Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-12-08
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 4, 1868.


of the Patent Office Department, was
freed from leading strings and bid to
take core of itself.
By the law then approved by Mr..
Lincoln, it was enacted a. follows:
"That there is hereby established at the
Aeat of Government OF t. United States
Department of Agriculture, the gener-
al designsanI duties of which shall be
TO acquire and to diffuse among the peo-
pie of the United States useful iniorma-
ton on subjects connected with agricul
ture in the most general and comprehen-
sive sense of that word, and u procure,
propagate, and distribute among the
people new and valuable seeds and
plants" The third section of the act
provides that at shall liza the duty of
the Commissioner of Agriculture to ac-
quire and preserve in~his department
all information concerning agriculture
which he can obtain by~means of books
and correspondence, and by practical
and scientific experiments, accurate re-
cords of which experiments shall be
kept in his office, by recollection of
statistics, and by any other appropri-
ate means within his power; to collect
as he maybe able new and valuable seeds
and plants; to test, by cultivat on, the
value of such of them as may require
such tests; to propagate such as may be
worthy of propagation, and to distribute
them among agriculturists." These Sc
lections from the law indicate with suf-
ficient clearness the object and intent in
establishing the Department as separ-
ate bureau ofthe government, and also
the general working plan of the institu-
ton under and intelligent and conscien-
tious chief.
The first Commissioners of Agriculture
was Hon. Isaac Newton, of philadelphia,
very good farmer, and benevolent
looking gentleman, but not qualified to
make the Department what it was de-
signed to be. He was appointed in June
1862, and served until his death, which
occurred June 10, 1867. John w. Stokes,
Chief Clerk under Mr.. Newton, was ac
ting Commissioner from the death of
the latter until the appointment of Gen.
Horace Capron, Nov. 80, 1861. Gen.
Capron raised the 14th regiment of Illi-
nOis cavalry, and commanded it during
the time of its service. being under Gen.
Stomnan, and serving with distinction.
The General has had much and valuable
experience in farming and stock raising,
and the steady energy he has displayed,
and the vitality he has infused into the
Department since he took charge of it,
prove that his selection was a very fit
and proper one to be made. Under him
the Department has first been really
organized and put in condition to
answer it's definite ends, with the great
est economy of forces and means admis-
sible in the full attainment of that OBJ
ject.
A new building for the acco nmOda-
ton of the Department has been erected
under the direction of the present Com
missioner, which is in all respects adj
mirably fitted for it's purpose, without
being expensive, as compared with 9th
er government buildings. tits situated
on reservation bounded by 18th and
14th streets, and the Canal and B. Street,
containing about 40 acres, ana is bnilt
Of brick, three stories high, with French
roof. A New-Englander would cas- ly
mistake it for a Seminary, and then
might dispute that he was mistaken, by
arguing while he whitfield up a pine
stick, that it was teaching more of agri-
culture. and affording more facilities for
information to farmers than they had
ever enjoyed in this land before, unless
they were rich enough to farm for pleas
ure, and for experiment.
From a proof sheet OF the report of
the Commissioner, to the President, da-
ted Nov. 80, 1868, find that the total
amount of all the money expended for
the building, including sewerage, fur
niture, carpets, and scientific apparatus
for laboratory, is $14O,4 The build
ing contains 565, 900 cubic feet of availa-
BILE space, and the cost is, therefore, but
243cents per cubic foot--a cost surpassed
by that of many private and public
buildings, and moderate as the mos eco
nOmical could desi.e, l heard Judge
Holt say this morning, that in every re-
spect it was well fitted for its purpose,
and the most so of any of the govern
ment buildings.
The report of the Commissioner.
which will be submitted to Congress,
with those of other heads of department,
by the President, shows that eXpendi-
lures under each appropriation have
come within the sums appropriated a