A^alioiial Sciciitijic and Juiiicalio)iaI Iiisliliilioiis. 315 



there are no scieiitifie societies of any description whatever, is a note- 

 worth}' fact.' 



Durin.t;- A'an liuren's Presidency, the Department of .\.gi'i*-''^ilture had 

 its formal l)ei^inning'. 



The chief ])romoter of this idea was Henry Iv. Ellsworth, of Connect- 

 icnt, Commissioner of Patents, whose efforts culminated twenty-six years 

 later in the estal)lishment of a department, and, after another period of 

 twenty-six years, in the elewation of the head of that Department to the 

 dignity of a Cabinet olTicer. Ivllsworth Ijegan work by distributing- seeds 

 and plants for ex])erimental t-ulture, ac([niring- these without expense, 

 and .sending them out under the franks of friendly Congressmen. After 

 three j-ears (in 1H39) Congress recognized the value of the work in this 

 direction by appropriating $1,000 from the Patent Office funtl to enable 

 him to collect and distribute seeds, to collect agricultural statistics, and to 

 make agricultural investigations. Appointed by Jackson in 1S36, Ivlls- 

 worth served through the two successive terms of Van Buren and Tyler, 

 and iu his nine years of official work his devotion to the interests of agri- 

 culture produced excellent results, and placed the service on a firm 

 foundation. Though Newton was in name the first Conunissioner of 

 Agricultiu'e, PUlswortli deserves to be kept in memory as the real founder 

 of the Dei)artment. 



The approjiriations at first were insignificant, and occasionally, as in 

 1841, 1842, and 1846, Congress seems to have forgotten to make any 

 provision whatever for the work, which consequently went forward under 

 difficulties. In 1S53 the first ap]M-opriation directly for agricultiu'e was 

 made, in 1855 the whole amount up to that time withdrawn for this pur- 

 pose from the Patent Oflice fund was reimbursed, and from that time on 

 the money grants became yearly larger, and the work was allowed slowly 

 to expand. The seed work increased, and in 1856 a propagating garden 



' The following is a list of those ah^eady in existeiiee: 

 State academies of science, etc., 1890 



Calif drnia. — The California Academy of vSciences, vSan I'Vancisco, i<S54. 



Coluuibia. — The Affiliated Scientific vSocieties of Washinirlon City; the Philo- 

 sophical Society, 1S71; llu- Anthropological Society, 1S79; the Biological 

 Society, iHSo; the Chemical Society, 1889; the National Geographic vSociety, 

 i88S. 



Co)iiiecticiil. — '^\\Q Connecticnt Academy of' Arts and Sciences, 1799. 



Indiana. — The Indiana Academy of Sciences, 1SS5. 



Io7i>a. — The Iowa Academy of Sciences, Iowa City, 1875. 



Kansas. — The Kansas Academy of Science, To2)eka, 1868. 



Maryland. — The Maryland Academy of Sciences, Baltimore, 1S22. 



Massachusetts. — The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Boston, i78<:x 



Minnesota. — The Minnesota Academy of Natural Sciences, Minneapolis, 1873. 



Missoicri. — The St. Louis Academy of vScience, St. Louis, 1S57. 



Nciv York. — The New York Academy of Science, New York City, 181 7. 



Pennsylvania. — The American rhiloso])hical Society, Philadelphia, 1743. 



Wisconsin. — Wiscon.sin Academy of Arts, vScience, and Letters, Madison, 1870. 



