Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture 1912

4th set

[CHAPTER 23, Stat. at L., 1895.]

[AN ACT Providing for the public printing and binding and the distribution of public

The Annual Report of the Secretary of Agriculture shall hereafter be submitted 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 Department 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 directions 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.

PREFACE

This volume contains 781 printed pages, comprising 259 pages for the Report of the Secretary, 282 pages for the 24 special articles, 208 pages for the Appendix, and 34 pages for the index. The volume is illustrated by 60 half-tone plates, 10 lithographic plates, and 19 text figures. The frontispiece to the volume is a portrait of Hon. Norman J. Colman, the last Commissioner and the first Secretary

of Agriculture, who died during the year.

The

The form of the Yearbook is prescribed by law, so that there is
little variation in its general form and style from year to year.
articles which were prepared by direction of the Secretary relate to
subjects of general interest which have received special consideration
during the year by experts in the respective bureaus, divisions, and
offices of the department, and have not heretofore been published.
The subjects can not be treated with exhaustive detail within the
limits of this volume. In order that they may cover a wide range
of information, the articles are restricted in length and are confined
to the more important facts and conclusions.

The portion devoted to the Appendix comprises information that
very properly comes within the scope of a yearbook. It contains,
besides the Review of Weather Conditions, the names of the directors
of the agricultural colleges and experiment stations, and the names
and addresses of State officials in charge of agriculture in the United
States, statistics relating to agriculture in aspects of production,
acreage, and value of crops, of the number and value of farm animals,
of prices of farm products at the farm and in the wholesale market,
of foreign trade in farm and forest products, and of railroad freight
rates for the transportation of principal farm products.

The statistical compilations are, collectively, a feature of the Year-
book that add to its unique character. Individually the statistical
tables are original compilations and provide a great variety of infor-
mation for use in books, newspapers, and magazines, for public
speakers, and for investigators in many lines of endeavor.

Beginning with the earliest years for which statistics were obtained, tables are provided to exhibit the acreage, production, value, prices, exports, and imports of the corn crops of the United States, and for all or most of the items mentioned, of the crops of wheat, oat barley, rye, buckwheat, potatoes, cotton, tobacco, flaxseed, ri and cane and beet sugar.

For most of the countries of the world the area devoted to some of the chief crops has been ascertained for publication in the Appendix, and the list includes corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, flaxseed, beans, and peas. The crops for which production is published for the countries of the world include the foregoing and also potatoes, cotton, tobacco, rice, hops, cane and beet sugar, coffee, and silk.

For all of the products for which the world's production is given, except oats, barley, rye, flax, beans, peas, and silk, and for tea, oil cake, and oil-cake meal, rosin, turpentine, india rubber, wood pulp, butter, cheese, and wool, there are statements of the quantities of exports and imports by the principal countries of the world.

As far as is ascertainable for all countries, there is a compilation of the number of farm animals, with designation of all cattle, dairy cows, horses, mules, sheep, swine, asses, buffaloes, camels, goats, and reindeer.

In addition to the statistical statements described, there are many that relate in other ways to the products of the farm and forest.

This is the nineteenth volume of the Yearbook issued, the total editions of which have aggregated about 9,500,000 copies. The department's allotment is distributed principally to its correspondents who render valuable voluntary service, the bulk of the edition being distributed by Senators, Representatives, and Delegates in Congress.

It is hoped that this volume may be found as interesting and helpful to all persons interested in agriculture as its predecessors. Jos. A. ARNOLD, Department Editor.

WASHINGTON, D. C., April 25, 1913.

CONTENTS.

Page.

Report of the Secretary.......

Promising New Fruits. By William A. Taylor and H. P. Gould...........

Our Meadow Larks in Relation to Agriculture. By F. E. L. Beal..

261

279

The Handling of Dressed Poultry a Thousand Miles from the Market. By

M. E. Pennington.....

285

Some Results Obtained in Studying Ripening Bananas with the Respiration