Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-07-08

colleges. CalleQ W <ASnSHASuot SAAaAAASSiOhCA
Colman. met to-day In the room of the seed d.
vision ofthe Agricultural department. The room
was well filed, and quite . number Of ladies
were present, On motion Of Hon. w. +. Switz-
Ter, of Missouri, Commissioner Colman was
made temporary chairman, and, on motion OF
another delegate, Prof Fairchild was chosen
temporary secretary. Messrs. Fairchild, Town
send, Chamberlin, Sturteyant and Peabody
were appointed . committee on credentials. A
resolution was adopted receiving as delegates
all persons present who represented agricultn-
raj organizations, societies or interests in ympa-
thy With the objects of the convention. The
eSmmittes on srsdsnnais sefise'd ana ,dpstng
his address.
COMMISSIONER coLMAN's ADDRESS.
Commissioner Colman stated, in explaining
the call for the convention, that he thought he
saw the necessity Of the friends of agricultural
colleges meeting together to take reckoning.
The prominent idea in the endowments granted
by Congress for the support Of agricultural coll
Was sa, Of IL Msn
learn how to realize prsofits in raising crops
The he saa beey @ he S9
rate With public expectations Complains have
been. made that comparatively few of the
graduates from these colleges become farmers;
that they adopt other professions, ana that in
some cases they have avoided rather than en-
braced the cultivation of farms as vocation.
Especially In cases where the maintenance of
the farm is noted as a tax upon the funds of the
should avoid calling which has been demon,
strated TO them as Improbable. The commits
sioher made q number Of Suggestions as to how
he suggested that every college should have
an ample iruit garden, and that practical for
esfry might VEL receive attention nom every
n1aximam value, is stiil an Unanswered
nient should be made Of planting an arbore.
tum, which should ultimately contain at least
one specimen plant OF every tree and shrub ca
Practical instructions in planting and rearing
line FENCES would perhaps lead to q better
knowledge of the necessity Of systematic man;
hedge. While deprecating the idea that In con-
dncting farming operations on college lands
character, he held that no Opportunity Should
be lost TO Introduce examples of processes
70 Be syeR # not
upon plants, ana the principles governing the
rotation Of crops as subjects worthy OF Special
special work for certai1 Suitable Iocaifias b %
mentioned Investigations relating to the cotton
plant. The department over which be pre-
many distinct varieties as could be found. could
ing states with instructions such S as to plant
similar Treatment throughout their groWth and
as often as semi-weekly carefully note
woud ef the IRE OF the
of years, but, when completed, could not fail Of
being Of much benefit to all persons engaged in
diseases Of plants he mentioned as otheF sub sub
1ectS deserving their cooperative attention
~; Millions upon millions Of dollars, be said are
b!Ights, moulds, rusts, smuts and other yegeta-
pie diseases, and agricultural colleges can do
noble nTalsr M0rs IN their
the attention Of the great agricnltnrai p public to
mental work such as he had outlined. In'this
way our college farm would make experiments
for hundreds of thousands of farmers, who
losses in, cost Of labor and time Of testing vare
usS. Sc, some Of which prove failures He
ealed faash the to hsn et that this
try in the. world, possessing almost every
variety of soil and climate, is today
and heaeor teas apon tens 0 of
millions OF dollars annually that could Just as
Sc m ad the
branches Of farm industry is creating such low
prices or farm products that Q fair compensa-
tlo9 ior tneir production is no longer received,
ana loss and suffering must ultimately ensue
TO the farming classes. The necessity of a greater
diversity OF crops offered, he Thought Drom-
ising field Of labor for the agricultural colleges
proffered the fuli aid and sympathy of the ag-
nation the seeds or plants Of any product that
we are now importing, If, in the opinion OF any
OF the agricultural colleges such product would
ma congen1al home on the farm of such in
stitution: He expected to make sIlch arrange.
ments with the diplomatic and consular Ser
plants and seeds from abroad. He presented
statistics to show that the textile and other
a6res imported, instead Of diminishing with
rapidly increasing. He said he had already
commissioned Mir. Leo Weltz of Wilmington.
man and fut grower to collect ior the denaf-
Varieties q ali Kinds Of fruit trees as he may sl be
home in the great northwest, also to secure
such seeds Of grasses, timber trees and such
shrubs and other plants as he thinks
he recognized the fact how limited were the
means Of the colleges for carrying on expert
e 0nk anS he 1sqasht
agriculture Is an
present time The practical benefits of the adj.
yances Up meteorology have Injured more to the
advantage adj Of commerce than Of agriculture
Tne inquiry, ne said, may be properly sugges-
ted, IN view Of the great practical questions of
agricultural meteorology to be solved and the
moment0us importance of the industry to be
benefited, whether Congress should not assign
ton with the agricultural colleges, so much Of
agricultural meteorology.' =" - 20 - =
so 1ar as this department is concerned" said
the commissioner in conclusion, .it win CO
operate most heartily, most thoroughly, with
OF this nation. This convention was called for
the purpose Of forming bond Of Union and OF
agricultural colleges OF the country, and While
under Existing appropriations and usages it
might desire to have done, yet, year by year, it
is hoped the way will be opened to do still more
IN this direction, making the agricultural col
leges Of the country the experimental grounds
Of thts department, testing everything that
distributing the seeds and plants after thor
ough test TO the farmers Of the respective states
IN which the colleges are located ''' S'''ea1
IT IS true1 can See the proprfety of having a
eminent Conducted by this departm tine col col
every thing that would be likely to be OF value
70 our agriculture, testing, propagating' and
o1striouttng from this central national expert
would likely be Of most value to the agricnltu-
rlsts Of that section; and, II could GO still fur
ther, would have erected on that farm which
should be close to the capital, a great perma-
nent national or worlds exposition, where the
products Of this country. and OF all nations
this and 81 ali hations might visit the capital
city, ahd see not only the productions of Amer
iea, put OF all the nations Or the earth. Ibelieve
ti9n VIII be realized; for agriculture is the
uHEtug mother OF oil our Industries and is
entitled TO such recognition, and in this exposi!
ton would BRING, with her her landmarks Of
manufactures and commerce.n
ALETTER FROM MISS CLEVELAND.
At the conclusion Of Commissioner Colman's
speech he announced that he had received a
lot nn frNv., -