The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-27
GROWTH OF A DEPARTMENT.
Series OF Articles as ia Development
OF the Agricultural Branch

results attained through the work of each
division
The first article, which has just been
published. says regarding the origin OF
the Agricultural DepaTtn ont-
The department is said TO have been
conceived IN the far-sighted wisdom of
Washington. who. as President. sIgge est
ed the organization of = branch of the
National Government to care for the in
terssts OF the farmers. and. in the p-acti-
cal activity OF Franklin. who as agent of
Pennsylvania in England. sent home
silkworGn eggs and mulberry cuttings TO
start silk growing But the conception
did not mater4aliZe into form until 1883.
when. on the recommendation of the
Hon, Henry L Ellsworth, Commits sioner
Of Patents, an appropriation of 5000 was
made by Congress for the collection o.
agricultural statistics. inyestig ton pro-
noting agricultural and rural economy,
and the procurement Of cuttings and
seeds for gratultous distribution among
farmers
As early, however, as 1875 Commission
er Ellsworth distributed to enterprising
farmers throughout the country. without
Government authority or aid further than
the use Of the franks Of Congressman
who were his personal friends, consider
able quantities of seeds and MAN. plants
which he received from Government rep
resentatiyes abroad and from others.
An agricultural section Was established
in the Patent ONCE. and the collection Of
seeds and the publication of agricultural
statistics and scientific articles on agri-
cultural topics were placed directly under
control of the Commissioner Of Patents
at that time an official of the Department
of State; The work continued under sue
ceeding Commissioners Of Patents until
lS49, when the Department Of the Interior
was established and the Patent Office,
with its agricultural section, became a
part of it From that time until 1852,
when the section was made a separate
Department under a Commissioner of Ag-
riculture. the agricultural work was done
by the chief of the section of agriculture
in the Patent Office. under the direction
Of the Commissioner of Patents. The
name of +. c.. Skinner, who had been pub
Usher Of the American Farmer at Bal
timore- was the first TO appear in the
Official Register as collector of agricuI-
turaI statistics. His SUCCESSORS were were
Dr. Daniel Lee. Of Georgia: D J. Browne,
of New Hampshire, aud Isaac Newton, Of
Pennsylvania The Commissioner Of Pat
ents who succeeded Commissioner Els
worth, during the time the Agricultural
Department was part Of the Patent Of
fee, were Edward Burke. of New Hamp-
shire; Thomas Eubsnk- of New York
Sllas w. Hodges, Of Virginia. Charles
lucky; William d Bishop. Of COnnecti-
cut; Phillip T. Thomas, Of Maryland; 5.
7. Shusert, and Daniel 7. Holloway, Of
From 1862 until 1889. when the depart
Irent was raised to the dignity of q cab
iret Office. the work was prosecuted un-
a.
Gependentiy Of the Department Of the
Interior The Hon Isaac Newton, who
Is early life moved from New ) ~rsey and
settled III PeunSyl yania, where he deEOU-
ed himself to scientific farming. became.
as the last chief of the section Of agri-
culture in the Patent Office. the first Com
missioner OF Agriculture. Overcome by
2 sunstr1'Ie in july. 1855. while in the
field en- the agricultural experimental
farm, then at Twelfth and Streets
southwest. in the city OF Washington, he
did IN Tfrr7a To 1867 Tho g,Tc.aAdirrs
mrnissiOucrs Of Agriculture We're Cen
Horace Cspron- Of Illinois IS5I-iS71; Judge
Frederick Watts. OF Pennsylvania. ISL
lHit; the Hon William G. LeEUc. Of Min
nesOta. IST7-1SSf; DR. George =. Lorine
Of Massachusetts, 1sSl-ISS5; and the Hon
Norman J. Colman, of Missouri 1SS5-lS,9
4 nd-r President CleVelaHdS first Ad-
nnluistration Is department became or
February y. g.. one Of the executive
departments of the Government. and the
Hon Norman J. Colman was appointed
the first Secretary Of agriculture. which
office he hefd a little less than a month
He was succeeded on March Z ffS9 by
the Hon. jeremiah NJ RuSk. of WiScOn-
sin, an appointee Of President Harrison
on March I. 1913. Mr.. Rusk was succeeded
by the Hon J. Sterling Morton of Ne
DrslSka- The present Secretary. the Hon.
James Wilson. Of Iowa, became Secretary
on March Z 1897. by appointment from
President Mckinley.
The Department Of Agriculture has
grown from q Section Of Agriculture In
the Patent Office where II was first estab-
nshed, with but one paid emplOye "a col
leCtOr of agricultural statistics and q few
hundred voluntary CORRESPONDENTS To an
executive department of the Government
with Is or more divisions Of scientific en-
quiry. over 59I paid employees. 29G}) vol
uutary observers OF the Weather Bureau
5000 voluntary correspondents Of the va
rious scientific divisions. and nearly $50 0D0
voluntary correspondents Of the Division
OF Statistics.
The distribution OF agricultural subIica-
tons by the department has increased
from few thousand copies of Patent Of
fee reports IN 1871 which contained the
yearly report on agriculture. to over = 90 -
go copies Of the feS publications issued by
the Department in 1870
The financial aid received from Con-
greSS for the prosecution OF sagicfJft1i-ar
research has Increased from 81 GDg in 1S2q
to over S3.5g1.e59 in 1896 The total amount
appropriated fer the department since its
organiza ton up to and including the fiscal
year 1890 has been $55.SI3.6lf which will
average for the sixty-JgO years Of It's ex
lStence $5fL6aS sfer year This cost IN rba
people Of the United States * very insig-
nlhcant IN comparison with the millions of
dollars saved To the country through ~
work OF the department. 1t is not fnfre-
quent That each or one or more than =
dozen divisions Of the department. through
its work. returns in actual value 10 tho
country TAR more than the entire annual
appropriation made for the department
1 ne present organization Of the Dar,art
meIH into bureaus, Offices divisions and
sections, with . view to csyDeditir.g s,rd
facilitating its work, is the outcome oF
long study and experiment. and tba e,yc
cess attained Is recognized both m homo
and abroad the system having beeD
adopted either in whole or In Darr i'm Sa1--
eral foreign countries
The Department Of Agriculture. as now
organized, comprises the following
The Weather Bureau the. PFTrSa7r oc |
Animal Industry. the Division 5T St9+fs- |
ties The Section Of Foreign Markets tn.
Office Of Experiment Stations. the Ofire
of Plant industry: the Division of car
dens and Grounds. the Division Of Eega-
t.tble fI!Siol"Sy ana PatholOgg-. the Sec !
ton OF Seed and Plant Introduction tba
Division of Botany the Division Of Porn
OlORy. the Division of AsrostoIs,syy-- me
Division OF Chemistry. the Division ~
Soils the Division OF Biological Survey
the DIVISION OF Entomology. the Dfvfeisr /
OF forestry: the office of Public Road IN |
quirleS. the Division Of Seeds: the Di,-fg
ION or Publications, the Division of 40
counts: the Museum; the Library.
PATERSON WEAVERs STRIKE
More Than One Hundred SfIEx Work /
ers Leave Their Looms.
PATERSON, y. J.. Feb. 1.-THE first /