Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-05-06

Department of Agriculture Re
port.

Department of Agriculture Re
port.
The annual report of the Commits ssioner
of Agriculture for the year 1888 has been
received, and with prompness that is
highly gratifying. The volume contains
the usual reports from the superintendents
Of the several divisions, and shows an
unusual amount of valuable work per-
formed. and investigations carried on
Not single page of the entire 500 do we
find made up from second hand material,
drawn from outside sources. with The ap-
parent purpose OF filling up space. and
making an attractive book for distribution
among farmers whose votes and influence
may be thought worthy of looking after at
certain periods. Public work is ra' ely
done as economically and judiciously as
the best work of private citizens. There
are too many conflicting opinions, and
often too much dead weight to be carried.
The Department of Agriculture has
been severely criticised in years past, and
often without cause, and most loudly. 100
by the farmers themselves for whom the
department il supposed to be lending its
best influence But when we remember
how very small is the sum devoted spec
ially to the farmers interests, as compared
to the vast amounts appropriated for other
industries, we may well congratulate our
selves on being able to secure what the
department servants may be able TO grant
US. Doubtless the idea Of setting apart
five or ten thousand dollars of public
money, and putting it into the hands of
.big hunter" with instructions to sin
yestioate'' the habits of a worm or louise.
to some. may look like very small busl-
ness, and if said investigators can not tell
Immediately how to keep the bugs from
our cucumber vines, and the worms out OF
our cabbages. apples. and other fruits, we
imagine that their services are OF little
use. and that the office had better be abol-
i.hed.
The appropriations for the service OF
the Agricultural Department OF the United
States for the past year, were between
SIOO, 900 and $500. 900. About One-faurth
of the amount was paid in salaries $780,
900 was expended in collecting statistics
of general interest to the people of the
whole country; $50, 900 was expended in
the distribution of seeds. probably an in
vestment Of doubtful economy; S2S,0O0
was expended in experiments in the man.
uiacture of sugar, with a view TO enable
the people to learn how to save something
out of the more than one hundred millions
Of dollars now annually paid tor this one
article of food; $4,000 was expended in
the study OF insects that are destructive
to farm crops, not enough to pay the dam
ages liable to be done in single day by
either one of several dozens of species of
beetle, bug, or fly; $4,000 was appropri-
ated for printing the work of the Depart
ment. so that those who care enough for
it to ask their Representative for copy,
can see for themselves just what their
servants are doing with their time, and
the money that is put into their hands.
Now, on turning to another public dOcu
ment, the treasurer's report, we find there
is but one item of expenditure so small
as the appropriation for the service OF ag-
riculture. viz S31S.00O for the support OF
the military academy at West Point
while for feeding and lighting Indians al
ternately, we are paying 1888. 900, an
nuallv for the support of our little navy,
Sl6. 900. and for our army in time of abso-
lutte peace. nearly S25.000.000. With
such showing of figures, we are led to
wonder that the little edition OF 100000
copies OF the Commissioners report upon
the agriculture of the country is not ex-
hausted within four weeks from the date
of issue The whole number if properly
distributed, which they never are, would
not give copy to every tenth farmer in the
country who owns farm of 40 or more