Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-03-16
Politics and Persimmons.


Politics and PersimmOns.
The unintelligent management of the ag
rcultural department at Washington has
been the cause of much fun being made of
it. This has become so habitual that the
department is regarded by the average news
paper man as Q standard joke, and the wit
lings of the press make it a part OF their
small stock in trade, along with mothers-in-
law and the like. Farmers are in some dim
way associated with and held responsible for
the department, and the petty journals (some
of them printed in large cities and with
large circulation amongst small people, have
their sarcastic reflections in connection
Herewith upon the bucolic mind" and the
"grauger intellect" But, as in other cases,
the boot is on the other foot. The depart
ment of agriculture, from the beginning, has
been run by politicians for politicians, with
Just so much of agricultural work. and Just
that kind, which might be expected from
the average politician. The office of COM
missioner of agriculture has been made a
place for some poor friend of the president,
or for some troublesome but incompetent
man who could not exactly be ignored. 1t
has been regarded by congressman as an es-
tablishment to furnish them with bouquets
gratis and a supply of "reports" and free
seeds with which to flatter or buy the farmer
vote. So far as we know, farmers have
never had any place in it. Even the fancy
farmers, like DR.. Loring and DIR. Sturtevant,
who have aspired to place there to help
them politically, or to give them chance
to air their whims, have not succeeded.
The present commissioner was by no means
an ideal appointment. He had done moth
ing previously to attract public attention to
him as suitable man for the place. He
probably owed it entirely to the friendship
of Mr.. Hayes. But we must do him the
| justice to say that since he has been in the
place he has endeavored to be useful, and
has really done more than all his predeces-
sors together to promote agricultural inter
ests. He has also made vigorous protests,
even at the risk of his official head, against
the use of the department as a political ma
chine. In this he has failed, as was foreor-
dained, because congressman regard it as
nothing else but political machine, and
would abolish it at once if it could not be
used to fiatter and fool the farmer vote.
What the department as now managed
mostly lacks is not good will but knowledge
of the business 1t is too much, Of course,
to expect that some prominent, able and
wide-awake farmer outside of politics (or
even inside, if there were any such,) should
be placed at its head But there ought at
least to be some subordinates there who
know enough not to send sub-tropical plants
and seeds into Minnesota and northern
Vermont. About year ago we received a
large collection of what must have been
very costly seeds of trees from Japan and
Australia, not one of which would be likely to
stand exposure to the winter anywhere north
OF the parallel OF thirty-fve degrees. About
the middle of this winter we got through
the post-office dry stick with a wisp Of hay
loosely wound around one end, upon which
careful inspection revealed single small
root, dried and brittle. 1t was marked
"Japan Persimmon." The American Per-
simmon grows nowhere north of Virginia
and Kentucky, and the Japan species is no
harder. A few days ago we got postal
card dated January 10th, but postmarked
March I'd, from the Department of Agri-
culture, informing us that at the request of
Hon. Bradley Barlow this Persimmon was
sent to us, and that faithful report would
be expected of us in regard to its culture
and the nature and causes of its success or
failure, as the case might be, " and it is also
expected, if the crop prove of value, that you
preserve portion of the seed obtained there
from for distribution among your neighbors. u
Every reader of agricultural and horticultural
journals knows about the experiments made
within the last decade with these Japan per
simmons, and how far north they will stand
the climate. But they seem not to " take the
papers" or know anything about it, at the
Department OF Agriculture. We acquit the
Hon. Barlow of any desire TO log-roll witt
| ub III OIueriuB d oiiniuOu trte btnI lOr trld
on the shore of Lake Memphremagog, at the
terminus of his well-managed South Easter
Railway. We are glad, as one of his con
stituents, that he has found time during tn,
winter TO do even as much as this to carr
the $4,000 (and mileage) which he has doubt
less collected for his valuable services to Vi
at the capital, where, we understand, he die
spend two days at the close of the session
: Neither the state nor the district has ex
pressed any dissatisfaction with the way il
which he has represented them in congress
We did not vote for him, and he has don,
quite as well as we supposed he would
Those who did elect him have now, with hi
consent and assistance, elected another il
, his place, whom we hope will serve us equal.
well. We have no doubt that General Grou
will see that the farmers of his district hav
their share of eucalyptus seeds, persimmoi
and cocoa-nut trees, and pine apple plants
II not, he will not retire with such unanimou
I ff slent) approval as his predecessor nov