The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-05-07

procured in and through our marshals and bureaus
Mr. President have gentlemen taken into consideration
the immense quantity OF printing which this publication,
Of Itsei alone vii require One hundred thousand
Congress, and thirty thousand in this Each Of these
volumes will contain about 1--WE hundred pages; and
when the whole hundred and thirty thousand shall
be published il will make sxtyfve million pages Then
the thirty thousand volumes are TO be divded--ihirty
thousand for the Senate, which would make five hundred
volumes to each senator upon this floor representing,
some OF them, constituency oil two hundred and fifty
thousand, and others five hundred thousand The State
represent contains ninetyodd thousand yotersa popu
iat9n and constituency among whom these volumes
about one thousand volumes TO be distributed among
one hundred thousand people. How many, then, viii
procure ihs work One il every hundred Then sir
oil this kind They will ask once DO you make this
publication with view to benefit the agricultural inter-
country but i you do merely for your informa-
ton, upon which you found practical knowledge, make
the number TO correspond with the reqnsiton Of your
body for the purposes of information Then il brings
down TO this Is there senator upon this floor who
expects to derive from that document any statistics upon
which he intends to found any information for the benefit
OF the country either commercial or manufactured
None It reduces ITSELF then, 10 this idea: We are
merely doing II 10 crafty the wishes Of the people of the
country and can only crafty one in every hundred con-
have bureau from which issue practical and theo-
etical information in relation to agriculture II
DO irom the Patent Office; and will take occasion to
say that to establish bureau for that purpose will be
much less expensive to the country than this annual
publication Of these Volumes which do consider to
be Of any importance 70 the country How much will i
and binding al least $30000 and agricultural bureau
can be kept up upon the annual interest OF that expend
ture And MT President after the statistics OF the cen
sus oil 1850 shall be taken, every subsequent annual
port for the next nine years will contain no additional
information in relation to agriculture, but win be mainly
repetition And are we going 70 TePuSsh year after
honorable senator from Mississippi, Mr. DAvIs,] if we
going to reformation in relation to these
incidental expenditures, there is no better time to do it
Mr. B6RLAND. There is a single point upon which
wish to make remark. The question has been
work. Judge of the expense at the present time by
ferng to that Of the last year The Patent Office report
(Which the agricultural portion Of last year contained
s pss
amount OF the manuscript would contain about 200 pages
less than the Of last year. and would, therefore,
(allowing for the plates and binding which will be about
anda-haf cents) about fifty cents volume We
cannot estimate it with any precision but allowing for
The difference Of 200 pages would cover the cost OF the
plates or very it, that the exavagan calcu-
lation would hardly exceed fifty cents volume
would say reply to the remark OF the senator from
Georgia. in regard TO the character Of the information
contained in this report, when he states that the Com
missioner could not be supposed be very practically
theoretically competent to make very valuable report
upon agricultural science-l would remind the senator
that upon reference to the report does present the
mere speculatons of the Commissioner of Patents but
consists Of statistics furnished TO him from the most intel
gent farmers and planters OF the whole country find,
sir, by reference to it, that IL imbodies. in small space,
valuable statistical information from almost every portion
Of the United States. Even in my own State which is
OF the fnrthes distance from the Of government
we'll OF the newest, and where agriculture has
perhaps advanced little in any other know num-
her OF the most industrious and eminent farmers who
have been collecting statistical information, and
sn he Dat Il 81 Z.
that class OF persons from whom get the most OF my in
formation in regard 10 the value oil this report con-
slider il the most valuable published by the government,
and the only from which the agrculturs derives any
Mr. DAVIS. desire to ask the chairman OF the com
miitee whether there is any document heretofore pub
ished which has been bound with plates! The senator
has alluded to the great demand for this volume.
Mr. B0RLAND. am not aware that such has been
the general practice in years past but know that there
have been published with plates recollect
tain sugar document that considered OF very great
value Il published, Think under the direction Of
the superintendent of the coast survey, Dr. McCulloch
think, also, that the various geological reports we have
had from different parts oil the country have contained
plates, and very expensive
Mr. DAVIS Then ask the senator another ques-
ton: whether those geological reports have ever met
with any great demand
Mr.. B0RLAND. In my opinion. they have been de-
manded to the full extent OF their publications. but they
have been published in comparatively small numbers, be-
they were of interest TO very few people OF the
United States.
MIR. DAVIS. Those that were distributed contained
but few plates, believe
Mr.. BORLAND. They contained great many plates.
And will state upon this point, in reply 10 the question
10 the demand for this work under discussion,
that every in the United States Is interested in the
agriculture OF the country greater less extent and
seeks information upon the subject; whereas geological
information is Of comparatively little demand.
Mr.. BERRIEN. am not accustomed to trouble the
Senate with observations questions OF this sort; but
having the misfortune to disagree with the views enter
tanned by my colleague and being under very strong
vcton that do but fulfil the wishes OF the people OF the
State which we jointly represent in advocating the print
ing and circulation Of this document take the occasion
10 offer few remarks. can bear testimony, sir, from
document which is published by the authority OF Con-
gress that ID much demanded by the people of the
State in which live as this documents and must beg
leave 10 say that there is TOO much intelligence IN the
people OF that Stale TO make that demand originate from
any plates or binding The demand which the people
make for this document from the value which they
attach 10 the information which Il conveys and that Is
not the statistics OF agriculture, IL is expressed, the
results Of agricultural improvement but il is TO processes
collection OF information upon various agricultural sub
ects in regard TO the processes BY which agriculture may
be most advanageously conducted and il is this nforma-
lion, and not the amount Of this that PRODUCT (which H.
strictly speaking, the statistics OF agriculture that makes
desirable to the planters and farmers throughout the
country. And IL Is not necessary that the head OF the
Patent Ofce should be either scientific practical az
rculturs in order to be able 10 communicate that nfor
nation. He is but the medium through which the va
rious contributions centring in the Patent Once are
again circulated throughout the country and enabled
TO say for myself and upon the testimony OF others, that
much practical benefit has been derived from the pcrusal
OF that volume, and that il was equally demanded