Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-07-11

The appointment by the President o
Gen. VIM. G. Leduc as Commissioner o
Agriculture was announced on the 27tl
nit. The feeling has become very genera
that the agricultural bureau was pretty
costly piece of uselessness, chiefly known
to the people as the fountain of unreliable
garden Seeds" and the source of annual
reports, which made good scrap-books, OF
made fair show of books on the shelves
of scant libraries.
There has been good deal of influence
in favor of the reform of this department
by abolishng the whole thing. Mr.. War
ing treats the matter in the last Agricul-
turaliSt us follows:
| am not disposed to agree with those
who camor for the total abolition of the
Department, nor is it perhaps advisable to
make any sudden change in connection
with its systems but the present Commits
sioner after trial of eight years, has,
think, failed to convince those who have
watched his course, that he is in any i'm :.
C'SN"O iNoPN1l III lOl no pJSltlull' n COIl-
scientious, scientific man, with the neceS-
sary capacity for administration, would in
that time have convinced the people that
they had no use for the stupid, heavy an
nual report that has been issued to them,
and that so far as their money can be ex-
pended by the government for their bene-
fit, it must be used in ways that are not at
all snowy" not even demonstrative. As
suggested before, there are certain things
which agriculture gravely needs, and
which can be secured only by the iudicious
expenditure of II great deal of money and
the labor and devotion of conscientious
and capable men. With proper Com
missioner ut the head of the Department,
authorized to abolish the Report" the
experimental garden, and every form of
expenditure which is intended only to
make the Department POPULAR" there
might have been obtained an amount of
knowledge ofa character which could be
obtained in no other way,-which would
have justified len times the expenditure
that has been made. The distribution OF
seeds has done but tIiiling good, if it has
done any good whatever, and the publca
ton of the J." Report has been gigantic
task.
Every item of Information, which might
have come into the possession Of the De-
plrtnent, that was worth publishing ut all,
would have been greedlly published by
every agricultural and miscellaneous
newspaper in America without charge.
Whatever they would not publish, was
presumably not worth publishing.
If thu Etrtnprc MA 10 b,,,,o 49,, mi
rs to the manner in which money is to be
spent for their benefit, they should insist
that the present" grandmother system shall
be cut short off; that the Department shall
be used for doing only such things us can
not be as well or better done in some 9TH
er. The subject makes it proper that the
general government and not single
State, should undertake the investigation
1t is said that Pasteur's scientific discover
les concerning the microscopic beings or
affecting the growth of the
grape, and the riponing of wine, have
saved to France more than the amount of
the German indemnity. An equally pro-
Iitnble field is open to science in this coun-
try. The grasshopper question alone is of {
vast consequences, but no one suppose>
that the Agricultural Department as now
is at all able to cope with such ,
serious work.
Concerning the new appointment the
Tribune remarks rs follows:
There will be much disappointment at this
selection among people who had hoped to ,
SEE man Of eminent scientific attachments +
and special qualifications for the position
put in charge of the Department. 1t has &
been the misfortune of that brar CHI of the ,
government ever since it was eStablis he'd.
4 years ago TO be under the direction OF +
unknown and incompetent men. Gen /
educ may be entirely competent, but he :
Will have to demonstrate his capacity to a
ather skeptictl public, for little if any, ,
hing is known of him outside of Mime a
ota. -
Altogether the new Commissioner will Fl
AVE hard row to hoe. On the one hand
will be the influence which desires a change
which will make the Department valuable q
o the agricultural portion of the country,
nd which will have on its side most of W
he leading agricultural interests and lead II
ne pal ers of those interests; on the other
and TO oppose such a change beside the W
which such change would n
nut in the outs will be those members u
t Congress, who have heretofore had o.
urnip seed committee man in every n,
chool district in his territory, vhom he HI
rs with report and a few packages of
eeds, kept firm in the belief that he was 10
onsdered ut Washington most inhuen- W
al and important man in the politics of ca
is safe, and that congressman who so
'ell appreciated his importance and ac- q,
nowledged it so deicately, could not be
herwiso than the fttest man for the CT
lace. We agree mainly with Mr.. War. We
ng. The curse Of our country in agricul- be
Ire, us in some other directions, is in the
lmber and inrOmpetency OF many of
lose who assume to speak by authority; Ie
scientific quackS, and of tile lack of pro- ",
~ appliances for scientific research in he
o'e stations already established, which tn
'nndant means only can furnish. And MI
i'll many, not generally farmers, but Of
ose belonging to the farming " interest" ce
le are little Oliver wanting more. If a poll no
'al millennium were possible, in which th'
ch u Department could be established w, w,
ID maintained, free from political inAu- pr
&c, and controlled and worked by thor. ed
ghly competent scientific men, for prac-
al purposes, something as the weather Ill
reau' is, or the coast survey, its value ma
1uld be beyond what we have now any nc
inception. me
Such bureau, with its branches reach. era era
g INTO every state, TO test and determine nor
'al matters and methods would render not
peri,nental farms, which are at the best
complete, and must be with the sums
lich AN be raised for their support, I'M
ccssary, or better still, auxilaries.
Should such thing ever he reo1i1a6 ,,