4 The Agriculttiral Department of our Government. [Jan., 



plan a farm and botanic garden, some such arrangement must at 

 once be seen to be obviously necessary. Let them distribute to such 

 institutions as might be selected in the different States — possessing 

 the soil, climate, etc., best adapted to such — seeds, plants, etc. ; and 

 let them be tested under the eye and by the direction of scientific 

 men, and then from these annual reports whatever was valuable 

 could be incorporated into the general report of the department, 

 and then sent broad-cast to enlighten and improve, instead of to dis- 

 tract and bewilder. 



For faithful services thus rendered, it would be a great encourage- 

 ment, should our government make some compensation through the 

 heads of this department. If it was feared that the claimants would 

 soon become too numerous, let the requisitions in order to obtain it, 

 be such in the outlay for apparatus, grounds, and endowment funds, 

 on the part of the State, or by private munificence, as would preclude 

 any but those who were prepared to render essential service, and 

 then if the number be great, the advantages would be corresponding- 

 ly so ; and though the sum paid should be considerable, the invest- 

 ment would undoubtedly be found judicious, and return ten fold 

 to the treasury, from the substantial progress thereby made. From 

 such institutions, located in difi"erent parts of the Union — with prop- 

 er reference to climate, productions, etc. — would be produced more 

 substantial results, than all the expenditure now made. Indeed, 

 some such plan must be entered upon, if any valuable results are to 

 be secured. And who will say that it is not time that the fostering 

 hand of government was thrown around this great productive in- 

 terest ? Look for a moment at its extent. According to the Census 

 of 1850, the cash value of farms and agricultural machinery, is put 

 down at three thousand, five hundred millions of dollars. It may 

 now safely be estimated at five thousand millions of dollars, and 

 their annual product at two thousand millions. The agriculturists 

 of the LTnited States have more than double the amount of cajxital 

 invested in the simple item of fences^ than there is invested in every, and 

 all. the manvfacturing departments combined. Four-fifths of our peo- 

 ple are engaged in rural pursuits, and by their labor are feeding and 

 clothing over twenty-seven millions of people. They produce one 

 hundred million bushels of potatoes, three hundred million bushels 

 of oats, one hundred and fifty million bushels of wheat, eight hun- 

 dred million bushels of Indian corn, one billion, six hundred mill- 

 ion pounds of cotton, one hundred and ninety million pounds of 



