Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/275

AGRICULTURE. Oboanization' ani> WiiKK OF Unitki> States Depaiit- MEST OP AgUICDLTUKC, 1902.— (CortttttUfid). Organization and Wohk of iNiTEn Statbb Bbpabt- MENT OP Agricultiike, ^902.— (Continued). Division. Wkatiier Bubead BrREAi* OP Animal KU08TRT. Bhrbau op Plant Indcstky. BtrnxAU of Chem- istry. BrREAL* OF Soils. Oppice opExpeui- MENT Stations. I>IVI8I0N OF FOR- B9TKT. Scienliflc niul Tecli- nicjil Work. Reacarchee i» cli matologry and nic teorologip'. RcH-'urrhes on ani- mal diseases, in- citulin<; cliemical. bactL'iiological and zordopical investi- gations. Iiivesticratione in dairying. Researcliee in eco. noniic botiniy; poi li'clion and niain- tijnmicc of National llcrhiirinni ; pnritj' and vitality' tests o'f flceds. Researchee on phys ioloi^y and di^caeee of plants ; plant lirccdinjj:. Reswirrhes on the natunil hiattn-y. goosrupliical dis tribntiini. and utili- zatitiM of prnspep and forae:c plants Investigation on va- rieties of fruits, with special refer- ence to their ndap- tahiiity to varioiiB soils and climates. Colli'Ction of seeds and plants from foreign countrieti for testiiig at the State airricultural cTipcritnunt eta- lions. Testing; and propa- gating economic plants. Researches in a<rri- cultural chemistry, eiJpi^cially on foods, 8u gar -producing plants, fertilizers, soils, materials for road making,meth- odsof analysis, etc. Investijration, sur- vey and mapping tif soils ; studies in agricultural phys- ics ; investigations in curing and fer- menting tobacco. Collect i(ni anil dis- semination of infor- mation regarding agricultural educa- tion and researcii in the United States and abroad. In- vest i gat ions on food and nutrition of man and on ir- rigation. Researelu's on nat- ural history, biol ogy, und utilisiation of forests and for- est trees. Administrative Work. Forecasting weath- er: warning against storms and lloods; maintenance and operation of sea- cojist telegraph lines and collection and ti'ansmission of marine intelli- gence. Inspection of ini- pOTi and export animals and vestnels for their transpor- tation; supervision of interstate move- ment of cattle and inspection of live slock and their products slaughter- ed for food con- sumption. piircbaee and dis- tribution of seeds, lari:ely thronph members of Con- Cnre of Department park and conserva- tories, ^lannge- ment of Arlington Experimental Farm. Supervision of ex- penditures of agri- cultural experi- ment stations in the United States ; maintenance of ex- perinunt stations m Alaska, lliiwaii, and Porto Rico. Management of forests to demon- strate economic possibilities of ra- tional treatment. DiTlSlON OP Bio- LouiOAL Survey. Division op Ekto- UOLOGY. Office of PtrnLic RoAii Inquiktes. The Library. Division op Publi- cations. Division of Ac- counts ANO Dis- JftUKSEilENTS. Scientific and Tech- nical VVurk. Administrative Work. Researches on geo- {Crraptiic distriba- tion of animals and !>lant.s; nuipping of ife zones ; studies of food liabtis of birds and mam- mals. Researches on life hietorv an d goo- graphic distribu- tion of insects, and on means of reiires- sion of injurious insects. Collection and dis semination of in formation Tei,'ard- ing road manage- ment; exptiriuu-ntt' in road making. Prt'paration of raf- alogni'S, i nde x es, and bibliographies on agricultural subjects. Editing of Depart- ment pulilications. esjH'cially the Year- booJi. The regulation of t h e lucroductiuu of American or foreign birds or animals iu locali- l ies w here tiu*y have not iicrctofore existed. Management of De- ])artnient library of 70.0U0 volumes, largely mi agricul- ture "and agricul- tural science. Supervision of De- partment printing and illuslratiiu)s : distribution of pub- lications. Management of fi- nancial business of Departm ent, in- cluding estimates. re(Hiisitions, con- tracts and l>ay- ments.

AG'RIGENTUM (Lat. name for the Gk. ' Aufitiya^, Ahratjas). The motleni Girgenti, a tovn on the southern const of Sieily. in lat. 37" 17' N.. and long. 1'^" 28' E,, founded by a colony from Gcla {oS2 ii.c), and. in the earlier ages, one of the most important phtces in the island. During the sixth and fifth centuries B.C., under various rulers, among tiiem the tyrant PliaUiris, it rose to great power and splendor, having a populatio!! of 200.000. It was utterly destroyed by the Carthaginians (405 B.C.), and it never fully recovered. In the course of the Punic Wars, it was compelled to submit to the Romans. From S25 to 108G A.D. it was in the possession of the Saracens, from whom it was conquered by Count Roger Guiscard. The modern Girgenti has about 22,000 inhabitants, and is the capital of the province of the same name. The ancient walls can still he traced, and there are a ntnnber of picturesque remains of temples and other l)uild- ings of the Greek period. The best preserved are the temple of Concord and the so-called tem- ple of Hera Lacinia : the largest is the unfinished temple of Zeus.

AG’RIMONY (Lat. AffHmonia, for Gk. nir-r. ficjvri, (irtntnoiif, a kind of poppj'). A genus of plants of the natural order Rosacea:. The com- mon agrimonj* {Affrimonia eupatoria) is a native of Great Hritain and parts of Europe, and also is found in the United States, growing in bor- ders of fields, on waysides, etc. It has an up- right habit, attains a heiglit of two feet or more. and has interruptedly pinnate leaves, with the leaflets aerrate and downy beneath. The flowers