The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-05-31
'TPoBLlo. No. 81 1
AN. ACT to establish Department of Az
rieuE ura

AN. ACT to establish Department of Ag-
ricuf ure.
Be ii enacted 5y the Ssnate and House OF
Representatives Of The United States of Amer-
icd IN Congress assembled, That there is
hereby established at the seat of Govern
ment the United States a Department OF
Agriculture, the general designs and duties
OF which shall be to acquire and to dIffuse
among the people of the United States use
ful information on subjects connected With
agriculture in the most general and COM
prehensive sense of that word, and to pro-
cure, propagate, and to distribute among
the people new and valuable seeds and
pla7ts.
Sec 2 And be IL further enacted, That
there shall be appointed by the President,
by aud with the ad vice and consent of the
Senate, Commissioner of Agriculture, -
who shall be the chief executive officer of
the Department of Agriculture, who shall
hold his office by tenure similar to that
Of other civil officers appointed by he Pres
ident, and who shall receive for his COM
pensaIion salary OF three thousand dol
lars per annum. az
Sec. 3. And be ii further enacted That it
shall be the duty OF the Commissioners OF
Agriculture to acquire and preserve in his
D, partment all information concerning
agriculture which he can obtain by means
of books end correspondence, and by prac-
tical and scientific experiments laccurate
records of which experiments shall be kept
in his Office, by the collection of statistics,
and by any other appropriate means within
his power; to collect, as be may be able,
new auasyaluable seeds and plants TO test
10y cultivation, the value of such of them as
may rquire such tests; to propagate such
as may be worthy of propagation, and
i-t-i kI4Ia--them among agricul-
general report in writing of hIs acts TO the
President and TO congress, in which be may
recommend the publication of papers form
ing parts of or accompanying his report,
Which report shall also contain an account
of all moneys received and expended by
him. He shall also make special reports on
particular subjects whenever required to do
50 hy the Pres mt or either House Of Con-
gress, or when he shall think the subject in
his Charge requires ". He shall receive and
have charge of all the property of the sgri-
cultural division of the Patent Office IN the
Department of the Interior, including the
fixtures and property of the propagating
garden. lie shall direct and supeIinteDd
the expenditure of all money appropriated
by Congress to the Department, aud render
accounts thereof, and also of all money
heretofore appropriated for agriculture and
remaining unexpended. "A nd said Com
missioner may send aud receive through the
mails, free OF charge, all communication
aud other matter pertaining to the business
of his Department, not exceeding n weight
thiriy-two ounces.
Sec. 4 And be 1t further enacted, That
the Commissioner of Agriculture shall APP
point a chief c:erk, with a salary of two
thousand dollars " no in all cases during
the nect ssaFy absence of the Commissioners,
or when the said principle Office shall be-
come vacant shall perform the duties Of
Commissioner, and be shall appoint such
other employees as Congress may from time
to time provide, with salaries corresponding
to the salaries of similar officers in other De
partmeuts of the Government and be shall, as
Con gress may from time 20 time provide,
employ other persons, for sucl time as tneii
services may be needed, inclndIng chem
its, botanists, etomologists, and other per-
sons skilled in the natural sciences pertain
ing TO agriculture. AMI the said Commits
sioner, and every other person to be APP
pointed in TIE said Department, shall, be-
fore he enters upon the duties of his Office
or appointment, make oath or affirmation
truly and faithfully to execute the trust
committed to him. And the said Commits.
sioner and the chief clerk shall also, before
entering upon their duties, severally give
bonds to the Treasurer of the United States,
the former in the sum of ten thousand dol
lars, and the latter in the sum of FIVE thou.
saad dollars, conditional to render true
aud faithful account 10 him or his successor
in office, quarter yearly accounts of all
moneys which shall be by them received
by virtue of the said office, with sureiies to
be approved as sufficient by the Solicitor of
the Treasury; which bonds shall be filed
in the Office of the First Comptroller of the
Treasury, to be by him put IN suit upon
any breach of the conditions thereof.
Approved, May Is, 1862. ~