EDITORIAL. 105 



not until Septeuibor 4, iSlio, sonic few inontlis iiftcr its oruaiii/ution 

 as ii separate Department, that he received his appointment as a chn-k. 

 In 1867 he was connnissioned as Statistician, ])ut in addition to taking- 

 charg-c of the statistical work of the Department, lie also served as its 

 editor, a position for which liis early experience in journalism and in 

 the printing- business especially qualitied him. The early aiuuial 

 reports were edited 1)V him, as Averc also the monthly reports, which 

 latter, after the growth of the Department had compelled the jiublica- 

 tion of special l)ulletins from the several divisions, ])ecame the regular 

 monthly reports of the Division of Statistics, the principal feature of 

 which was the cro[) report, and which included a very large amount of 

 miscellaneous and valuabhi statistical matter. 



In his statistical work, for which hv possessed special ([ualitications, 

 he soon l)ecame eminent among American statisticians and held a fore- 

 most place in all statistical matters relating to agriculture. 



j\Ir. Dodge surrendered his commission in the Department June 30, 

 18T1», and served for some time as the chief of a division in the Tenth 

 Census, under Gen. Francis A. Walker. He returned to the Depart- 

 ment, resuming his former place as Statistician fluly 1, 1883, and held 

 that office until he resigned, March 20, 1893. After that time Mr. 

 Dodge devoted himself to miscellaneous writing along the line of his 

 chosen study, contributing many valua])le articles to sundry period- 

 icals and agricultural papers, to some of which he remained im active 

 contributor until the time of his death. 



During his more than thirty years of official service he not only won 

 the esteem and confidence of his associates, but he made his mark 

 before the public at large as a man of rare attainments, broad views, 

 sound judgment, and sterling integrity. He enjoyed in a marked 

 degree the confidence of the several Commissioners and Secretaries 

 under whom he served, and was a frequent and always intelligent 

 adviser, not only in the line of his specialty but in many matters con- 

 nected with the work of the Department. He several times repre- 

 sented the United States at international agricultural and statistical 

 gatherings, the last occasion being at Budapest. 



Through all he was an unassuming man, and only those who have 

 made a study of the history and development of the Department of 

 Agriculture can realize what a large part he took in building it up. 



The late Prof. Rudolph Virchow, although preeminently an investi- 

 gator in the domain of medical science and pathology, made notable 

 contributions, at least indirectl}", to the progress of agriculture. His 

 work touched that field of applied science at various points. As the 

 founder of modern pathological methods he exerted a profound influ- 

 ence on all subsequent investigation on the diseases of domestic ani- 

 mals, as well as of human beings. His theory of cellular pathology 



