Arizona citizen., 1877-11-16
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
WAsHNGToN. Julv 3O, 1s7

WASHINGTON, July 30, 1877
 The following sections of the Revi: ed Statutes of the United States cn braces all the provisions of law in rC lauon to the distribution of seeds b this Department:
 SEC. 520-There shall be at the sea lOf government a Department of Agri culture, the general design and duue of which shall be to acquire and dii fuse among the people of the Unite, States useful information on subject Iconnected with aguculture, in tn most general and comprehensive sens of that word, and to procure, propa gate, and distribute among the peopl new and valuable seeds and plants.
 SEC. 526.-The Commissioner of Az riculture shall procure and preserve al information concerning agricultur, which he can obtain by means O books and correspondence. and bl practical and scientific experiments Iaccurate records of which experiment: shall be kept in hIs office, by the col lection of statistics, and by any othel Inappropriate means within his power he shall collect new and valuable seed: and plants; shall test, by cultivation the value of such of them as may re Iquire such lasts; shall propagate sucl as may be worthy of propagation, anC shall distribute them among agricul turists.
 1 SEC. 527.-The purchase and distri button of seeds by the Department O Agriculture shall be confined to sucl seeds as are rare and uncommon to tho country, or such as can be made mor, profitable by frequent changes iron one part of our own country to anOth CT, and the purchase or propagation and distribution of trees. plants shrubs, vines, and cuttings shall bI confined to such as are adapted to gen eral cultivation, and to promote the general interests of horticulture anl agriculture throughout the United States.
 The Commissioner finds no authori ty in these provisions of law for tn, distribution of any other garden anC field seeds than those which are new and valuable. It is obvious that the decision as to what is new and valua 5le must depend manly upon consid .erations of soil and climate. What may be well known and comparatively worthless in one section of the coun- try may be new and valuable Tn anoth CT; what is absolutely new and Untried will of course require the test of eX- perience to prove it's value and ascer- tain its adaptability to any given sec tion. It is plain, also, that the law does not contemplate the purchase and dissemInation of such seeds as may readily be procured at the many seed establishments of the country.
 It will be the aim of the Depart ment, in this view of its duties to dis tribute as widely as possible such new and valuable and improved varieties of seeds as may be adapted to general cultivation, or to different sections Of the country, so as to meet the various demands of our widespread popula- tion, and conduce to the interests of agriculture throughout the country. This distribution will be made through agricultural organizations and such individuals as may desire to enter up- on a series of experiments, and who may seem to afford the best security for thorough, careful. and exhaustive trials of seeds in different parts of the country and under varied circumstan- ces of soil and climate. As the des;r- ed results of such a distribution can only be attained by repeated and careful. experiments, the Department will ex- pect, as a condition of distribution, upon such a trial as will afford satis- factory test. Blanks for making these returns will be sent with the seed, and when returned, carefully filled up, will entitle the person favored by the De partment to future consideration.
 WL G. LEDUC,
 Commissioner of Agriculture