172 



oats retrograde; corn of all kinds improves in size of ears, but gets a little 

 later every year. Beans, melons, squasbes, pumpkins, and all vines 

 grow better and larger tbe longer tbe seed is run in the climate. The 

 first pumpkin-seeds sent me from the Department produced a nuiltitude 

 of small pumpkins; but by planting the seed raised here they have 

 grown larger every year. From the paper of French seed sent me three 

 years ago I have stocked the county with pumpkins sui^erior to any 

 ever tasted here. The little black bunch-bean is prolific, and has become 

 a favorite. The vine and bean improve in size each year. Cabbages of 

 all varieties run to long-legged collards. All kinds of okra improve; 

 melons also improve yearly in quality and size. I have stocked the 

 county with the ice-rind melon sent from the Department, and beat 

 Florida's best. Having found that most persons will not properly attend 

 to the original seeds received from the Department, so as to make a fair 

 test, my plan now is to carefully test every kind sent me, myself, and dis- 

 tribute the seed produced. Having ascertained, by testing, what is good 

 and what is not, I encourage the propagation of the good alone. Though 

 I save seeds by the bushel, propagated from those sent by the Depart- 

 ment, I give them awny, and have never yet sold one cent's worth. 



The upland Peeler cotton-seed sent to me received extra care, and, dry 

 as the season was, the cotton did well. The stalk is large, bolls large 

 and plenty' of them, and the lint fine and long. It kept green through 

 all the drought, but it had the very best of land. 1 intend to save every 

 seed, plant oh the best land again, and after further trial will report defi- 

 nite results. 



Department seeds. — Waller^ Texas: In answer to some doleful 

 grumblers, who evidently are not supplied with them, I will state that 

 every seed sent from the Department to this office germinates; there 

 has not been a failure from fault of the seed. I have requested my 

 assistants to give special attention to this subject. 



Destructive freshet. — Sevier, Tennessee : We are literally ruined 

 for a year. The oldest inhabitant never dreamed of such a flood. Just 

 think of our little river, (Little Pigeon Eiver,) not more than 50 yards 

 wide, spreading out over a mile, and from 8 to 10 feet deep on the banks. 



Unreliable census-figures. — Somerset, Pennsylvania : I desire to 

 call attention to the unreliable statements of the United States census 

 of 18.70 in regard to this county. The returns give: of improved land, 

 16,124 acres; unimproved land, 28,000 acres; other land, 133 acres; 

 total, 44,803 acres. jSTow this county has in round numbers 500 square 

 miles of territory almost entirely covered with heavy timber, containing 

 at least 300,000 acres of forest area. Again, Jones Township, of this 

 county, is credited with an amount of crop production in 1869 equal to 

 its entire production since its first settlement. 



The farmers' department. — Union, South Carolina : It has given 

 me great pleasure to make known to my brother farmers the eflbrts 

 which your Department is making in their behalf by disseminating 

 valuable information, by distributing new and improved seeds, and, 

 more than all, by doing manful battle for them against their natural 

 enemies, the factors and manufacturers. It is gratifying to know that 

 there is at least one Department of the Government on our side. 



Poultry-disease. — Webster, Nebraska : Though fowls generally have 

 done well, nearly all the roosters in this and the adjoining counties are 

 dead. They did not die from lack of food, nor did they exhibit any 

 specific symptoms of disease, but naturally "dropped off." We are 

 anxious to know the reason. 



