Evening star., 1927-08-28
Capital SideIights.

an adequate and well balanced foo(
supply for all the 120.0O0.Co0 people
an % directly affects all the citizens
like ropsy. '"just grew" There is nc
substantive law for many of it's mos
important activities which for year.
| have been carried on with appropri
ations put into the supply bill without
waiting for formal act of authori
zation.
So the history Ot the department. ha.
never been as clear and concise a.
| that Of other Government institutions
| Tho department has just published g
new history prepared by Francis G
| Caffey, former solicitor, which can b.
hid as public document.
For about so years subsequent t.
the Revolution the general interests OF
agriculture were left almost entirei,
to individual initiative. Federal activ
lty was confined to relatively narrow
1 limits, and was merely sporadic. There
was no committee on agriculture ir
thu House until 1920. nor in the Sen
ate until 1925.
Shortly after the Revolution. fol
| lowing the example Of Franklin while
In England as agent Of the Colony of
Pennsylvania during the years 1854 tc
l775. American consulS and naval Off
Ger commenced the custom of sending
home foreign seeds and cutting, sor
new crops and of aiding in the intro.
duction into the United States of new
breeds of domestic animals. Even
such small governmental participation
was, in the beginning. rather extra.
official.
from an early date after it's acuui
sition. the public domain vas ayailed
of as means of benefiting agricul
ture. In 1917 Congress provided for
the allotment of certain lands, within
what was then known as the Missis.
sippi Territory, to French immigrants
for the purpose of promoting the
cultivation Of the vine and the olive.
In 1888, in recognition of services in
introducing useful tropical plants into
the United States. rendered by Henry
Perrlne, Congress granted to him and
his associates a body of land in the
southern extremity Of the peninsula
Of East Florida for the propagation
and cultivation Of such plants.
In 1886 the Commissioner of Patents,
independently Of his Office, assumed
the responsibility Of accepting con-
trlbutions OF new and valuable seeds
and of distributing them among
farmers throughout the country, and
In his report to Congress urged the
creation of depository to receive and
dispense articles of this kind. The
Indebtedness of the people to this
edicial for his activities along these
ines has never been fully recognized
ana overstatement of it would be
difficult.
In 1889 Congress made an appropria.
ton OF $1,000 for 1.-The collection OF
agricultural statistics. and for other
agricultural purposes" A similar item
was included in the appropriations for
the fiscal years 1912 and 1874. and
has been repeated annually ever since
the latter date. The act Of 1889 was
the earliest statute containing even a
suggestion Of comprehensive dealing
with the subject Of agriculture by the
Federal Government.
While the department was under
the direction of Commissioner the
work became so enlarged and varied
that 1t was necessary to divide it into
distinct units. In 1880 Congress
created six divisions-chemical, seed,
chronological, statistical, microscop.
lcal and botanical--in addition to the
office OF the Commissioner, the ex.
perimental garden and grounds,
laboratory. museum and library.
In 1884 a Bureau of Animal Indus
try was created.
The first appropriation for investiga.
tons on forestry subjects was made In
1875 In 1885 division of forestry
was formed to carry on this work.
In 1889 the department became an
executive department, having at its
mead Secretary, who occupies a
place In the Presidents cabinet. It's
functions have grown to such an ex.
tent that now they touch almost all
lines OF agricultural endeavor OF
general interest to the citizens Of the
United States, as well as other lines
u activity related to agriculture.
1here Is great encouragement In the
fact that our Capital visitors are
growing more studious about the seat
of government. They are learning
moro about Washington City and the
part 1t plays in the affairs of their
daily lives. This is shown conspicu-
ously at the tourists camp in East
POTOMAC Park, which is coming to be
Washington Summer school. with
students from hundreds of colleges
and universities about the country
making themselves cheap headquar-
ters there while they carry on re-.
search work here that is impossible
In their home towns.
These students with groups of home
folks go prospecting for interesting
information to be found in almost
every one OF the countless offices of
the Government here and which is not
IN the usually trodden route of the
casual sightseer. When they make a
find they swap "tip" about it
with some other group in the camp
which has been prospecting in another
branch of Uncle Sans workshop-and
so the knowledge is spread by word of
mouth that Is not usually printed in
books or papers.
AS an illustration of the sort of
interesting information that is being
ferreted out: The original land patent
granted by George III of Great Britain
70 James Baird for 10000 acres in
Florida, in 1875. which is in the pos.
session of the General Land Ofice.
was inspected the other day by a
group from the tourist camp who,
when they are at home, live on part
OF the land covered in this parchment
document, to which a'broWn wax seal
4H2 inches In diameter and a half inch
thick is attached by a piece of faded
blue ribbon.
When tipped off" by the Floridians,
another camp group from Louisiana
visited the General Land ONCE and
We're shown a REIMBURSEMENT, also on
parchment, signed by Maj. Gen. La.
fayette. affecting $40 acres in the
vicinity of New Orleans which had
been given to Lafayette by act of
Congress and which he found difficulty
In locating.
Ihe Land once museum also has in
its museum of historical interest orig
inal land patents on parchment signed
by John Adams, James Madison. James
Monroe, John Quincy Adams and
Andrew Jackson. There are also
bounty land warrants for military
services issued to Philip H. Sheridan.
Robert u. Lee. Abraham Lincoln