The semi-weekly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1879-1882, 1881-08-22

MADE on the state treasury IN DenaiI
of agriculturists, it strikes us that the
direct benefit meted out to the farm
ers is not commensurate with the
amount expended by the State. 1t is
not our purpose, however, to charge
any intentional neglect of this inter
est, but only to call attention to the
various sums set apart ostensibly for
the benefit Of the farming industry.
In 1872 an act was passed by the
Legislature, creating and organizing
the State Board of Agriculture, uu-
der the the provisions of which, the
annual expenditure amounts to about
one thousand dollars. Again in 1874
an act was passed creating what are
known as State premiums on stock
and farm products, with an authorized
expenditure of three thousand dollars;
and in 1880 the Legislature authorize
ed the creation Of an experimental
station and appropriated five thousand
dollars for an its maintenance, which
sum was found to be inadequate for
that purpose, and the last Legislature
increased the annual appropriation to
eight thousand dollars. In addition
to the above is the income derived
from the sale of government land
script; which amounts to six thousand
nine hundred and sixty dollars annu-
ally, and is donated to Rutgers Col
lege aud Scientific School, in accord
anee with the congressional provisions
which entirely eliminate il from the
State funds. The above sums aggre-
gate an annual expenditure of twelve
thousand dollars for agricultural pur-
poses, from which, with the exoep-
ton of the bulletins from the expert
mental station, very little benefit has
been derived by the agricultural COM
munity. The amount Of the above
mentioned appropriations seems to us
to justify the enlargement Of the func-
tions Of the State Board of Agricul.
ture by making all Of the above OBJ
jects subordinate divisions Of the
Board, under one general direction,
with its headquarters in the State
House, where samples Of the cereals
and vegetable products Of the State
could be kept on exhibition for gen.
eral examination and distribution.
The State Board of Health also hav-
ing It's headquarters in the same
building and being already compelled
by law to report its operations under
the Pleuro-Pneumonia act, to the
Board of Agriculture, would receive
snch substantial aid and encourage
ment as to enable it to enforce it's
rules and regulations y x In
1879, the Bureau of Statistics and
Labor was created to consider the Ia
Dor question, and its relations to the
growth and development Of the State
industries, appropriatiDg about three
thousand dollars, and the current ex-
penses, which makes the annual ex-
penditure cost the State about five
thousand dollars, exclusive of the
bounties offered by its recommends
ton for fibre and sugar culture. Now,
as the act creating the State Board
Of Agriculture gives that body author
ity to collect statistics upon various
subjects, it occurs to US that a consol-
idation of these acts and the moneys
already appropriated, under one man.
agement-which might properly be
called the Bureau of Agriculture
would result in more general diffu-
sion of information concerning the
various divisions of agriculture, and
also serve to develop our resources and
encourage the settlement and cultiva-
ton Of untitled lands West Jersey
Rns.