National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-06-10
nENEFITtNa THE FARMERS.
a Few Facts About what thc Agricul-
turnl Department should ne.

turnl Department should he.
Whether the bill that recently passed tho
National House Of Representatives Is calculated to
make the Agricultural Department Of our govern.
ment more efficient than now, woare not prepared
TO judge. If we were confident that IL would We
should heartily and earnestly advocate It's passage
into law, for we believe that this is emphatically
an agricultural country the greatest agricultural
country In the world. with the greatest diversity
Of soil and climate, with the greatest capacity for
production, and tho most enlightened agricultural
population II there is any interest in this country
that should be specially protected and fustcred
by the national government II is the agricultural
aud money judiciously expended for that purpose
would
BENEFIT THE WHOLE PEOPLE
There arc largo sums OF money annually appro-
prlated Ivy the general government for purposes of
doubtful utility, but amy sums expended TO diluSo
information that will tend to increase the produce
tons of agriculture should meet with general APP
proyal. II the passage of bill, making the head
of the Agricultural Department n Cabinet officer,
would make the farmer aud his vocation more
generally respected II would be worth great deal
TO the country. Tho weIghtest ol lection we have
heard to the proposed change Il, that Cabinet
officer is generally changed ut every change III
Administration, and that the head Of the Agri.
cultural Department would require great many
years to carry out important plans
ron BEHEFiTiSG AGRICULTURE
This Is true; but so long rs present political
maNims prevail the Commissioner OF Agriculture
changed with every e9aIgs OF Sdmi nHS tEn
there would be If the chief We're Cabinet nilicer
We commenced writing this article with the rur-
pose of replying TO some of the charges brought
against tic Department Of Agriculture by con.
tCmporafics with the Wow Of dispamging its past
work. As to what is said about It's distribution OF
seeds we not disposed to demur entirely. Quite
LARGE PROPORTION OF THE SEEDS
Il distributes IRE Of old varieties to DC found in
every seed store stu 1t has sent out many valu-
able varieties 10 sections where they could not
have been obtained Its methods of seed distrl-
button should be reformed. Old, well.tried vari-
cites Should be discarded, aud only such seeds
sent out MS arc decidedly new und cam Vt be read
i.y obtained IN the sections TO which they are
sent AS to the slurs against the Department re-
ports, we consider them unjust, and believe them
made by men who have not carefully read them.
We consider them the most useful publications
for the practical scientific farmer we have.
THEIR ESTIMATES OF CROPS
may not be entirely correct but they are the best
we have, and are generally furnished by some Of
the beSt-informed farmers of the counties reported
But for full descriptions of new plants; Of new IN.
sects that make their arpearnncc ind depredatc
| upon grain, vegetables, and fruits OF new DIS
eases of plans or animals; for analysis Of plants
or fertilizers; for nearly every species OF inlorma-
ton in regard 10 scientific agriculture in iis
varied departments, we know not who c 50 much
and reliable information can be Obtained as IN
these Department reports. Their investigations
| aud experiments to ascertain the value oil inc
| DIFFERENT KINDS OF SORGHUM
were very thorough, and although farmers and
many agricultural PAL ers ridiculcd their conciu-
| dons, time and eX erence IRE proving their cor
| hhustivc reports the Department has made upon
the subject Of contagious diseases in animals
pleuro- pne mona in cattle, and hog cholera fol
| example, giving the whole histories of the dis
eases, all their symptoms and methods of treat
ment, and illustrating by colorcd plates the mp
pcarances of different parts Of the animals in DIFF
| ferent
STAGES OF THE DISEASES.
Last fall several farmers in this vicinity brough
| us samples of II new worm-ncw In this vicinity
that was eating their corn in the eur and causiul
considerable alarm, especially to those growing
| sweet-corn for tho canning houses. We turned y
our chronological authors, Harris and Packard
aud their accounts of the worm were very me0ger
We then turned to the bnck reports of the Depart
ment of Agriculture and found in the report 10
1879 that ]. Henry Comstock devoted fifteen page
to the boil worm, the one in question, and Illus
trated its appearance III It's different stages by
colored plate, in which he was represented life
size. lflhese reports could be promptly published
within four or five months after the close OF III
year, and placed in the hands of II few Of til
most intelligent farmers who would read them
in every township Of our land We are coniiden
that the benefit to agriculture would repay III
entire cost of the department several times over.
american Rural Farmer.