Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-12-17
Agricultural Meeting.

Toby. Esq, Of Calais, chairman Col
Mead gave some account of the late meet
ing in New York which resulted in the
formation of an American agricultural So
ciety. At this meeting over twenty states
were represented. and able men were ap
pointed as officers of the society. He con
tinued his remarks. the most of which we
give in a report of the matter in another
colu mn.
The superintendent spoke of the genera
increase of interest in the industry Of agri
culture, the apparent spontaneous uprising
of farmers for better results in their work
the desire for better work.
The superintendent called on the agri
cultural editor of the FREEMAN for some
account of the International Dairy Fail
which he gave in much the same terms as
will be found in our report to be published
next week.
The superintendent then called on Prof
Collier to give some general account o
his work in Washington. There had beer
some misunderstanding in the time of hi:
speaking on the sugar question, which il
was thought best to defer till evening.
Prof. Collier spoke of the pleasure il
gave him to meet his friends in Vermont
and spoke of the Importance of the work
of the department of agriculture. The
work besides that of the commissioner and
clerks-lhere is department of microsco.
py, department of chemistry, of Miner.
alogv and entomology. Illustrating the
Importance of the work of these depart
mens, he spoke of the crop of clover seed
in Central New York, which this year has
been nearly totally destroyed by some
minute insect, and the professor of ento-
mology had been to examine the matter
The vines of France are now suffering
from the ravages of the Phylloxera, and the
vines Of California, being of the same fam
lily. might suffer from the same pest, and
to prevent this was the entomologist's
aim.
In every county in the state there are
thousands of insects which are kept down
by each other Sometimes, from unex-
planned causes, species may appear in
vast numbers, but then those insects which
prey on that species also largely increase
and the proper balance is soon again re-.
stored. The English sparrow has been
protected till it has become nuisance in
every large city. lie spoke with approval
of the work of the statistician Il ough there
had been much fun poked at It.
In his own department he was more al
home, and he described the work in prog
ress there; the analysis of soils sent from
various parts of the country; Of numerous
articles sent to ascertain whether the,
were valuable fertilizers; of the immense
deposits of" bat manure found in south.
ern caves. estimated by his predecessor to
be worth twenty millions of dollars, and
he had received from Texas u substance
which looked like the excremcnt of mice
which was very rich in nitrogen. The de-
partment is now occupied in examining n
weed from Texas which killed 10000
sheep in a single week. He described the
fleets rs making the cattle crazy. The
'uturc supply of fannie acid in our country
vas matter of much Importance and
jome anxiety. While overhauling his
'ooms he found package of roots from
Texas which had lain there ten wears,
which contained 80 per cent of fannie
lcid. 1t is of the rhus Or dock family and
must be valuable.
Another work was the determination of
he value of different kinds of corn. 1t
lad been thought that our New England
corn was more valuable than the western,
)ut analysis showed very little difference
Of all our cultivated land, about 80 per
cent is in corn, and yet only one analysis
lad been made of corn in the United
States seven years ago,and there are $50 il
md no one can tell whether the estimate
If value is correct or not. And the same is
rue of wheat no analysis had been made
seven years ago. No nation, least of all
ours, can in honor enjoy the results Of this
abor and research and contribute nothing
o the work. We have go native nutri
i've grasses, many of which have no
botanical name, and are known by differ
INT names in different localities.
Commissioner lie Due insists that there
shall not be line in the agricultural re.
port that any farmer who can read cannot
understand, and though technical terms
IRE necessary. they are explained so as to
be plain to all.
Besides this work, the resources of the
department are very limited, and he is
allowed but one assistant, but by an indi-
rection, which is still within the strict let
-er of the law he has more, as there is an
allowance for clerks, and the janitor does
some of the work He should have q
force of 20 men, and there would be
abundant work for them and hundred
times more money than it would
cost is FILTERED away. Tho labratory that
he left at Burlington is hundred times
better than the one he has at Washington;
not in the building, but in the structural
such us distinguish n saw
mill from church. There are at least
500 laboratories in the country superior to
that at the department in Washington.
He then spoke of the advantages which
might result from analysis Of soils, which
were fresh and not worn, and then twenty
five years later when the soils had been
worn have analysis made and note the
changes which continued cultivation had
made. The average yield of corn in eleven
western states had fallen off in Is years
90 per cent, and in wheat II per cent :;
while in ten eastern and middle states the
falling off was less than per cent in corn,