of schools established for tlie education of tlie farmer and the protection of his 

 rights. 



Each congressional district could be represented by fanners eager to enlarge 

 the boundaries of their information, and the aspiring youth upon whom the 

 country depends for the development of its resources in the future, could be 

 trained up to usefulness and honor in the most material of industrial pursuits. 



As this project would require the authority of Congress, and an appropriation 

 of the means of carrying it into execution, it is suggested, especially to those 

 immediately interested in agriculture, and to all of our citizens who are bene- 

 fited by an advancement of this interest, to do all they can in influencing their 

 representatives to give to the subject that consideration which its importance 

 demands, and from which the most beneficial results will certainly ensue ; and 

 the commissioner will be pleased to receive an expression of the opinions of 

 those interested in this subject. The commissioner derives great encouragement 

 in the advancement of these views by the very general interest manifested by 

 the farmers of the cotmtry in the meteorological and other scientific portions of 

 these reports prepared from the observations of the Smithsonian Institution, show- 

 ing their high'appreciation of the employment of scientific education in forward- 

 ing agricultm-al interests. An examination of this part of the report will show 

 not only the temperature for the past month, compared with previous years, the 

 amount of rain, but also the course and extent of those severe and unusual frosts 

 which swept so severely over some portions of the country. Though destruc- 

 tion fell so heavily on some of our crops, yet all the returns show great cause 

 for thankfulness to the Giver of all good, for a most abundant harvest. 



ISAAC NEWTOX, 



Commissioner. 



