In 1912 agriculture received unusual con sideration from Congress. Numerous bills, though not then passed, were introduced and, with others already presented, warmly dis cussed. Among those actually adopted were, (1) an act providing for plant quarantine, (2) making it necessary to secure a permit from the Secretary of Agriculture before importing nursery stock. The law also required a certifi cate of inspection from the proper authorities of the exporting country. Interstate movement of nursery stock was required to he reported to the Secretary of Agriculture. This require ment might also be exacted, when considered necessary, of imported fruits, vegetables and seeds. The Secretary of Agriculture was em powered to stop importations from, and to quarantine against shipments from, any State or section thereof in the interest of protection against any new pest. The administration of this work, which had already assumed large proportions, was entrusted to a Federal horti cultural board composed of officials of the Federal Department of Agriculture, while the inspection was left in the hands of the State authorities. In 1913 agriculture continued to receive also very special attention from Con gress, the chief interest centring in bills to improve the economic status of the farmer, to regulate markets, to provide increased facilities for agricultural credit and co-operative drain age, irrigation and general farm improvement Steps were taken to better and increase the dissemination of agricultural information; and the police duties of the Federal Department of Agriculture were extended to include the pro tection of migratory and insectivorous game birds and the inspection of viruses and serums for the treatment of animal diseases. • The Smith-Lever Agricultural Extension Act, which had been before Congress for several years, was finally passed in 1914. It provides for extra-mural instruction and recog nizes the agricultural colleges as the proper agencies in which such work should centre; and it is specially intended to aid in diffusing among the people of the United States infor mation on agriculture, home economics and the practical application of both; and to give in struction and practical demonstration in these subjects to non-college students, through field demonstration, publications and otherwise. The act carries a permanent appropriation of $480,000 per annum ($10,000 for each State); and, in addition to this, $600,000 for the second fiscal year of operation, and there after an increase each year of '$500,000 for seven years, reaching finally $4,580,000 as a permanent annual appropriation. The addi tional appropriations are to be allotted annually by the Secretary of Agriculture to the several States in proportion of the State rural population to that of the whole rural population of the country, conditional upon the provision by each State of an equal sum; thus making, when the act finally ma tures, $8,680,000 annually.
The United States Cotton Futures Act was also passed in 1914 to minimize spec ulative manipulation of the cotton market, This activity of the Federal government in promoting the welfare of agricultural inter ests was reflected in the activities of most of the States of the Union, for the provision of better rural credit facilities. Though no State agricultural bills became law in 1914, the good work done in the State legislatures was seen in the following year in the constant stream of State agricultural legislation and in the closer co-operation of farming interests throughout the country. In 1915 the interest in providing, by law, better rural credit facil ities continued; and the Federal appropria tion for the study of marketing problems was increased to $238,000 annually. Congress prescribed a standard barrel for fruit, vege tables and other dry commodities handled in interstate commerce. This barrel must con tain 7,056 cubic inches.
The Federal Farm Loan Act (q.v.), which had long been before Congress, in one form or another, finally became law in 1916. It created a Federal Farm Loan Board control ling a system of national and land banks em powered to make long-time loans on favor able terms on farm mortgages. See FARM LOAN ASSOCIATIONS.
State Legislation in the United States.— The years 1908 and 1909 were prolific in legis lation for the control and improvement of agri culture. Florida, South Dakota, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming and several other States made legal provisions for the protection of various phases, of agri culture, including the inspection of live stock, butter, cheese and other farm products, nursery stock brought into the country, sanitary condi tions in rural districts, conservation of natural resources, protection against insect and other diseases in plant life, regulation of the sale of agricultural seed and the supervision of nurser ies. .Florida provided, by legislative act, for the
teaching of elementary agriculture in the public schools of the State; Mississippi established a County Department of Agriculture to furnish information to agriculturists and develop the agricultural resources of the State; and pro vided agricultural high schools and inspection by the State entomologists. Louisiana pro vided for experimental agricultural stations in the great rice belt of the southwestern part of the State, for scientific investigation into rice growing. It also fixed a standard for cotton classification. Vermont created a State Board of Agriculture and Forestry; Texas, agricul tural experiment stations and training in agri culture, in certain schools; Kansas, a Dairy Commission with power to enforce the sale of only pure butter, cheese, ice cream and dairy products in general; Porto Rico, a completely new program of agricultural education. Massa chusetts authorized the establishment and main tenance of schools of instruction throughout the State, in gardening, fruit growing, floricul ture, poultry keeping, animal husbandry and other branches of agriculture and horticulture, with the approval of the State Board of Educa tion; and provision was also made for the pro tection and encouragement of forestry. South Carolina passed an act to encourage the joint action of °Consolidated Schools° doing prac tical class-room and field work in agriculture; and provided that when trustees of three or more approved schools raise $750 for agricul tural instruction the districts shall be entitled to a like sum from the State, the total amount to be used to pay the salary of a qualified teacher of agriculture for the joint use of the several district boards, the county board of education and the State superintendent of schools, for three years. The year 1910 saw particular at tention paid to the use of serums and other measures in various States of the Union owing to the ravages of hog cholera and the conse quent heavy financial loss, more especially in Kentucky and Virginia. More stringent laws were also passed in these two and other States for the inspection and testing of cattle sus pected of being diseased and for the destruction of those affected from contagious animal dis eases. In Maryland stringent regulations were made for the sale of tuberculin, mullein and vaccine; and New York passed a new act for the care and keeping of cows. Virginia au thorized the creation of commissioners for the drainage and reclamation of marsh lands, and established agricultural instruction in high schools. Ohio also made provision for having county commissioners drain and reclaim her marsh lands for agricultural Missis sippi created county agricultural high schools, affirming the act already mentioned, which was held to be unconstitutional because it provided specifically for pupils of white blood only. Kentucky made a very radical move when it provided that farmers might legally agree to abstain from growing any kind of crop for any given period or season and to combine or pool crops of certain commodities and thus obtain for them a higher price. In 1911 new and vastly improved food laws were adopted in Florida, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Texas and Wyoming, leaving at that date only Arkansas, Missis sippi and West Virginia without effective food laws. Many States regulated cold storage products; Maine provided for the inspection of canned goods; and Florida the inspection of fruit, a move which was followed by Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio and Utah. Pennsylvania authorized the construction of 300 State roads, and California provided $18,000,000 for the same purpose. Alabama, Colorado, Connecti cut, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas,. Missouri, Okla homa Washington, West Virginia and Wiscon sin also enacted important good-roads legisla tion, more especially in the interests of the rural communities. Bills were passed in 16 States to aid in the reclamation of swamp lands; others to amend the then existing irrigation laws were enacted in most of the dry-land States or States having arid districts.