The bureau of biological survey maintains game, mammal, and bird reservations, including among others the Montana National Bison Range, the winter elk refuge in Wyoming, the Sully’s Hill National Game Preserve in South Dakota, and the Aleutian Islands Reservation in Alaska.  It studies the food habits of North American birds and mammals in relation to agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, and the habits, geographical distribution, and migrations of animals and plants.  It conducts experiments and demonstrations in destroying animals harmful to agriculture and animal husbandry and in connection with rearing fur-bearing animals.  It cooperates with local authorities in the protection of migratory birds.

The bureau of crop estimates gathers and publishes data regarding agriculture, and particularly estimates relating to crop and livestock, production.

The weather bureau is in charge of the forecasting of the weather, the issuing of storm warnings, the display of weather and flood signals for the benefit of commerce, agriculture, and navigation (see Chapter xvi).

The forest service has in its keeping the great national forests (see Chapter xv).

The office of public roads and rural engineering administers the work of the federal government for road improvement, and studies farm engineering problems such as those relating to sanitation and water supply (see Chapters XVII and xx).

REGULATORY POWERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The Department of Agriculture has certain important powers of regulation and control.  Animals are inspected at market centers to discover the presence of disease, and localities infected are quarantined.

In 1915 more than 15 million sheep were inspected and nearly 4 million dipped to cure scabies.  As a result nearly one and one half million square miles of land were released from quarantine.  In the same year more than a million square miles were released from quarantine against scabies in cattle.

In quarantining a state, or portion of a state, the Department acts by authority of laws passed by Congress under its power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce (Constitution, Art.  I, Sec. 8, cl. 3).  By the same authority, all cattle for export and all imported from foreign countries are inspected and those diseased excluded.  Slaughter houses and meat-packing establishments where meat is packed for interstate or foreign commerce are inspected; meat that is unfit for use being condemned, while that which is good has the government stamp placed upon it.  Such measures are primarily health measures (see Chapter xx), but they have great economic value.