The Portland daily press., 1865-10-02
The Agricultural and Economic Museum at
Washington.


Washington.
The exhibition, organized under the auspi-
ce5 Of the Societe d'ApicuItare, has been
banished to the remotest corner of the Crystal.
Palace at the Champs Elysees. 1t would
seem, at first, that it had been lost sight Of in
comparison with thatp the Industrial Arts,
which ostentatiously display themselves in
the front or principal part of the building,
. while the lack of interior communication be-
tween the two exhibitions adds to the incon-
veniences of this seeming exile.
Each time that we visited this neglected
wing of the building, we were scandalized by
the small number of spectators, the greater
part of whom seemed ignorant Of the exist
ence of a spectacle without precedent in the
annals of Entomology-the most interesting
branch of natural history.
The Cosmos is in reality addressed to a
chosen public, consequently it could not at
once render popular an innovation SO useful
Its mission has rather been to show that the
exhibition of insects has borne many fruits in
spite of the slight enthusiasm of political
journals.
As soon as the resolution of the Societe
dApicalsare became known in the United
States, the Federal Government gave orders
to Mr.. Townend Glover, the Entomologist of
the Department Of Agriculture, to repair to
Europe, there to represent his nation, and to
propagate the principles upon which the Mu-
scum at Washington is established. Should
an intelligent public feel indebted to this eff
fective exhibition for the knowledge Of these
facts of which we shall give cursory resume,
this fact alone should give the learned organ
izers sufficient cause to congratulate them
selves upon the issue of their honorable under
taking.
Mr.. Townend Glover has brought to our
side of the Atlantic a work upon which he
has been engaged for the last fifteen years, and
the examination OF which is rendered CT
greater interest from the fact that two or
three years must elapse before the edition con-
templated by the Federal Government win be
in the hands Of European readers. The book
is composed of 13G plates, colored and design
ed by the author, and each containing from
fifteen to twenty insects peculiar to the Uni
ted States.
Mr.. Glover has annexed to his, work an in
dex, arranged by the names of plants.s If, for
example, the reader searches for the article
cine, he finds in answer, an enumeration of
all those insects which destroy the vine. The
numbers themselves refer to the plates and to
the explanatory text, allowing one speedily to
gather all the information relative to the pc
culiarities of these little animals, together with
the manner of exterTninating them.
About twenty plates in addition are devoted
to the study of cotton-a plant of such impor-
tance to the agriculturists OF the United
States as to in every respect deserve this hon
or.
Mr.. Glover is in the service of the Depart
ment of Agriculture at Washington, nation
al institution which has already rendered sig
nal services to science and the public, though
of very recent esta blishment.
Indeed, it was created by the immortal
President Lincoln, who confded its direction
to Hon. |. Newton, one of the most distin-
gushed of American agriculturists. Notwith-
standing the immense expenditures rendered
Congress Immediately appropriated monies to
large amount, which were of the greatest
Importance for the maintenance of the De-
partment.
The aim of the establishment is to furnish,
gratis, every kind of agricultural information
to those persons who may require it; and tc
institute system of international exchanges
upon the principles which were reduced tc
practice by the lamented Mr.. Vattemare.-
Four bureaux or divisions were therefort
quickly formed.
l. That of Natural History in general, anc
of Entomology in particular
2. That of Chemistry.
8. That of Horticulture
L. Statistics relative to the condition ot
crops Of all kinds.
The head of each Of these departments is
obliged to answer in writing, all questions
which may be addressed to him ffom any
part of the Union whatever, for the purpose
of solving any problem relating to Agriculture
The chief of the Department, the Honorable
I. Newton, is, in addition, commissioned To
send seeds gratis to all who may demand
them-as is the custom at the museum Of
Paris.
The Department also publishes two jour
mails (which our museum has ceased to do)
one, the Annual journal, contains the repor
of the general state OF agriculture; and tn
other, monthly report, is designed to follow
the progress of vegetation. 81
The collection, though recent, already con
tains great number of interesting objects
and is arranged upon plan eminentiy prac
tical and susceptible of imitation IN Europ
with the most complete success. Mr. Glove
is especially charged, as we have said, to max
this system OF popular education known. w
will confine ourselves, on this occasion, to no
ticing but one Of these examples which h
has pointed out to us, that we NAV rende
comprehensive the nature of those service
which he is called upon to give.
The potato is there (artifcially) similar in
form and appearance to the natural bplh
He exhibits the different varieties which eul.
ture produces, together with information !.
to the soil for which each is best adanted
Their various diseases are likewise indicated
and the different insects which inir,re them a.
well as the enemies Of these insects, Beside
these directions, references are subioined i,
oaoa xrz1,ioh roi,f 4ho x,;....