220 OE ee Golonme Jemons 2 ae) ee tt EG VAS AROSOIS ote ettene sleet ee wea ; Animal Industry..| Food product from skimmed milk.| GEES Mairis2 Spee gs em al | Chemistry.----.... | Varnish and paint remover........| IWiePV iG CLUGSS = a Soe ree nen ees ALD EL Ni ie Fruit confections. ..........--..... R. Thelen and H. D. Tiemann.-.| Forest Service.....| Kiln......2....0.-.2.--.--2---0-0> Wels Co GORGES. nbs a erie 28 Chéenustrye.- eee Maltose product =< =. Yskwee eee BeDrummond (CSV eas Plant Industry....| Support for branches of fruit trees. TEE CeiGores sey 2's ees ee Chemistry. -..--.- Sweet-potato product..-........... Re, Thelensics 2 Gi 22ee a eA Korest' Service") Kall he Aeeiss £2 2205S) ee es SE BS Ge seal so 5 ts er Weather Bureau. .| Rain gauge..--..........-.......-- PS. Gokes cA cue eeu a oe Chemistry....-.... Diastatic material....-..-------.-- Disposition of application. Allowed. Pending. Allowed. Do. Do. Pending. Allowed. Pending. Allowed. Pending. Interferences were declared by the Patent Office between the appli- cations for letters patent of several employees of this department and applications filed by outside parties. favorably to the department employees and the decision in the other case was favorable to the outside party. Testimony was taken in five of the cases, briefs and other papers were prepared therein, and oral arguments made at the final hearing. Five of these cases were decided ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. Cc. AT $1.00 PER COPY Wv4 enerrcc nia tet Reh, REPRE i) Perea | a ANIUICID, igharniy | heed RY 5 vei sie His Hi Fass ¢t a0 ab oy wet xe Alita oe feet idea? 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