The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1852-06-11
From Moores Rural New Yorker. J.
NATIONAL AID TO ,AGRICUL-
MisshahA Ss''Ng ATtIREN9 18A 8es4 ~

IVA 4lVANEh AhhO " IA " ANVIL
Am''R'%. S''Tg aTURE.N1 SSA 'esa =, I
Appropriations for the collection oi
Agricultural sialis,lcs BY the Patent
Office, were first made In 1889, and have
been continued nearly every year since,
yet amount in all TO only $4,000. And
this istbe sun tc,alo governmental aid
10 agriculture with the exception OF the
expense Of printing the Agricultural Re.
potts of,he last two years., from the
founding Of the Government until now,
a. period of seventy.ive years. The
business OF collecting these statistics on
the part Of our Government ;s confined
10 a single clerk, supervised by the Com
missioner Of Patents, an officer mainly as
we'll as laboriously occupied with duties
Of vety different Glass; Il is no won
der that the result Of the appropriation
Of even this pitiance, should prove rather
unsatisfactory, yet meagfe as il is com
pared with what itmight be, there is by
the people more call for this Report than
for any, or all Other documents Of a
public character and printed a. public
expense. q ai heG1alq i,sa 3tal ig
O. There is not an Agricultural School
aided or patronized by Government in
America, though there is not country
in Europe but has one or more supported
at public expense. Under the present
s'aie Of Congressional opinion and ac-
zion, we see little prospect Of their es.
tablishmen, here. Even the outlay Of
$4,000 for tho establishment Of on
Agricultural Bureau, as proposed in abill
agreed 10 by one Of the House Commit
tees, seems too much to be granted 10
ihis greatest Interest Of the corntry,-
This bill authorizes the appointment
of Commissioner Agriculture, with
achemist, and clerk, as assistants, whose
duties shall be to collect agricultural
statistics, procure and distribute valuable
grains, seeds, cuttings, buds, etc :, analyzo
minerals and soils, as well as obtain
information and institute experiments
bearing on the culture Of the great sta.
pies Of the country, and ropor. The same
annuity to Congress. The American
mind beyond TINT Of any other nation. is
inquisitivo on this extensive topic, and
such department, under the fostering
care Of the general government, could
no, fail to prove highly beneficial to the
T' bha
Commerce and man lfactures can and
10 obtain encouragement and protection
through national Legislation, but Aeticul-
lure is lett to take caro- Of itself. II can
AXE care of itself, as il has always done.
md all other interests beside; but il could
10 much more, could the valuable aid
which science gives, be made available
10 the whole agricultural population
;onld the improvements which the most
farmers now apply with
,bundan, success, be more widely made
Known and become more generally prac-
iced. These views are ably declared
md supported by the editor Of the New
York Tribune, in recent number Of that
ournal pva i ,a7i3st-ts
"The total value of the annual pro.
ducts of The soil Of the United States is
aow about one thousand millions Of dol
mrs; and no one who knows what science
has done for agriculture will doubt that
he same amount Of labor which is now
in producing this aggregate
might be so applied as 10 secure a total
product thirty per cent greater, or one
thousand three bundled millions .Ru,
scientific, skillfdl, thorough agriculture
always employs more labor than the
'hifIless. slouching sort too generally pre-.
Valont; and it is certainly within bounds
10 estimate that our agriculture might be
80 improved as, by the help OF addiional
|abornow unemployed and unproductive.
10 give an additional product Of fifty per
cent or five hundred millions per annum
IAN achievement which would double
the wealth Of the country every eight or
ten years. Whoever will carefully re.
view.,he agriculture 5uf a single State, or
even an average county, in any part of
The Union, and estimate how much its
product might be enhanced by irrigation,
deep blowing, draining, &c.,
will perceive that our calculation is far
within the tru,hvids on % sap #iE
But suppose that only half Of il, or an
addition oftwo hundred and fifty millions
per annum to our annual agricultural
product, is attainable, what an immense
addition to our national wealth would
thereby be insured +! oFour-fifths ofthis
would probably be permanently added to
the wealth of the coun,ry--that is, the
farmer whose annual product should be
swclled from $1,000 TO $3.50, Or from
$4,000 to $2500, would not eat or drink
up the surplus, but would invest the
greater part oft in new buildings, fen
ces, barns, Implements, furniture, &C.,
&c., giving profitable employmen. TO
mechanics and laborers, and largely in
creasing the business Of merchants and
lhe incomes Of professional men. Such
IN addi,ion;to the annual produc, Of our
agriculture would increase the 'consump-
ion Of manufactures, domestic and i'm
ported, to far greater ratio, since from