10 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



be prppaid, except ofHcial commt;nications ■written b3' some officer of the depart- 

 ment, or an officer under its control or responsible jo it." As there is not, 

 and cannot be, any such officer "responsible" to this department, I have been 

 obliged, at a considerable expense, to forward to all the "correspondents," and 

 to Smithsonian observers, prepaid envelopes, and stamps for their returns. 



This, however, I do not regard as the most objectionable feature ; but every 

 inquiry or item of information concerning any tree, plant, fruit, or seed, any 

 noxious or beneficial insect, any disease attacking plants or animals communi- 

 cated to this department, although inuring to the benefit of the whole country^ 

 must be taxed upon the individual who makes the inquiry, sends the informa- 

 tion, or forwards the specimens of seeds, plants, or insects, sometimes quite 

 heavily — in some cases so heavily that communication is entirely barred. As 

 all information received by this department is the gratuitous, unpaid gift of the 

 people, I venture to express the hope that Congress will early so amend the 

 law that the formers of the country may be put in free communication with a 

 department created for their benefit. 



The great, imperative, and increasing calls upon the department for seeds of 

 all kinds, from all sections of the country, especially from the west and from 

 the border States, where the desolations of war with the rebels and the Indians 

 had destroyed the crops of the preceding year, gave me an early and loud 

 warning that it would be no light labor to comply with that part of the act re- 

 quiring me " to procure and distribute new and valuable seeds." 



Pursuing what I regarded as the most judicious and satisfactory course, I 

 imported from England, France, Belgium, Russia, Sweden, and other foreign 

 countries, several hundred bushels of choice wheat and other cereal grains, and 

 several thousand dollars' worth of the most valuable seeds for field and garden 

 culture, including a large collection of such flower seeds as were deemed suitable 

 for our country. These, with an assortment of the choicest varieties of the 

 most desirable grains and vegetables grown in our own country, were spread 

 Wer the country with a lavish hand. 



In addition to these, about fifteen hundred bushels of cotton seed were pro- 

 cured, packed, and distributed mainly among the farmers of the west. There 

 was, too, a very great demand made upon the department for tobacco seed, 

 which was not readily found in many parts of the country, but which, fortu- 

 nately, I was prepared to supply, and by which the wealth of our country was 

 increased millions of dollars. 



Of the quality of these seeds and their products it is sufficient to say that, in 

 reply to a question proposed to all the correspondents of the department as to 

 the seeds, the response was universal that the seeds were good and had pro- 

 duced most satisfactory results. The whole number of packages of seeds, 

 cereals, &c., distributed is about 1,200,000. Of these over half a million were 

 sent or given directly to those applying for them. About 300,000 were dis- 

 tributed to members of Congress, and over 300,000 to agi-icultural societies. 

 About 40,000 were quart packages of wheat and other cereal grains j about 



