Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-04-06
VOL. XIX, NO. sO....wHOLE NUMBER, 9e5.

?, centre whence rGdialos all manncl
II of useful agricultural information
t based upon the results of science
+ For instance, this division il c,n.
c slanlly in rccci pr of letters from
/, persons who desire to know tho
e quaitY-how far spurious or zen.
{ nine it may bc-of commercial fer.
f, tilizcrS which they may possess.
= and who, on sending Il sample Of the
Article, receive from the chcmis. hy
mail tho information they desire.
Owners OF meadows and swamp
lands, also, who desire to drain and
till upon inquiry us to the best
method Of proceeding in these mat
ters, are instructed therein by tho
chemist. Elaborate data are also
furnished, when asked for. on the
snbjcct of atmospheric phenomena.
The meteorological tables issued by
the Department are compiled IN
n the department from reports made
by the observers of the Smithson-
ian Institution. Two important
Investigations in the chemical d.
vision were commenced last year.
One of these, the analysis ofsevcral
hundred specimens of cereals, care.
fully selected from the whole pro-
duction Of the country, and accom-.
panied by full information in re-
gard to the methods ard conditions
Of cultivation, will it is hoped,
prove Of general value and interest.
The examination OF the leaf, stem,
and fruit Of the grapevine, at every
week of its growth, was also COM
mcnccd and completed.
CHRONOLOGICAL DIVISION.
In the chronological division is
contained n large and growing col
lection of insects many of thcn
still in boxes awaiting their cases
before being arranged and labelled,
when they will be placed in the
museum with the other articles al.
ready there A principle fe"turo
of this division is the duty of re-
plying to letters received at the
Department concerning Injurious
insects, birds, quadrupcds, and 9TH
cr branches of natural history, and
fruits, fibers, and such subjects as
relate to the museum. Much VA
liable information is in this way
given to farmers and fruit-growers,
who desire to be enlightened upon
the subject of the cnratives of, and
proventivcs against, the ravages OF
the destructive insects which attack
crops and plants. 1t is proposed,
when all the insects, harmless and
noNious, shall have been arranged
in their ca es, to label them so that
the beneficial and injurious species
may be identified at a glance.
THE MUSEUM.
10 the casual observer probably
the most interesting feature of tho
Department is its museum. Where
rs the agriculturist would linrcr
longest in the seed division, tho
man of science and the student of
natural history in the library, the
chemical division, and the en,omo-
logical division, and the lover of
nature in her floral attributes in the
h orticultural division, the seeker
after tho curious and the beautiful
would doubtless delight to gaze M,
on the museum. Here may be found
fac smiles Of fruits and vcgct bcs
Of various kinds and varieties, me
tnodical'y arranged and so cum
ningly wrought in plaster and pa
pler-mdchc, and colorcd to the he"
as almost to defy tho closest scru-
tiny in the effort to discover their
texture. There are native birds,
too, of brilliant plumagc, stuffed
and preserved, and gaz'ng quite
naturally from their pcrches; birds
harmless to the husbandman and
birds that are pests to agriculture.
Queen fish, too, fattcncd out and
shiny and presenting a grotcsquo
travesty Of themselves. Beetles
and bugs and specimens of every
kind of insects with which our con.
tinent is fruitful, and those best
known. TO their cost, by agricultur.
lists. Every State is represented.
in specimens of its productions
which are classified and arranged
in separate divisions; also foreign
articles are here, bits of satin and
silk, fl0ssy materials, and finely
woven textures; Chinese and .Ia-
pancsc cocoons, silk, paper, &c. Cal
itornia is nobly represented in u
highly polished table, twelve feet
long and seven feet wide. the top of
which is constructed of a single
section of one Of her giant redwood
trees.
THE LIBRARY.
The library, which consists of
between 1000 and 5000 volumes.
contains many splendidly bound
and Illustrated books; of course
works on agriculture predominatc-
about one-half of the whole number
relating to that branch of industry,
and cognate subjects of agricultural
geology, pomology, entomology, na-
tural history, geology, and micro.
scopy-all books of reference on
questions which constantly rccur
and are discussed in the corrcspou-
dence and reports of the Depart
ment. The library now contains
sets, generally complete, of tho
transactions of the boards of agri-
culture Of all the leading States of
the Union for the last twenty years.
and it is also in rcgul r receipt of
the journals and reports of the lead
ing agricultural and scientific as
sociasions of the world.
DIVISIONS OF 'HoRTIcULTURE.
Included in this division-which
comprises all that area known as
the Department grounds formerly
occupied by what was called the