Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1880 — Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture. [ARTICLE]

Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture.

Commissioner Lc Due, in his annual report, strongly recommends that a new building for the Department of Agriculture be erected. The plans of the proposed structure have already been finished. In appearance the building, as shown in the plan, reminds one of the pictures of the Sydenham Crystal Palace. The offioes and work-rooms of. the department are arranged upon the four sides of a hollow parallelogram 1,000 feet in length by 500 feet in depth, the inclosed space to be made a conservatory for the preservation of specimens of plants and trees valuable for economic or ornamental purposes wliich can be grown in any portion of the country. It is proposed to place these in the space alloted to the States where they can be the most easily and profitably grown. An exhibition of agricultural implements to be furnished by the manufacturers is also provided for.

Commissioner Le Due will use his influence in opposition to the scheme of the, stock-raisers and cattle-dealers to get an appropriation from Congress for the investigation of diseases of animals. This work the Commissioner says has been progressing under the auspices of his department for the last two or three years, and has been performed by the most renowned and skillful veterinary surgeons in the land. The original work is in fact nearly finished, and all that the proposed commission could do would be to go over,, the same ground again. As a result of the work performed by the agents of the department a bill is now pending before the Senate Committee on Agriculture embodying the remedial suggestions of the gentlemen who have conducted the investigation. This hill was introduced last April by Senator Johnston, who says he will endeavor to secure its passage at the approaching session of Congress. By its provisions it is made an offense punishable by fine and imprisonment for any person to deliver for transportation, or for any railroad official to receive lor transportation, live cattle affected with any infectious disease, and especially with contagious pleuro-pneumouia. Section 4 provides for a commission to he composed of the Commissioner of Agriculture, the Second Assistant Secretary of State and the Second Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, whose duty it shall be to take measures for the suppression oi' infectious and contagious diseases of domestic animals. Appropri .tions to be made by Congress are to be awarded to the several States v\ hich shall signify their acceptance of the rules and regulations formed by the board in sums sufficient to purchase all diseased animals at two-thirds the value of sound animals, which diseased animals are to be slaughtered. Commissioner Le Due says the investigations of tho agents of the department have resulted in the discovery of the present territorial limits of the pieuro-pneumonia, and have practically proved that the disease is not remediable. It is gradually, but very slowly, extending south, being communicated from farm to farm. Its eradication, he believes, maybe easily accomplished, but it can only be done by killing all diseased animals and all who have beeu exposed to the disease. A comparatively small sum will be sufficient to . accomplish this now. Among the later results of the work of the veterinary su geons working under tho auspices of the Department of Agriculture, and which have not yet been published, are the following; Dr. D. E. Salmon has made some valuable discoveries iu regard to chicken-cholera. Prof. James Law has been experimenting to see if a diluted preparation of the virus of the swineplaguo will not give the animal a slight attack of the disease, resulting in tho exempt’on of tho animal from tho more serious attack. He has met with only partial success. Dr. H. J. Detmers, on the other, hand, has been experimenting with preventives, and believes he has met with success. There is no remedy for the disease, but the discovery of a preventive, if it is effective, will save many millions annually. A new disease has also been discovered. Its presence was not suspected until it was noticed that the English Government “scheduled” American cattle and sheep. It is knonm as apthous fever, or the foot-and-mouth di|ease. Sheep, cattle, hogs, horses and poultry are all liable to the attacks of this disease, and as long as it exists animals shipped from American ports are liable to he placed at a disadvantage in the European markets.