The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1862-10-09
Report 0f the Comm 1sslOmer Of
PatentS. -AgrlCultura

I9OROG8 - vDlG COVUoU1 1UU0uOWGr O
Patents. ts.-.Agricultural.
We have received from the Hon. D
7 r. Holloway, Commissioner Of Patents
j the portion Of his report for 1861 which
relates to agriculture. It is a volume
! 60 pages, 20 Of which are devoted 4
the report proper; the remainder being
occupied by articles on various subject.
pertaining TO agriculture, written b,
persons who possess special intelligence
lin relation 10 the subjects on whici, the,
write. From Mr.. ,Holloway's report ",
make the fsaiowiag extra,,ts -
i DISTRIBUTION OF SEEDS.
i A large properties Of the fund ap
propriatcd to this bureau has been cx
pended in the purchase and distribution
Of seeds, cuttings, &c. From the ais,
| Of December, 1860, TO the same date il,
1861, there were distributed 2,474, $3.50
parcels Of garden aud flower seeds, en-.
bracing ia varieties Of the former and
23O Of the latter. Most Of these seeds
were pu' chased by my predecessor, and
# not as valuable ~ they might have
been, the responsibility docs nat rest
upon the present Commissioner. Several
varieties Of flower seeds were procured
which have not fecn distributed. bnt
destroyed, because Of their objection
able qualities, some of them being
noxious weeds, injurious to meadows
and other grass lands.
About one thousand bushels of wheat
imported from different parts Of Europe
have be..l distributed, the results from
which, however, are not known.
Oats and barley ot superior Quality
have also been distributed.
The osier willow has been propacatcd
most successfully, and forty 1--WE thou
sand roots and cuttings will be listri
buted the present season. It is believed
that its cultivation will prove profitable
to the agricul;urist, and largely bcne.
fetal to the country. Large quantities
Of this willow and its manufactures arc
i,nport. d into this conntry. 1t has been
demonstrated beyond all controversy
that it can be produced here as cheaply
and in quality equal to any other coun.
try.
THE COMMERCIAL FACILITIES OF THE
COUNTRY.
Its northern frontier is skirtcd BY the
great lakes; its southern, by the Gulf
its eastern, by the Atlantic ocean; I; and
its western. by the Pacific. Beside these
oceans, for foreign commerce, we have
two grand systcms Of internal water
communication running at right angles
-one east and weat, and the other
north and south. The first, composed
Of the Hudson river, the Erie canal, and
the great lakes, extending from our
commercial metropolis halt ncross the
continent, to the heads Of flakes Superior
and Michigan, affords fourteen thou
sands miles Of navigation. The second
is composed Of the Mississippi and its
tributaries giving anaggregate Of II 900
miles. These two, i,lterlocked as they
are by the Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois
canals, present harmonious and. nh-
eqnaled system Of internal navigation
moro than thirty thousand miles in ex.
tent.
The railroads now in operation which
concentrate at Boston, New York.
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburg,
Cincinnati. St. Louis, Chicago. and other
points. amount to 10000 miles. There
are in the country 10000 miles of tele-
graphs, extending from city to city, and
from sea to sea. These works arc q
portion Of the grand instrumcntalitlcs Of
internal commerce in the United States.
But the amount Of this commerce battles
computation. Foreign commerce, far
less in amount. il, from its nature, more
easily calculated. We have correct
tables Of the total amount of our exports
and imports from the organization of the
Government. But how shall be esti.
mated the amount Of our internal ccu,.
lnerce? The tabular statements Of the
last census are not yet made mp, but
Senator Simmons estimated. lhe acgre-
gate value Of the annual results of the
productive industry, on the basis Of the
census Of $40, at 81, 900, coo, 900. II
G. Carey, in 1858, estimated it At e3,-
600, 100000. i may nov be placed in
round nusnbsrs It 5000, ,0o0, 600. OF
this not one.tenth is exported. The re-
naming niae-tenths Ind home maskets