Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-04-06


cssarily given in outline merely
may convey to the readers min
eomc conception Of the truth.
is the opinion of COMMISSIONS
Watts, based upon the report fth
superintendent of the seed division
and the Departments correspond
cnce with practical farmers. tina
the increased production of wheat
oats, and grasses, by reason Of tn
distribution Of new and improve,
seeds,
PAYS MORE THAN TEN TINES THE
WHOLE AMOUNT
expended by the government il
this Department, and such is tn,
appreciation Of this by the farmer,
Of the country, that the demand,
upon the Department are daily in
creasing to II degree beyond il,
ability to supply. The Commits
sioncr, also, with an impulse O
thoughtful .interestl in. the welfar,
of the whole country, irrespective
Of locality, which BELTS his respon.
sible office and its comprehensive
scope, is resolved to lend tho best
energies of his Department to the
work of developing, where ncces
sary, and improving generally,
THE AGRICULTURAL CONDITION
of tho South in such manner as
will make that section more pros
porous in making it more selt-sus-
tanning, In this spirit he wrote, on
September 2Sth, of last year, to the
Agricultural Congress held at Nash
vile, Tennessee 'In the efforts
which Southern people may make
to improve their agricultural moth
DDS, they shall receive my hearty
sympathy and cai nest CO. operation.
The Department over which | have
been called to preside, was cstab-
lishcd for the benefit of the wh0le
country, and | invite Southern men
to look to it as to q friend, and to
make free use of the facilities it of.
fers." The influence of this pur-
pose is already becoming apparent
in the Southern States, and for sew
eral months past ramie, iute, tropi-
cal fruits, and various promising
grasses, and many other plants
hitherto unknown on this cont.
nent, have been introduced, and
valuable seeds of cereals and gar
den vegetables have been distribu.
ted in the South, greatly to the ad
vantage of Southern agriculture.
Having touched upon the ques-
tion OF assistance given by the De.
partment to our farmers in the
broadcast distribution of seeds of
every kind, we will glance at an
other important feature ofits work
ings. This feature may be called
the receiving and imparting Of in
formation upon subject of
THE CONDITION OF THE CROPS
and growths of every description
throughout the Union, BY means
of its correspondence-privatc, and
through its agents, agricultural So
cieties, colleges, &c-trom all quar-
te"s, the Department in its reports,
issued every mouth, keeps the pco.
pie constantly informed of the con
ditien of the crops-their growths
and harvcstings-and also of all in
tcresting meteorological, entomo-
logical, and industrial facts and
data which have reference
to, or II bearing upon, the agricul-
ture of the country. This result is
IL great one, and it's utility to the
farmer and planter cannot be over
estimated.
SILK CULTURE.
The Importance, existing and
growing, of the silk culture in the
United States eXacts Il branch of The
Department devoted to collection
Of facts and features of this mann
facture. This division contains, in
u systematic and comprehensive
mr. 'angement. all the silk-producing
insects known to man, forming n
museum, as it were, of
everything that the silk mannfac-
turer would wish to know. When
we reflect upon tho great results
attained in California in the man
nfacture of silk, the fact that the
silk manufacture in Philadelphia
alone amounts to n value of many
annually, and the increas
ing importance of this branch of
industry, the importance OF the in
telligencc thus furnished by the
Department becomes apparent. In
his department the various trans
formations of the silk worm arc
shown, and it contains beautiful
samples of silk manufactured in
.his country rs they come from the
reel.
THE HERBARlUM.
In the herbarium-a very inter
,sting feature of the Department
arc contained more than $4,000 spe-
cics of dry plants, included in 25,-
300 or 80, 10000 specimens, system
aticaIly clas ified and arranged up
on shelves. The Importance of the
present splendid botanical collection
is largely due to the transfer to its
present locality, in 1869, Of the ex-
tensivc collection of the Smithsoni-
m Institution. The hcrbarium is
constantly bring enlarged by col
lections of rare and curious plants
and woods in all parts of the world.
A great agency by which these ad-
ditions are made is found in the col
lectors of botanic specimens and
explorers no accompany the va
rious Government surveying parties
and expeditions. One of the results
of the expedition, some months ago,
to San Domingo, was the acquisition
gilmore than 500 specimens of the
herbs and plants Of that very de-
lirhtful island. Mexico and South
America have also furnisheda large