Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-02-28
FARMERS OWE AID
TO FIRST PRESIDENT
George Washington First Asked
for Promotion of National In
.dustry of Agriculture.


agriculture through a central agency
was slow in coming in the United
States, says the Experiment Station
Record editorially. With a separate
ness which was long characteristic the
states were left to their own devices,
and it was not conceived to be the
policy of the general government to
concern itself with the subject. It's
vast public domain, much of which
was then considered useless for agri-
culture, was in charge of land Office
whose functions were restricted to it's
survey, and record, and disposal under
federal laws.
AS early as 1896 the suggestion of
federal aid for the promotion of agri-
culture was made by President George
Washington, who laid down before
Congress a plan for an agency modelled
after the British board of agriculture,
of which he was an honorary member.
But Congress failed to act on this sug-
sestion, as it did on similar proposal
which came from the Agricultural So
ciety of Berkeley, Mass, in 1917.
In the course of time, however, the
use of public funds for agricultural
work began to be practiced, plants,
seeds and animals being introduced
through the consular service and
turned over for distribution to the
patent office, which was then under
the state department.
When Henry L. Ellsworth, a prac-
teal Connecticut farmer, became COM
missioner of patents in 1886, he gave
special attention to the distribution
of seeds and plants, and in 1889 he Sc
cured congressional appropriation of
$1,000 for the purpose of collecting
and distributing seeds, prosecuting ag-
iicultural investigations, and procur-
ing agricultural statistics"
Commissioner Ellsworth gave in his
report for 1912 a prophetic view of
what the application Of science would
mean to agricultural production. But
there were many doubters, not only
Of the value Of science as applied ia
agriculture, but also of the desirable
ity of government aid to agriculture
This is evidenced by fluctuating ap
propriations, which at times were cut
of entirely. After the patent office
was transferred to the interior depart
ment, in 1S49, the appropriations in
creased, a chemist, botanist and sta
tistican were employed, meteorologica
data were regularly furnished by tn
Smithsonian Institution and informa
ton on many agricultural subjectl
was published in the annual reports
In this period the principle was grad
ually established Of governmental pro
motion Of agriculture, not onl,
through the distribution of seeds, bu
through the employment Of science.
| With the coming Of Lincoln's ad
ministration plan was put forward
by David p. Holloway, commissioner
Of patents, for the creation Of "a de
partment of the productive arts
Congress adopted a portion Of tn,
commissioners plan and established {
department of agriculture, Presiden
Lincoln signing the act May Is, 1862
The new department was formally or
ganized on July of that year, in thu
rooms of the patent Office previousl,
occupied by the agriculture division
and on the following day, July 2, Pres
ident Lincoln signed the Morrill, act.
Thus it came about that the provi
sion of national agency for agricul
ture and of federal aid for the estab
lishment of agricultural education
both of which had long been urged
were realized at the same time. and al
a time when the country was In ths
midst of mighty struggle for union
It is worthy of note also that or
May 20 of that year Presiden. Lincoln
set his approval on the homestead act
eliminating an agitation for the set
thing of the public lands, which had
been a national issue for 10 years pre-
vious.
It is remarkable that these three
events, which have been of such fun
damental Importance to the agricul
ture Of this country, should all have
eliminated within period Of less
than six weeks.
From these small and uncertain be
ginnings there has resulted in the
period of so years since the depart
ment of agriculture was formally es
tablished an organization for the ad
ministration of law, prosecution OF re
search and the collection and dissem
ination of knowledge, "the like OF
which is unknown in any other count
ry or any other time"