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 AGRICULTURE — A GUASCALIENTES Washington, though not until many years after his death. dissemination of information upon forestry matters. The An office for distributing seeds and collecting agricultural division of botany investigates botanical agricultural statistics grew up in the patent office which was originally problems, including the purity and value of agricultural the only scientific agency of the government. This seeds, methods of controlling the spread of weeds or developed gradually into the present department, which preventing their introduction into the country, &c. The became in 1889 an executive department of the govern- division of vegetable physiology and pathology has for its ment with a secretary. This secretary is now charged object the study of the normal and abnormal life processes with the supervision of all business relating to the of plants. It seeks by investigation in the field and agricultural and productive industries. The fisheries have experiments in the laboratory to determine the causes of a separate bureau, and the public lands and mining diseases and the best means of preventing the same. The interests are cared for in the interior department; but division of agrostology is charged with the investigation with these exceptions, all the productive interests are of the natural history, geographical distribution, and use looked after by the Department of Agriculture. There are of grasses and forage plants, their adaptation to special various bureaus in this department. The weather bureau soils and climates, and the introduction of native and has charge of the forecasting of weather; the issue of foreign kinds into cultivation. The division of pomology storm warnings; the display of weather and flood signals collects and distributes information in regard to the fruit for the benefit of agriculture, commerce, and navigation; interest of the United States. The division of soil has the gauging and reporting of rivers; the reporting of for its object the investigation of the physical properties temperature and rainfall conditions for the cotton, rice, of the soils and their relation to crop production. The sugar, and other interests; the display of frost and cold office of public road inquiries collects information waves signals; and the distribution of meteorological concerning systems of road management, conducts information in the interest of agriculture and commerce. investigations regarding the best method of road-making, The bureau of animal industry makes investigations as and prepares publications on this subject. The division to the existence of contagious pleuro-pneumonia and other of seeds is charged with the purchase and distribution of dangerous and communicable diseases of live stock, valuable seeds, a certain portion of which are collected superintends the measures for their extirpation, makes from foreign countries for experiments with reference to original investigations as to the nature and prevention of their introduction into the United States. They are such diseases, and reports on the conditions and means of distributed in allotments to senators, representatives, improving the animal industries of the country. The delegates in Congress, agricultural experiment stations, and division of statistics collects information as to the by the Secretary of Agriculture, as provided by law. The appropriations for the Department of Agriculture condition, prospects, and harvests of the principal crops, and of the number ’and status of farm animals. It re- for the fiscal year ending 30th June 1899 aggregate cords, tabulates, and co-ordinates statistics of agricultural $2,829,702, distributed in part as follows :— production, distribution, and consumption, and issues Salaries ......... $319,300 monthly and annual crop reports for the information of Library ......... 6,000 1,500* producers and consumers. The section of foreign Museum ......... 12,000 markets makes investigations and disseminates information Animal quarantine stations ..... agricultural statistics .... 105,000 “concerning the feasibility of extending the demands of Collecting Botanical investigations and experiments . . 20,000 foreign markets for the agricultural products of the Entomological investigations ..... 20,000 . . . 20,000 United States.” The office of experiment stations Vegetable pathological investigations Biological investigations ...... 17,500 represents the department in its relations to the experiBornological investigations ..... 9,500 ment stations which are now in operation in all the States Laboratory of chemistry. . . . . . 12,400 and territories. The division of chemistry makes investi- Forestry investigations ...... 20,000' 20,000 gations of the methods proposed for the analyses of soils, Experimental gardens and grounds .... 10,000 fertilizers, and agricultural products, and such analyses Soil investigations ....... and forage plant investigations . . . 10,000* as pertain in general to the interest of agriculture. Grass Office of agricultural experiment stations in the The division of entomology obtains and disseminates department1 ....... 40,000 15,000 information regarding insects injurious to vegetation. Nutrition investigation ...... ...... 8,000 The biological survey studies the geographic distri- Public road inquiries ........ 65,000 bution of animals and plants, and maps the natural Publications Sugar investigations ...... 7,000 life zones of the country; it also investigates the economic Purchase and distribution of valuable seeds. . 130,000 relations of birds and mammals, and recommends Salaries and expenses, bureau of animal industry. 900,000 ........ 10,000 measures for the preservation of beneficial, and the Irrigation ....... 1,015,502 destruction of injurious species. The division of forestry Weather bureau The balance is devoted to miscellaneous current exis occupied with experiments, investigations, and reports (c. w. D.) dealing with the subject of forestry, and with the penses. 228

and in 1895, 102,378. It is divided politically into four partidos, subdivided into eight municipalities. The fauna embraces twenty-seven species of mammals, fifty-eight of birds, nine of reptiles, five batrachians, four fishes, and seventy-four insects. The flora includes 137 species of wild trees, forty-eight of fruit, eleven textile plants, and 103 medicinal plants, &c. The principal Agfuascalientes, a state of Mexico, bounded industries are agriculture and stock-raising. The total 1 on the N., W., and E. by the state of Zacatecas, and In addition to this amount which went to the support of the central on the S. by the state of Jalisco. Its area covers bureau of experiment stations, $720,000 was paid directly to agricultural 2950 square miles. The population in 1879 was 140,430, experiment stations in the States by the United States Treasury.

Agfuad i 11 a, a town on the west coast of Porto Rico, the capital of a province of the same name. It is surrounded by a fertile country producing sugar-cane, oranges, and lemons, and possesses a copious natural fountain, said to have been discovered by Columbus on his second voyage. It was founded in 1775. Population (1899), 6425.