The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-31

after ts date Of the return Of srveys to the district
ONCE.
Commotion Among the Clerks IL the Patent
| Once.
| commotion occurred at the Patent ONE this
I morning In consequence OF the discovery that no
funds were to be ha6 10 pay or the regular monthly
salaries Of the ONCE. Congress shortly before ad-
journment passed law providing for the transfer Of
all the funds OF the Patent once to the Treasury De-
partment from the First National Bank in this city,
The law also directed that the annual expenses Of
the ONCE should not exceed $4,000. 1t now turns
out that there is an unexpected ttficuty In getting
the required amount Of money from the Treasury,
great doubt existing as to the mapne In winch IL
should be drawn. The clerks and examiners are In
| consequence In great grief.
The White House Besaeged by OnlcG Seekers.
The White House was more densely crowded
with office seekers to-day than at any time even dur
| ing the session OF Congress. The Senate bft only
ABOUT hundred offices untitled, but the scramble
LOT these ID unprecedented. Perhaps nnetyHia out
OF every hundred callers at the White House are pro-
fessional ONCE seekers and with these the President
ls n'eraiy peseged from morning till late at night
oohs Oh them come here with view to having
parties now In office suspended bringing with
them for this purpose pockefus OF serious charges.
Movements of General Stonemnn.
MAJOR General Stoneman. commanding the First
Miiitdry DlstrlCt, arrived mere THIS morning from
Richmond accompanied by Colonel Campbell, OF his
saf. He intends going North for eight or ten days
to take brief vacation for the benefit of his health.
This morning he visited General Grants headquar
tiers, and also the War Department where he had an
interview with Secretary Schoneld.
The Now Commissioner Of Patents.
Elisha Foote the new Commissioner Of Patents Is
a cousin Of the late Senator Foote, OF Vermont and
is generally conceded to possess all the qualifications
necessary for his new position. He has had great
experience In the Patent Oice having for years past
been member Of the Appeal Board. He Is lawyer
by profession. and for a number OF years Judge
Of the Court OF Common Pleas OF Senaca county, N.
Y. In early life he made several inventions, all Of
which proved TO be Of great value. He had an
tensive practice as patent lawyer, from which he
reaped handsome fortune Judge Foote Is about
sixty years Of age, aad Is man OF high integrity.
Iron FOrts--A New Turret for Land Defence.
The favor with which the British Captain Coles
iron revolving fort has come to be recently regarded
| In England renders IL worth while to note that q
similar American invention, claimed to be in many
| respects superiOr-namey, the Ryan-ltchcock re.
voving iron fort-nas now prospect Of fair trial.
On the favorable report of joint committee OF both
houses resolution unanimously passed the Senate
| and would no doubt have passed the House but for
the fact that with only three bills ahead OF 1t
count Of the ilibustering the Funding bill on the
morning Of adjournment all other business was left
misunderstanding the appointment OF board
consisting Of the General OF the Army and Admiral
| and Vice Admiral OF the Navy to investigate this
| system Of defence. The delay until next session
will not I am informed, prevent the examination
| preliminary to the only satisfactory test-that OF
| actual experiment by the construction OF one Of
these iron FORTS The Cole turret crudely devised in
| 1857, was practically perfected and used in the
monitors by Ericsson with success which has
casioned its partial and undoubtedly general
eventual adoption In all the navies OF the world.
The Ryan-HitchcOck fort, it is claimed will be on
shore what the Ericsson turret was anoat, and
differs from the two former In the essential i'm
provements OF rotations by floating and working the
| guns by condensed DIR.
The Crops-Report Of the Commissioner Of
| Agriculture.
The following Is an abstract Of the report just
issued from the Department OF Agriculture ON the
| condition of the crops In july
| Co,n.-The most remarkable fact In connection
with the crop Of the present year Is the great
increase OF It's average in the South the difference in
| the number OF acres between the present and the
| preceding year being more than two millions and
half. A slight decrease is apparent in the Eastern
seaboard States. resulting from the unpropitous
character OF the recent cold and backward spring,
which sadly interfered with the planting careful es
innate OF the average shows decrease OF 49, 6O9 acres
Name Neg GsW Naw Khods
Maryland, and an increase OF 310s,2l5 acres In the
other States. The figures show an increase Of over
5000 900 OF acres In corn making about 80 1000
In the United States-an advance OF per cent. The
percentage OF Louisiana reaches 65; that OF Arkan-
sas al; that OF Kansas 80; Mississippi rs; Nebraska,
25; Missouri, %; Texas. IS; Minnesota IL Iowa, 10;
Illinois and Ohio s.; Indiana T. The drought in the
| South has retarded somewhat the growth or corn,
but Its condition In that section Is generally good.
In the West the average Is high with the exception OF
Ohio and Indiana where the weather mas been some.
what unproptous and the storms destructive. In
the East IN the last OF June the growth was small
but the hot weather OF July has brought large por
| of splendid
Whedt.-The condition Of wheat as shown In the
July return is above the average for last year in all
| the states except Vermont Connecticut, the Caro-
lnas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas
and Nebraska. The season has been peculiarly fav.
orable 10 the growth and ripenng OF this great bread
| crop in all except the Southern states
| C0tton.-Returns from the cotton districts indicate
crop with the exception OF Texas, which shows
an increase OF 80 per cent over last year,
no material change In the figures. The falling
| on In Mississippi appears TO be per
Arkansas, IS in south Carolina, 20 in tennessee and
80 In North Carolina The average reduction In acre
age Is about ten per cent. WIN this diminished
general use OF fertilizers so that the yield may
be quite equal to las, year. the season being equally
favorable with q like experience as 10 insects and
other causes Of injury. one county In Arkansas
Desha) reports less than third Of the acreage Of
last year, while the area In corn Is three times as
large. Such indications are hopeful The cor
| respondent AZ might be expected, declares
the and crops n are injured u By drought
the finest yield for many years will be the result. A
want OF rain has been apparent In half the States
and a severe drought has AFFLICTED Western Tonnes
see, but few complaints OF Its effects on cotton are
made. SO far the plant enjoys very general exemp-
| ton from the casualties and injuries.
Rye, oats and barley promise abundant crops No
| serious drawbacks are reported and few complaints
Of bad condition received.
Potatoes, so unexceptionably unproductive last
| year, are in an unusually line condition and the
| average Is increased In every State except Rhode
Island-the natural result Of extremely high prices
| OF last years crop.
Fruit Is variable. Apples and peaches are less
| promising than usual. Vermont, New Jersey, Dela'
| ware Maryland virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa,
| Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and West Vrg MIA MAKE
| worse record than the other states 10 apples.
Peaches will be less abundant than apples, New Jer-
| sey, Maryland and Delaware promising Dut haf
| crop and Illinois and Michigan showing con-