Mr. ANDERSEN. The committee will come to order, gentlemen. We will insert pages 228, 229, 232 through 235, and 250 through 278 of the justifications at this point. (The matter referred to is as follows:) PURPOSE STATEMENT The Bureau of Plant Industry was established under provisions of the Agricultural Appropriation Act of 1902, approved March 2, 1901, and the act of June 3, 1902 (5 U. S. C. 524). In February 1943, the name was changed to the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering. Research is organized in four major groups, as follows: 1. Field crops.-Research is concerned chiefly with the production and improvement of cereals, cotton, forage, rubber, sugar, tobacco, and other important food, feed, fiber, oil, and specialty crops. Increased yield, improved quality, and resistance to diseases, insects, heat, drought, cold, or other hazards is sought by breeding, selecting, and testing varieties and by improving crop management practices. Improved methods of controlling weeds are also developed. 2. Horticultural crops.-Research is conducted on the production and improve ment of fruit, vegetable, nut, and ornamental crops, and on methods of reducing losses from diseases and deterioration involved in handling, processing, transporting, and storing these crops. Methods are developed for avoiding or controlling diseases of trees and forest products. Foreign plant explorations and introductions provide new crops and valuable breeding material for the development of improved crops. Investigations are also conducted on reducing crop damage caused by nematodes and on the control of plant disease epidemics. 3. Soils. Soil investigations are directed toward (a) the determination of systems of soil management and irrigation that will increase soil fertility and give most efficient crop production; (b) the evaluation and improvement of fertilizers, liming materials and soil conditioners; and (c) the relation of soils to plant, animal, and human nutrition. 4. Agricultural engineering.-Agricultural-engineering investigations are concerned with (a) the improvement of farm machinery for planting, cultivating, fertilizing, spraying, dusting, and harvesting crops; (b) the development of improved equipment and facilities for processing and storing farm products; (c) the design of improved farm buildings and houses; and (d) the development and application of electrical equipment to farm use. The Bureau also is responsible for the operation, maintenance, and development of the National Arboretum which was established by Congress in 1927 in the District of Columbia to provide a collection of living plants from this country and abroad valuable not only for breeding with native species to develop improved strains of trees, shrubs, and flowers for parks, boulevards, and other landscape uses, but also for study by students and scientists. The research work consists primarily of field, laboratory, and greenhouse experiments conducted usually in cooperation with State agricultural experiment stations, industry, and others. Because of the diverse crops and wide range of soil and climatic conditions, it is necessary to conduct the work at numerous field locations. Research results are made available to farmers and others through increase and distribution of improved varieties, and by dissemination of information through the Federal-State cooperative extension service, publications, the agricultural press, and correspondence. Work locations and personnel. The headquarters of the Bureau are at the Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md. In the field, the work is conducted at approximately 195 locations in 45 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canal Zone, and Mexico. As of November 30, 1952, under all funds of the Bureau there were 2,126 full-time employees, including 119 in the departmental service, and 494 part-time employees. In addition there were 796 collaborators serving without compensation. Summary of increases 1954 Plant, soil, and agricultural engineering research: To strengthen research on food, feed, and fiber crops to increase To strengthen research on citrus production, especially investiga- For investigation on the influence of soils, fertilizers, and manage- For research on improvement of equipment for harvesting and cleaning small-seeded grass and legume seed crops Subtotal. National Arboretum: To provide necessary care for existing plantings. +$364, 000 +125,000 +100,000 +100,000 +40, 072 +729, 072 +76,000 STATUS OF PROGRAM, PLANT, SOIL, AND AGRICULTURAL ENGIneering ReseaRCH FIELD-CROP INVESTIGATIONS Research is conducted on the production and improvement of the principal farm crops including cereal, cotton, forage, sugar, tobacco, and other important crops. They provide the major sources of food and feed for livestock and important fibers and oils for industry. They include important soil-improving and soil-conserving crops. For the 1952 crop or marketing year, the total farm value of all crops amounted to approximately $18.1 billion. Research is also conducted on the development of the most economical and effective methods for controlling weeds. Many new diseases and races of disease organisms are continuously appearing and threatening crop production. Each crop has its particular problems. For example, virus yellows of sugar beets and sclorospora of sugarcane are threatening domestic sugar production, and verticillium wilt is serious in certain cotton-producing areas. Farmers are also still faced with threats to production by diseases and pests which have been known for some time, such as leaf and stem rusts of wheat, black shank of tobacco, black root of sugar beets, corn borers, and others. While considerable progress has been made toward the development of good commercial varieties resistant to these established diseases and pests, much work remains to be done in this field. The continuous pressure for greater use of machines for crop production greatly affects the breeding program. New varieties must be developed with uniform maturity, height of plant, and other characteristics important to mechanized handling. Generally, such research involves long-term projects. Breeding, selection, and testing work ordinarily requires many generations to develop new varieties which are resistant to not one, but several diseases which may be prevalent, and which also have the quality, productivity, size, and other important agronomic characteristics essential to commercial production. Valuable sources of germ plasm to meet the needs for crop improvement have been or are being colleced through |