The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-05-09
Our Washing ton Correspondence.


WASHINGTON, My l. 1850.
Mr. Esba~k's Aevicrdts~al Rep@f-A Heavy a~
Eapemsipe Mass Of Pubic Printing from the P..
tent OGct--A Review Of the Rubbish.
OF late years one of the most expensive Jobs O
,ublic printing has been the agricultural re2or
nom the Patent OfIice-and perhaps one of the
most useless, Notwithstanding the great dem ana
| ioi the document.
| The first branch Of Mr.. Eubanks first report
which eclipses all preceding reports of the kind in
every has been for some lime before the pub
lie, with It's collection of interesting plates, show
| ing how fish are propelled in the water, and how
birds are propelled in the air, and how these prnci-
pies may be applied to the propulsion of steamers,
side-wheels and propeers, in the ocean.
But the agricultural branch of this report is a
perfect Cyclopedia One would think that Mr. Ew-
bank had devoted the whole year to the cxamna-
lion of all the penny magazines, all the cyclope-
dias all the agricultural periodicals aud newspa-
pers, besides voluminous correspondence all over
the country, to the collection of the endless mass
Of stuff which he has collected and laid before the
House, as the annual agricultural report from the
Patent Office. II is an omn'um gathoum of all
sorts of stuff, so voluminous that we question
whether it will ever be read by anybody excep, the
public printers.
This agrcultu raj report is divided into five large
parcels of manuscript.
Parcel A comprehends an essay on agricultural
education, very learned and very dry a thrice told
tale. II tells how to destroy insects, and how to
preserve provisions. Ii has plan for collecting
statistics, the census not being reliable. 1t has
several long papers the science of farming, and
he virtues of guano Next, we have a general
view Of American agriculture, showing that il is
very crude and defective, and recommends great
number of Observation-Disclosures how soils are
impoverished, and how crops ought TO be managed,
and shows the exact amount OF land necessary to
support the human family Next, we have the
science of agricultural meteoroogy, which tells
how rains, and SHOWS, and water Affect the soil,
and all that. Next, an elaborate essay ON the com
position of wheat and wheat flour, followed up with
a general series of tables, giving the chemical
analysis of wheat, corn, Nc., &c.
Parcels i and comprise an immense mass OF
agricultural correspondence on the culture of
wheat, oats, Indian com, rye, buckwheat, broom
corn, barley, rice, hay, potatoes turnips, peas, root
crops, cotton, sugar, tobacco, hemp, horses Cattle,
sheep hogs, grapes, &c., &c. An immense pile OF
correspondence, very interesting, 1t It were not the
old story over again.
Parcel is work natural history, or of that
particular branch known as entomology, or the
history of insects. IL comprises number of plates
OF bugs, moths and beetles, those fellows that de-
stroy the wheat peas and beans, beets and mingel
insects maGniiied by microscope, and horrible
looking chaps most of them are, armed with herns
and encased in a coat OF mail. The plates also
show how these insects, in the wormy state, lie In
the kernel of grain of wheat, Nc, as well as their
full growth These plates are accompanied with
full historical ana scientific descriptions OF the IN
sects. Next we have history of the humble bee,
called universally the humble bee, which Is very
interesting. IL tells how the humble bee makes
his nest, and where 10 look for II, and how by
boring his bill into the blossoms Of plants he Injuries
them, though all that hc wants is the honey. IL
makes him out very destructive fcilow, much
more than We ever thought old bundle bee
could be. Then We have a treatise on irrigation,
with plates, showing how water is to be conducted
in drains, and troughs, and such like. Then fol-
lows "a chemical analysis of mk-not town milk,
but such as they have in the COMMISSIONING
the curious ingredients Of which II Is formed,
but suggesting no artificial substitute. Then
we have an elaborate article on the cultivation OF
peppermint, an indispensable article IN the manu-
lacture of mint jueps, which IN Southern Virginia
almost regarded a luxury, and are not bad To
take even in Washington, after dull debate in the
senate, IN The dog-days. Nay, they som 5um, IS
chamber itself Hence the importance Of pepper
mint in public document. Next We have have u
remarkably eIndiie paper on fungi-parasitic fungi,
| those sort Of things which grow upon other plants,
dead wood, and such like, with number of illus
trative drawings Of the toadsiool in all liz varie
ties, and the various other fungi. Next follows
paper on the value Of clover and peas, improving
worn, ont land. Next an article the cultivation
Of the Chinese iea-plant an article or two on the
manufacture Of sugar next an article ON liking up
pork and bacon for Europe, including number Of
Plates, showing how a hog Is to be cut up, into
hams, shoulders and mldlings. Next an article on
wheat rersvs chest-ths cheat being an interlopcr
growing up with the wheat. Next several articles
on tobacco and the cultivation Of the Olives good
deal Of foreign correspondence on agriculture, fol-
lowed by string of analytical tables Of the chemi-
cal properties Of various agricultural productions.
Next we have unfinished article or two on the
| tobacco trade, from which il appears that the
| amount Of tobacco exported from Baltimore, in
| lss9, was about *, 900 hogsheads.
From the article next in order, the hos trade,
| We extract the following us the estimate OF the
number Of hogs butchcred, cut up and packed in
| NUMBER OF hogs cut up and packed In Ohio 5a3555