Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-11-07
Report OF the Agricultural Commissioner
To ht Er,eatire Committee oftde Jirguia State
tvrfruI.uY1j SorIfYU

which may he done very coIeisely, " til The aldof
reference To annexed and longer papers, connected
with the service in question.
The duties required Of the Commissioner, ana
al-o Il the assistants whom yoa authorized him
to appoint. we're stated as follows.i your proceed
ings Of March, 1854:
TO visit such counties. agricultural districts,
or particular localities, "a may he deemed by the
Commissioner most suitable to aid and to be aided
by his services for the Sucicty; TO gather, teither
directly. or by and through any farmers or others
aiding his Inquiries useful agricultural lniorfna-
ton: t. encourage and induce the establishment oil
County Agricultural Societies, auxiliary 10 the
State Society, and formed and working upon n
proper and uniform general plan' to hold CONVEX
%satidnal discussions with such SOCIETIES or with
other meetings OF farmers, and To address such
meetings in fnrtherance of his duties on any SUD
leets designed to promote agricultural instruction
or improvements; To endenyor to obtain aerieultu-
raj report : Of particular counties or to collect facts
aud materials for future reports; to solicit and OBJ
tain new members and donations tor the State
Society: and to report Ia the Society through the
Executive Committee, IN general, whatever he
may have done, and especially and particularly
the useful agricultural facts and instruction, not
generally understood or praetised, which he may
have collected, or received from other persons
Soon after my appointment, l pnbllshed'
through some Of the newspapers the annexed no
tice, marked A.. and, soon after, the one marked
Il; and next Il plan of general form OF constitu-
ton (C) for a county Agricultural Society, or
Farmers Club, to serve as convenient sugges-
tions and ground work for any new establish
ment of either kind of association.
believing that an important service to agri-
cultural improvement could be effected by
even the partial and limited execution of one or
more agricultural surveys of counties, or small
or sections Of Virginia, | prepared an extensive
scheme of proper subjects or headings. ms sug-
gestions for the frame work of any such survey
aud report, which scheme was reported to the
next meeting of the Executive Committee, ap-
proved aud ordered to be published. ID This
was done, as was also the case with all other
publications made 10y me, under your authority
aud general directions. No expense on this
score has been caused to the Society. For such
printing of all my different papers, | have been
indebted especially to the liberality aud public
spirit of the several publishers of the Richmond
Dispatch, Enquirer, Examiner and Southern
Planter.
In the hope of inducing either County Agri-
cultural Societies, or other voluntary assocla-
tons, To aid in etiecting agricultural surveys OF
their respective counties, ! obtained, either by
my particular request or by their own voluntary
aud welcome offers, the promised aid of the fol
owing gentlemen. as assistant commissioners
VIZ. Thos. l.. Preston, of Smyth county, b.
Johnson Barbour of Orange, Philip St. George
Cooke of Powhatan, Richard lrby of Notoway,
John X. Edmmds of Halifax. Willouglby New
ton of Westmoreland, and Professor Charles
Stuart of Mcclcnburg. These assistants were
invested, lundcr your previous resolution and
putloritv,) within their respective counties or
other named limits, with all the powers and du-
ties of the Chief Commissioner. That they have
dome no more, and especially in regard to the
chef object of obtaining county surveys, may,
be sufficiently accounted for in the universal de
ficiency of aid from any County Agricultural so
Ciety, or other associated individuals offering and
giving their combined labors of investigation for
the object in view. The only rep)rts thus OBJ
timed, or now in progress, are from Richard lr-
by, Esq, of the county of Nottoway, and Viii
longhhv Newton of Westmereland, and are the
prnise-worthy, but necessarily imperfect labors
of these two unaided individuals. These reports,
not vet completed, will hereafter be appended
and marked X and ).
Ny journeys and visits to the different agri-
cultural societies and farmers clubs, and to
ncighhorhoedS, where either have been establish
ed subsequently, were confined to such as special
" invited my presence and aid. "A greater
number of like invitations had to be declined,
because of my want of time, or the want of trav-
Cling facilities to remote places. | have atten-
drd meetings of agricultural societies, or far
mcrs' clubs, or otherwise more full and promis-
cuous public meetings, in Prince George, Glou-
ttSttr, NpltDWUN, 4A1ltllh, ! ONIlHtHli, l INIT Tsl-
ward, and Cumberland; and with each, either
Joined in conversational discussions, or otherwise
and at more length, offered verbally my opinions
nnd views of the matters of debate, or delivered
addresses suitable to the occasions. \ digos-
ted report of one of the most regular of these dis
cussions, (of the rowhatan Farmers Club,)
had prepared and published, to serve asa sort OF
working modle for such aetion-whieh report if
annexed, E. NV services of this kind have
l..n, i,,aiI.ntnll., axtoplal I'm other plnpps- an(
even into North Carolina, and perhaps not in
cltectually, both for my gathering information,
aud conveying some useful instruction.. 1t would
bo impossible to determine, and improper fol
me to estimate, how far this action of mine may
bc useful, either Immediately or remotely.
In the course of this business, and my re.
cent intercourse with practical obServant and re.
liable farmers. | have gathered and noted many
matters Of useful informant n, and mostly for in
s|trnction in practice, and each of which, if alon,
would have been deemed by most persons, (thougl
very ncurrectlyl of too little Importance to b,
reported for publication. Such is far from m,
opinion. rs to any useful facts, or of instruction
in the most trivial matters. | have written an,
afterwards published these 'Minutes of Agri
cultural Facts and Observations to tho mum
Der Of 80, Mt successive times, and which are
here embodied and marked f. This collection
and publication have been made, not only for til,
intrinsic and practical value of the matters thu
presented, but also to show, by example to ever,
reader, how much of useful Information and in
strnction might be afforded to all, if every ON,
would communicate to the State Society even
but one small matter of personal experience o.
observation IN practical agriculture.
There are also annexed three other papers (sev
orally marked G.. II. ~ which were mostly pre-
pared ut my request and delivered To me as Com
missioner. These are: "On the Distemper o
Cattle" by DR.. VIM. 5. Morton of Cumberland
2d. "On Hill side Terraces" by Gen. John Ii
Cooke, of Fluvaua; and Sd, by +. n. Watkins