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The Commoner
VOL. 14, NO. 8
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The Work of the President's Cabinet
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
ARMY-WORM PEST ATTACKS GRAIN
Lotters, telephone messages, and individual
callers have been soliciting aid from the United
States department of agriculturo to stop the
advance of. tho hordes of army worms that
threaten their fields of wheat, oats, corn, tim
othy, blue grass, and other grasses. There
seems to bo a general outbreak of this pest
throughout tho north, east of thr Rocky moun
tains. These worms are emerging from eggs
laid by moths that apparently swarmed up from
have been noticed in tho vicinity of Washington
tho southwest. Great numbers of these moths
during tho past month, hundreds of their broken
wings have been seen near the union station.
Lawns in the capital are being overrun" by this
post.
The department has issued the following advice
to those whoso fields aro threatened by the
worm :
If tho worms have not yet attacked a field the
most practical way to keep them out is to plow
furrows in front of them, throwing tho furrow
in tho direction toward which thoy are traveling.
Tho worms will fall Into the furrow and when
this is full they may be killed either by drag
ging a log back and forth in the furrow or by
destroying tho worms in holes previously dug at
intervals of twenty feet in tho bottom of the
furrow. Kerosene pourod on them in the holes
will destroy them.
If tho worms are already in the field, the fol
lowing mixture which will attract the worms
and destroy them should he spread about:
One pdund of parte green (poisonous).
Fifty pounds of wheat bran.
Juice of ope-half dozen oranges.
Bring this mixture to a stiff dough by the use
of .dilute molasses, and scatter it amongst the
worms. Care should bo taken to keep this
dough from children or domestic animals.
Prompt action to prevent the worms from in-
fostlng a field is much better than later efforts
to attempt to kill them in the grain. Once the
caterpillars have infested a field tho measures
necessary to destroy them may seriously hurt
or oven destroy tho crop.
Tho worms at first aro almost always localized
in some definite breeding place in tho field, and
immediate efforts should bo taken to eradicate
them in those small areas before they have had '
time to spread. Tho normal breeding place of
the army worm is in rank grass, such as is usu
ally found along tho edges of swamps or in
spots of pasture land that have been overfertil
izod. Thoy aro practically never found in
swamps, because the worm needs a reasonably
dry place in which to breed.
Glean cultivation, rotation of crops, cleaning
up of fence comers, close pasturage, and the
burnings over of waste grass land in the spring
or fall aro good measures to prevent a recur
rence of tho army worm.
THR HESSIAN PLY
Thore is every indication that another pest,'
tho Hessian fly, will be unusually troublesome
to tho wheat crop this Tall. Tho department has
therefore been sending out questions to farmers
as to wh other their wheat has yet been infested
by tho post.
Probably no other insect causes more damage
. to tho wheat crop i;i tho United States than tho
Hosslan fly, although there aro certain years
when tho chinch bug exceeds tho fly in its devas
tations. During tho seasons when the fly is es
pecially abundant, hundreds of thousands of
acres of wheat may be oithor totally destroyed
or so badly injured as to reduce the yield 50 to
75 por cent. The monetary losses run far un
into tho millions.
A number of yoar.s ago thero was in Kansas
general cooperation between grain dealers, mill
ers, and farmers to restrict the ravages of this
dangerous insect. According to their own es
timate, over a million dollars were saved by
prompt action and thorough measures. This
year tho department hopes to secure general co
operation throughout tho country in combating
the pest. Thore are indication that its ravages
may, bo severe. Already in Iowa and Oklahoma
there have been threatening outbreaks of tho
insect,
Not only aro federal and state organizations of
tho government cooperating in this campaign,
but others, such as tho National Millers' Fed
oration, aro working to secure better control
over the Hessian fly. The individual wheat
grower is asked to send samples of infested
straw to the department before the middle of
September, and sooner if possible, as after that
tho fly will have hatched and have entered the
wheat.
Late sowing of tho seed and burning of the
stubble when not seeded to grass or clover are
tho only measures known to date that are effect
ive in controlling the Hessian fly that is, for
winter wheat growing sections. In the spring
wheat sections late seeding will not apply. On
the contrary, the earlier it is sown In the spring
the less it seems to suffer from this pest.
nOG CHOLERA CAMPAIGN
Under the recently passed act of Congress,
which grants $500,000 to combat hog cholera,
department agents will cooperate closely with
the state authorities to prevent and eradicate
tho disease by the use of antihog-cholera serum
and quarantine methods. Approximately $20,
000 will be spent during the coming year in each
experimental area selected. Thirteen of the
counties, where the work is to be carried on, have
been picked out, and in twelve of these work
has already been started. Two other counties
are to bo selected within a short time. The
twelve counties selected for the present cam
paign, where the work has actually begun, are
as follows:
Stato County
Idaho Twin Falls District.
Indiana Montogomery.
Iowa Dallas. ,
Kansas Marshall.
Kentucky Henderson
Michigan Branch. - : - '"
Minnesota Renville. -
Missouri Pettis.
Nebraska Gage and Johnson (part of each)
Ohio Allen and adjacent townships.
Tennessee Maury.
The thirteenth county, where the work .will
soon be Inaugurated, is Decatur county, Georgia.
