Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-11
Farm AND GARDEN.
THE AGRICuLTURAL BUREAU :
WILL THE LEGIsLATURE DO IT'S

H.
THE AGRICULTURAL BUREAU =
WILL THE LEGIsLATURE DO IT'S
DEITY? - 45..,-
We are in receipt of the Transactions Of
the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society,
with tabular abstracts Of the reports of
County Agricultural Societies; special re-
ports Of the industries of counties and va
rious other important appendices compiled
from the United States census, illustrated
with numerous engravings, and the whole
printed and Published by order of the Leg
stature. This volume forms the TX Report,
and when we see the variety of Information
it diffuses, and the substantial value of that
information, reliable and practical, we do
not wonder at the industrial growth and
prosperity of Wisconsin. We venture the
assertion that more may be learned of Wis
consin, its manufacturing and agricultural
interests and industries, the character,
capacities and aptitudes OF its soils.
the power Of its streams, the guam
tity of its timber, and indeed about
every thing that will interest or instruct a
practical man, than can be found in all the
books in the world about Tennessee. This
volume is published to supply useful
source of information to such persons in
other States and foreign countries, as may
desire to make their homes in Wisconsin.
We repel the thought, but it constantly
forces itself upon us, that our legislators
have not been wide awake to the great in
luence which State Bureau of Agricul
ture and such reports would exert. Take
any State North Of us, and every year
there is issued, by and under the authority
Of the State Legislature, volumes that
chronicle the progress of the State in ma
terial advancement and develop
ment. Immigrants and inquir-
ing persons find and read those
reports. They in turn detail the substance
Of them to others, and so the knowledge
that these reports dfffnse goes on, widening,
and spreading until it covers the land.
But where can any one get proper idea
of any of the counties in our State? Where
is the record Of their advantages? We talk
of immigration, and meetings are held, and
grand speeches are made, but we do not
take the pains, nor spare the means to let
our great natural wealth be known
There is no class of the COM
munity but would be benefited
by the establishment of such Bureau. The
farmer would be enabled to make known his
wants and advertise his surplus lands. Pro-
tessional men, by the influx of population,
would increase their business. Merchants,
mechanics, railroad men, would all feel a
quickening vitality; and our old State, that
relatively drops back further and further
each decade in the race with other States,
would bound forward with fresh life and
renewed activity.
Now, the world knows that we have
nearly 100000 acres ofland in our State;
but it does not know that only about 6,0O0,-
600 are in cultivation. The world knows
we have great mineral wealth, but zee our
selves do not know precisely the spots where
it lies; nor do we know the richness of our
ores or the power of our streams. The
world does not know that the average of our
winters is only about SO deg, and that our
summers do not average above 10 deg; nor
does it know that in our northern
limit We have 1914 days between killing
frosts. Our State is never spoken
Of as wheat-growing section, and
yet the flour manufactured from it
is preferred IN every domestic and foreign
market and commands higher price than
that made from wheat grown elsewhere
In our climate it takes two months less time
to grow it, while all the "nutritive element.
are developed profusely." The richest to
bacco in the world is grown on our soils
1t is known everywhere, even among thu
anthrOpophagi of Central Africa, who, whilt
sweltering beneath a blazing vertical SUI
smoke the fragrant GAINESVILLE leaf Let
any one estimate our unknown advantages
and then say whether the previous Legisla
lures have not touched everything but thu
one vital question-making known our re,
| sources.
We have more faith in the members 0
our present Legislature. They are deter.
mined to practice a rigid economy; but We
are greatly mistaken in the men, if the,
fail to put forth every effort to increase tn
value of taxable property in the State. Ii
no way can this be done so cheaply, expe
ditiously and efiiciently,as by the establish
ment of Bureau in the interest of Agri
culture, and through it promulgate to tn,
world a knowledge of the mountains 0
wealth and rivers of affluence and valley
Of opulence that spread all over the State