New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-11-12
AGPICUL TUPAL REPORT or THE
PATENT OFFICE.

ton orSersd f. - printed the Report OF the Com
missioner Of p,,, IT. relating to Agriculture aud
with the u.psl d,.r- h of public printing il has
been so far CONNECTED ~ on the llth OF Novem.
Der We enabled to lcck o>ef the advance sheets
In the course of another Eve months the edition
will prsbably be bound aud ready for frsnking BY
Members of Congress to such OF the r constituents
as they think worthy of sr,al iayors. In the mean
time We will siit cut, few grains ofwheas from tho
considerable pile of chaff centanod in this dOcu.
| ment
II is but Justice TO sly that this rsnOrt is better
printed upoa winter par.r, than some o. its prede
cessors and If there is noe too much che,. ug in the
binding and delivery Of ire number Of os,'es paid
fs-. the public vny look fo- volume w.o'h pre-
serving in public and private libraries. Wa pro-
ceei to select from its eontens such portions a. VIZ
deem of the most practical valve TO farmers:
AssICuLTrRAL SrATIsTICN - The Coun is
sioner i, right in his rev of this subject:
The means pursued for obtaining moot OF our NyTt
cultural statistics thouah detmec The best that could
then be- devised have Been far shot OF whet was do
sired and much Of the Information obtained has bes.s
excse dirgy loose and deSrory.
"The results hitherto obtained, however, hsve been
very imperfect, in OF a want OF systom.
and of the and machinery requisite for toe at
tainn emit of the purpose in view; and though tho 10
splts have probably been such As 20 justify the expen
ditures heretofore made they ingn scent in com
parson with those which il Is Believed might be attained
by the exerton of a suitable effort"
And WHY should that effort no, be made, since no
one can dispute its value to the country-thc whole
country. As the Commissioner says:
of all the producers and dealers in pork could lcarp,
with reasonable certainty, how much was slaughtered
last year and how many hogs were on hand, so as TO
be able to ins iue comparison, in relation 10 similar
facts for previous year, the utility of such Information
would be evident The same is true 10 regard 10 any
other agricultural or mineral Product
Here is another point:
IAN accomplished chemist has been employed to
anayze certain portions OF the and cotton pan
This course of investigation could doubtless be
tDued with very great adv anage to all our agricultural
interests
And why has ID not been extended beyond tho
examination of TIVE Of the staple crops Of the Slave
States, 1t is question for thought for that por
ton of the community who may have independence
enough to think that government was intended for
the people who represent "an our agricultural
interests
"The system of inquiry relative to the classes OF
meets injurious beneficial TO our various agicultu-
raj products, which was commenced in 1884, has been
continued through the past year and still 10 progress
knowledge Of all these nsectso their natures and
habits-is the Grst step toward the discovery OF tho
such destructive, and may very probably end IN
this result 1t is confidently believed that the money
which has been devoted to this object has been udi-
cously and usefuly expended and that these invest
cations may be probably continued for many years..
If all the money was as judiciously expended at
Washington, we should think the expenditure might
be continued for many years. notwithstanding tho
operations of the genteman-Mr. Townsend Glover
tbis State-haye been principally confined to insects
injurious to the cotton plant; and probably when
| ever his attention is turned nerthward, the work
will be denounced as sectional, and the spproprta-
| ton cut of.
| REPORT ON SEEDS AND CUTTINcs-One VI the
few sensible acts of the agricultural branch OF tho
Patent Office was the appointment of ID. J. Browne,
gentleman Of COED education, speaking seVcS
languages, and q great traveller, aud If exrensive
information -npOp agriculture, s;reects.' 70 aim
the country is greatly indebted for his introduction
| Of some very valuable new seeds aud plants, and
for getting up the agricultural reports in somewhat
more OF readable form than the of trash that
has been issued some years from that Office. In
bis report upon seeds aud cuttings in the forthcom
ing volume We find the following useful information:
"Am0ng the seeds cuttings, aud tubers that have
been introduced, otherwise obtained within the lest
three years the culture of which has been attended
with marked advantage and success, would Instance
"TRe Tnsiiss FzntWzeot from near Mount OIym-
pus, in Asia hardy Fall variety, with dark-celorod
chaff very heavy beard, and long hinty, light
coored beny will prove highly profitable to the fsner
and miller from its superior weight and the excellence
of the -four it will produce. II appears to DO we'll
ADAPTED 10 the soil and climate of the Mode States and
and has even improved in the quality Of its grain, both
in regard to IFS color and sze II whstood the sever
ity Of the past Winter without much injury from the
cold and from its very long and thick beard Il doubt
lees will be protected in measure from the dspresa-
tons Of insects in the field, as well as from heathg OF
moulding in the stack. The hardness Of the grain too,
| when dry il a sufficient guaranty against ordinary
moisture in transportation and the perforation o. the
| weevl in the bin"
Mr. Browne speaks highly but no more 50 than
| it deserves, ofthe King Philip or B'onn corn. the
| seed of which was obtained from an island in Lake
Winnipssiogee in New Hampshire, and has been
extensively disseminated through the Northern.
States 1t may be planted in June, and msturesn
80 days growing on low stalk, and yielding, with
good cultivation 80 20 100 bushels per Of hard
yellow, hinty grain, full Of oil, and the stalks afford
abundance Of fodder.
SORGHUM SAcCHARATuM-CnINEsE SUGAR
CANE.-Mr. Browne speaks Of this plant as princi-
pally valuable az forage crop. He wrote before
the growth Of last season had developed it, un-
doubted value a sugar crop. lie says;
Since It's introduction into this country, 10 be-
proved itself well adapted to our geographical tanss
Indian com 1t is OF easy culiiy aton-besg s.nnia
10 that Of maize or bro0In-corn-snd the sees "e
planted in May in the Middle states or sun eaI"e' ~
the South, two crops of fodder can De grow ~ -
son frt IN the same roots irrespective of afoemTne
fret ono in Juno or July lie cut before me paMe
eprcnr which would be green and succuaent IKE young
Indisn com aud the other ssontn on Two a.' $3.50