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VOL. 15, NO. .5
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tion by tlio department of agriculture as to the
possibility of manufacture in the United States
aro: From Italy, the Gorgonzola, made from the
unskiMinod milk of jtho cow; Parmesan, or Reg
glano, a cow's milk cheese popularly used for
grating into macaroni or soup ; Romano, or Pe
corino, from sheep's milk; Caciocavalli, said to
bo thus designated because it originally bore the
imprint of a horse's head as a trade ntark; and
Provdloni, a hard rennpt cheese from the milk
of the cow or buffalo; and from Switzerland, the
Schweitzer, a rennet cheese, and the Emmen
thal, similar to the Schweitzer, but harder and
richer of milk. Cheddar and Cheshire cheeses,
made in England, aro very popular in this coun
try, as also the Roquefort and Neufchatel cheeses
of Prance, the Camombert of Franco and Ger
many, the Stilton cheese of England, and the
Edam cheese of the Netherlands. The tariff of
1913 changed tho duty on imported cheese from
6 cents per pound to 20 per cent ad valorem.
Our consumption of cheese in 1910 was 3.8
pounds per capita. Tho domestic cheese product,
ranging between 320 and 330 million pounds an
nually, is from Ave to six times as much as the
annual import of foreign cheese. The census of
1910 credited Wisconsin with a production of
149 million; New York, 10.6 million; Michigan,
Pennsylvania, and Ohio, from 12 to 14 million
pounds each; and Illinois, Oregon, California,
Vermont, and Minnesota, from 3 to 5 million
pounds each. Utah and Iowa each produced
over 1 million pounds; and Colorado, Indiana,
Arizona, Washington, Missouri, and New Hamp
shire, approximately a half million-pounds each.
Market s for Cooking Fats and Coal.
Although a considerable quantity of lard from
the United States is already used in some South
American countries, South America presents
good possibilities as a market for cooking fats
fromthe United States. Argentina uses beef fat,
or edible tallow, almost exclusively, except in
tho Spanish and Italian colonies, which consume
largo quantities of olive oil. In Chile, the na
tive "grasa," a mixture of beef and other fats,
divides the trade with lard and cottonseed oil.
In Uruguay beef tallow comprises 80 to 90 per
cent of the total sales of cooking fats, and in
frazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela,
lard rconstitutes 76 per cent ,or more. The sub
ject 'is discussed in Special Consular Reports,
Nd. 7, entitled Cooking Fata in South America.
At present there are markets to be had for
American coal in Europe, South America, Mex
ico, India, and Egypt, according to Special Con
sular lleports. No. 69, Foreign Markets for Coal.
Certain countries of Europe have been dependent
on Germany and the United Kingdom for their
coat supply. Denmark and Sweden purchase
almost all their coal from the' United Kingdom,
End distance and high freight rates will handi
cap the American shipper in competing for this
trade when conditions return to normal. But
Sweden has bought some American coal during
tlio last few months, France stands ready to pur
chase In the United States if prices can be ar
ranged, Italy is threatened with a coal famine,
and it is reported by cable from Madrid that
Spain offers a market for American coal of all
grades. South American coal supplies have come
chiefly from the United Kingdom, Australia, and
Germany; but the United States had more of a
foothold on the southern continent than it had
in European markets, and American exporters
have already begun to take advantage of present
conditions to increase their sales.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
' IjaOT-AND-MOUTH-PLAGUE SUBSIDING
On- April 1, for the first time since the plague
appeared in Michigan last October, there were
no animals in the United States known to bo in
fected with the foot-and-mouth disease. This
condition lasted for a few hours only, but it was
an encouraging stage in the department's campaign-
against the pestilence. The cases that
nave been reported since then have all been in
territory previously infected and are regarded
as .more or less sporadic outbreaks. Such caseB
are to bo expected for some timo yet, for al
though all the diseased animals may be killed it
by no means follows that all possible sources of
infection have been destroyed.
