The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-02-28
Occasional Correspondence of the Citizsn.l
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22d.

of February without saying some
thing about the immortal and truth
full George.
A visit to the home and tomb of
George Washington at Mount YER
non makes one wonder at the
changes which thfee-quarters of 3
! century have wrought in the Re
public which his wisdom and cour-
age did so much to found and pre-
serve. How this modern Cincinna-
tus of the plough and the sword,
with his notions of stern simplicity
in dress, manners and modes of liv-
ing, would be scandalized by the
lprohigacy and corruption of the
government, and the folly and ex-
trayagance of the city he helped to
found While he would see Wash
ington grown from an Insignificant
J village to q great and beautiful city,
enriched and adorned BY the ex-
| penditure. of many millions, the
half finished obelisk that was to
stand in solemn grandeur as me-
mortal of his deeds, is only fitted to
I impress that old lesson of history,
The ingratitude of republics"
THE FARMERS DEPARTMENT.
Looking out from my high win
dow on Thirteenth Street, away
across the Avenue, / see a plain but
spacious brick edifce ON the rising
ground, half mile away, known as
the Agricultural Department. This
place is full of interest and instruc-
ton to all inquiring minds, and we
cannot do better than to walk over
there and spend an hour or two this
pleasant morning. We approach
THE edifice thro' beautiful grounds,
laid out with excellent taste and
managed with great care and scIen-
tific skill Beside the broad walks
and avenues are groups of plants
and shrubs and young trees from
all parts of the continent and the
world, embracing those that are ca
pable of growth and development
in this latitude. AT the proper
season these grounds Will present a
living mosaic of grasses, flowers,
shrubbery, intermingled with statu
airy, little klosks and summer
houses scattered here and there.
Entering the edifice, let US 60 di-
rectly to the second story where a
spacious apartment is filed with a
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AGRICULTURE.
Here yon can find specimens of
almost everything TO illustrate the
farming interests of America 1t is |
miniature picture of what this
great Republic produces to feed and |
clothe the world. Here are all man
ner of grains and grasses, every /
kind of farm and garden vegetables,
almost a thousand varieties of fruit, /
from the cranberry of the cold /
North to the orange and banana of /
the extreme South, stuffed birds, /
including poultry, with a great va
riety of fish and reptiles-molded
and colored to nature, and myriads
of harmless and hurtful insects.
Tobacco, sugar AID rice, with such
textile substance as cotton, silk,
fax, hemp, DC. The cases contain
ing their textile, make a rare sub
iect of study in the line of develop
ment, showing how the dull cocoon
of the silk worm gradually grows
into q robe fit for an empress. Any
farmer who comes to Washington
without spending an hour or two in
the museum will lose much of the
pleasure and profit of his visit.
rrr SErO DrpApTlrNT
Going down to the basement wei
find ourselves in the pleasant com
pany of a large number of ladies,
mostly young women, who are very
busy putting up great number OF
packages of farm and garden seeds
for distribution to all parts of the
United States. Do not imagine
however that this is Uncle Sans
gratuitous seed store, designed to
supply the farms and gardens of :
100000 of people. The seeds
put up here are gathered at heavy {
expense from all parts of the world,
and are designed for distribution in
small parcels amongst persons of in |
teIligence who will give them a fair
trial, and report the result to this {
Hitherto this distri-
button has lost half its value to the !
country, either by mismanagement,l {
or by a misconeeptiOn Of its pur-
pose. l heard of one good granger :
up in the wilds of Pennsylvania,
who receiving pint of early peas
that cost $50 a bushel in Europe,
had them boiled for dianer because I
they came little too late for early
planting. As it falls to my lot I
TO attend to this matter for most
Obliging Senator, 1 beg that those
Ohly who wish TO experiment with
few varieties of new seed and give
the result, will make application.
To apply for enough to stock a gar :
len or neighborhood is useless, as
he request will not be granted by
The Department
FARM Products OF THE COUNTRY.
In = brief confluence with Col.
Dodge, the statistician of Depart i
nent. / learn that the farm prod =
lCJs OF all kinds amounted in 1877
o about $4,000, OO0, OO0-three thou
'and millions of dollars in yalne.
let any te--yesr-old arithmetical &c
nus, vhO wishes to understand the l
falue of these figures calculate, how !
ong be would have to live to count s
he sum on athe dollar of his dad +
lies working eight hours a day d
md $40 days a year and counting d
ne to the second. II be finds he II
an schieve the work in less than y
hree hundred years, give him q y
Gather medal as 8 reward for stu W
lidity. He will at the game time
earn the lesson that silver coin is
ct wanted to make heavy pay d
lents, but to use as change, and o
orm 3 solid basis for paper money 70
D rest upon The Frenchman did "
OF want his deposit from savings o.
ank il it was there, but If not there u
e wanted it badly. The bond
older Esuts no coin If it Is on h
and, but If not he wants it very a
sd. III
ow TO SEND PRODUCTS TO MARKET
A numb her of measures sre before f