Appropriations will be spent in making sur
veys, using serum on hogs on infected and ex
posed farms, in sanitation and quarantine work
and in organizing farmers to cooperate with the
state and federal authorities. In addition funds
will be used for the produotion by the depart
ment of antihog-cholera serum and for the in
spection and proper control of serum prepared
by private and other agencies.
NEW REGULATION FOR MEAT INSPECTION
The meat inspection regulations governing the
slaughtering of cattle, sheep, swine and goats
and the preparation of meat food products in
inspected establishments, were signed by the
secretary of agriculturo on July IB 1914
i oi?6 reguJa"ons become effective November
1, 1914, except those governing imported meats
which go into effect January 1, 1915
The department is limited by law to i.
diction over the slaughtering and packing,
tablishments which sell their products in inter
state or foreign commerce. These establish
ments slaughter GO per cent of the meat used
in the United States. The slaughtering 2
S SS5EZ2 are beyon1
The new regulations, which occunv lt
seven printed pages, codify the Sy ?
ments and rulings made since the adoption 0?
the old regulations on April -1 lQOR ii Vof
add to the requirement? a number Vfeatu
suggested by eight years' experience in SS
S2aBd COnf0minS ?& scieXc-
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Cato Sells, commissioner .of Indian affal
made the following statement concerning the
Indian appropriation bill just passed by con!
gress, which carries appropriations amounting
to about $11,800,000, $1,600,000 of this
amount being appropriated from Indian funds:
Commissioner Sells says the bill is the result
of very careful consideration, by the Benate and
house Indian affairs committees. Altogether, it
is considered one of the best, if not the best
Indian appropriation bills enacted for a number
of yearn
The Indian committees of congress with the
co-operation of the Indian bureau have in this
bill worked out constructive legislation for the
Indians of the country along progressive lines.
For example, for the first time in the hlBtory of
the government there has been appropriated a
large amount of money for improvement in the
health conditions of the Indians and providing
hospital facilities for them. $3 00,000 is ap
propriated for this purpose. $100,000 of which
will be used for constructing hospitals at a cost
not to exceed $15,000 each. In addition to this
the Indian bureau is now constructing three
hospitals for the Sioux Indians to cost approx
imately $25,000 each on the Rosebud, Pine Ridge
and Cheyenne reservations. An appropriation
is also made in the Indian bill for a hospital
in the Chippewa country in Minnesota and $50,-
000 appropriated therefor out of Chippewa
Indian funds. The health conditions of the
Indians have been found to be deplorable, and
little attention has heretofore beeh given to cor
recting this condition. The appropriation in
the current Indian bill will be a long step for
ward in solving this important problem.
The appropriation for educational purposes
for tho Indians is considerably increased, and
special provision made for the education of the
deaf, dumb and blind children, who have here
tofore been unprovided for. There is also a
specific, appropriation for educational purposes
among the Papago and Navajo Indians. These
Indians heretofore have been neglected and sev
eral thousand Indian children among these In
dians are without school facilities.
On the recommendation of the Indian bureau
large reimbursable appropriations have been
provided in this bill for industrial work among
Indians. These reimbursable appropriations
will amount to more than $700,000. The Indians
have heretofore been allotted land but they have
not been provided with tools and general farm
equipment. This appropriation will enable the
commissioner of Indian affairs to improve stock
conditions and place herds of cattle on a number
of Indian reservations. It is expected that this
appropriation will aid very materially the in
dustrial activities among the " Indians of the
country and go far towards developing their
self-support. f
This bill carries a somewhat reduced amount
for irrigation work on Indian reservations and
contains a clause which will require detailed
information regarding each of these projects
to be furnished congress at its next session. Tho
Indian irrigation projects have heretofore been
appropriated for and constructed largely with
out adequate detailed information, and it is ex
pected at the next session of congress that the
Indian office will furnish a complete statement
regarding each of these projects so that congress
may have a thorough understanding of condi
tions on each of the reservations where irri
gation projects are being constructed. It is also
expected that the information obtained from
these reports will result in procuring adminis
trative legislative action which will protect more
securoly the water rights of the Indians of the
country.
.Tl1oecGniSAicluded in the b111 an appropriation
or ?85,000 to cover salaries and expenses of
probate attorneys under the direction of tho
JJSJf1 Blonlp ln thG workn& out of probate re
S?I 1 ,ir, thG Protection of the property of In
dian children in Oklahoma, which will be done
01 narjnony with rules of probate procedure
adopted at a conference of the county judges
with the commissioner of Indian affairs held In
January and recently adopted and promulgated
by the justices of the supreme court
wJLbili also, carrles $100,000 to support a
2,nSX-ad a?d aeeressivo campaign for tho
suppression of the liquor traffic among Indians,
tini VL g vea Jhe commissioner six confiden
finnfinn0PeCt?5s,witn speclal civil service quali
tinn Sfn U JB, GXPeted that this approprla
nuL !! J68,? U iu tnorugh investigations being
made on Ind an reservations and throughout tho
vlSfJ UntPI generally that he may be ad
efuto,al COnditionB a8 for theI
oftwa ilLProJides or tbQ consolidation of the
Sov .fJ?e to civilized tribes and the union
agency and with it a reduction of $50,000 over
jier rtr- win-r-i
SS3
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