"Up- to April 16 tho foot-and-mouth disease had
costUhe country the loss of 146,138 animals;
many tims greater than the loss in any of the
previous outbreaks. Tho significant feature of
thisIoss i tho very largo percentage of hogs in-,
chitted in it. In the outbreak of 1908, 56 per
cent of the loss was in cattle, 37 per cent in hogs,
nd.the remaining 7 per cent in other animals.
In 1902 the loss in cattle amounted to nearly 87
per cent of the total and that in hogs to only 8
per cent. In the present outbreak, however, the
loss in hogs has been almost equal to that of the
cattle, namely 47 per cent of the total. Sixty
eight thousand seven hundred seventy-six cattle
have been lost, and sixty-eight thousand two
hundred seventy-five hogs.
This very striking increase in the number of
hogs lost is to be attributed, in the opinion of
federal authorities, in large measure to the prac
tice of feeding raw skimmed milk. Just how the
disease found its way into Michigan is not yet
known, but it has been established that some
infected milk was sent to a creamery. After
this infected milk had been skimmed it was mix
ed witfrtother milk and returned raw to the
creamtfrapatrons to bo fed to their hogs. In
this wajrthe disease was spread in Southern
Michigan, and a herd of infected hogs carried it
to tho Chicago stock yards. Thero is every rea
son to believe also that skimmed milk spread the
contagion in tho same way in other localities.
For this reason those in charge of the.cam
pagin against the pestilence believe that experi
ence in this outbreak has, demonstrated the need
of state legislation, requiring the pasteurization
of till skimmed milk that is to be fed to live
stock. Pasteurization has been shown to be a
complete safeguard against tho spread of foot- .
and-mouth disease through the agency of milk
and this simple precaution would therefore close
one of the most important channels of infection.
The sterilization of garbage fed to hogs is also
recommended. Ordinary cooking of meat in
tended for human consumption would destroy
the foot-and-mouth germs, but fat trimmings,
and especially the marrow are not, cooked, and if
taken from a diseased animal are likely to be t
highly infectious. As approximately only 60 per
cent of the meat consumed in this country is
slaughtered under federal inspection, there is no
certainty that much of it may not be diseased.
If the waste trimmings and fat are fed along
with other garbage to hogs they may well spread
foot-and-mouth disease. .''..,
. Probably the chief danger of a renewal of the
epidemic lies now, however, in the existence of
concealed sources of infection. Now that the
disease is more thoroughly under controUthan.
at any time since its first appearance, it is highly
important that every suspicious case of illness in
stock should be reported at once. Under favor
able conditions the foot-and-mouth germ may
survive for a considerable period of time, and no
matter how thorough the work of disinfection
may be it is always possible that some of the
carriers of contagion may have escaped destruc
tion. For this reason, as has already been said,
sporadic outbreaks are to be expected from time
to time. If these are reported at once, the
spread of the infection can be stopped. If any
attempt is made to hide or ignore them, how
ever, in the end the stock owner will not only
suffer himself, but he will bring loss to the en
tiro country.
RURAL WOMEN'S NEEDS
Replies to the letter which the secretary of
agriculture addressed some time ago to the
housewives of 65,000 crop'correspondents of the
department, have now been published under the
titles of Reports Nos. 103,-104, 105, 106, of the
offlce of the secretary. In 'his letter the secre
tary asked these women to suggest ways in which
the department could render more direct service
to them ancl to the other farm women of the
country. Something over 2,000 letters were re
ceived in answer to this request, and are con
tained in whole or in part in these bulletins.
Perhaps the most striking feature of these let
ters is the eagerness the writers display for in
formation which will lighten "and at the same
time make more effective their daily tasks. This
information they look to the department of agri
culture to furnish them. They also look to the
department for assistance in making their own
lives and the lives of their children brighter and
richer. They wish bulletins, personal demon
strations, lectures, and Qxhlhlt.tana t . ..
ways of improving the material condition of their
Jives, and they also wish advice and assistance
in the better organization of rural communities
for social life. They say repeatedly that the de
partment has done much to assist the farmer in
his field work but that this assistance has not
been extended in the same measure to the farm
er's wifo in her housework.
Another significant feature in these letters
was the large proportion of writers who had
never had brought to their attention the work
that the department has already done in this
way. For this-reason tho new 'bulletin contains
ing these letters also contains appendixes in
which aro classified lists ofall government liter
aturo of special interest, to farm women. Manv
of these publications are, bf course, the work of
other departments and their has hitherto been
no convenient classification of their titles.
CURCULIO GRUB A MENACE TO ALFALFA
Tho clover-root curculio is a tiny grub which
is now found in most of the northern states east
of.tho Mississippi, in Washington, Oregon, Idaho
Utah, and Colorado in the west, and in Virginia'
NQrth Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louis
iana. It 'seriously injures the roots of clover
and alfalfa and sometimes works its way up.
wards intp tho stem. In the past the insect was
of littlo importance, but it seems now to have
been established that much of the damage attrib
uted to dther causes is really to the curculio's
work.
Since May, 1914, when the first absolute
proof was secured of the pest's depredations, the
department has been engaged in a search for the
most practicable method of control. Tho most
efficient measure that has as yet been discovered
is the disking and harrowing of the fields as soon
as the first hay crop is removed. This process
destroys vast numbers of the pupae which do
not. descend much more than, an inch below tho
surface. Disking and harrowing should be done
immediately after the removal of the first crop.
Even is this does not altogether prevent injury
to the second crop, it should considerably reduce
tho. damage the following year.
DOGS THE FARM SHEEP'S WORST ENEMY
The production of sheep in the 36 so-called
farm states, which do not include any in the
western division, could be much moro than dou
bled if their o.wners could secure adequate
protection against dogs. ' In Farmers' Bulletin
652, which the department of agriculture has
just issued, it is calculated that an increase of
150 per cent in these states could easily be ac
complished without displacing other live stock,
and that such an increase would mean in money
$144,267,000. Under present conditions, how
ever; farmers are so reluctant to keep sheep that
in the deciade from 1900 to 1910 the number of
sheep' in the farm, states actually decreased 3,
900,0'00 in spite of a rapid rise in their market
value. ' So' rapid , was this 'rise1, " indeed, that in
1910 the decreased number 'of sheep was worth
$19,000,000, or approximately '25 per'cent more
than the total value in 1900.
The number of sheep killed annually by dogs
can not possibly be estimated with any degree
of exactness for J;here are many cases which are
not reported at all. The number is unquestion
ably sufficient; t,o constitute a serious drain on
the profits of the business which is at best con
ducted ort a small margin. Moreover, the fear
of such ' losses deters many men from risking
their money in the business. Any one who has
actually seen sheep killed or frightened by dogs
is likely to' think twice before investing in a
flock. There are many cases on record where a
whole flock has been chased until' it drops dead
from exhaustion, although only one or two sheep
havo actually been bitten.
A brief comparison with Great Britain shows
at once how much this country is losing annually
through its failure to take full advantage of the
oppprtunity to raise sheep. In Great Britain
there is one sheep or lamb for each 2.5 acres of
the total area. In the 36 farm states in this
country there is one sheep or lamb for each 31.8
acres. The British farmer handles his land on
an intensive basis and feeds his-eheep on forage
crop pasture. This not only increases the fertil
ity of the land but'also frees the sheep from any
iriternal parasites contracted from grazing on
permanent pastures. 'In particular stomach
worms which are one of the most prevalent and
disastrous scourges of young stock can be avoid
ed by tho use of a succession of forage crc-P pas
tures. These, moveover, will enable the farmer
to market lambs that were born in, the late win
ter or early spring at the end of June or the 1st
of July when market prices are usually the high
est. Handled In this way and on high-priced
farm lands, says, the bulletin, the importance or
a small flock of sheep can not be 0Yerlpke(1,
The one opinion that William" Barnes, jr., re
peated over and over again in his letters to ins
once friend, Colonel Roosevelt, was that the peo
ple lack the intelligence to govern themselves.
In palliation it should be stated that Barnes lias
lived all of his life in New York: and that J
political affiliations hava always -been with tn"
republicans ot that state. The fact that J H
untrue simply: never came to Paris' , Mention.
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