18 REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE.. 



should they become the sites of orchards of the most common varieties 

 of fruit wouM, in due time, amply repay the planter for both his outlay 

 and his patience, and, what is of greater importance, would furnish 

 that divcTsilication which must ultimately become the necessity of our 

 agriculture. 



I would respectfully recommend, therefore, that this division of the 

 Department be suflicieutly enlarged in scope and power to enable me 

 to appoint a special sui^erintendent or agent of pomology, who cnn 

 give special attention to the pomological necessities of tl^ country, and 

 make suggestions relative to the industry as applicable to every sec- 

 tion for the guidance of the horticulturist. 



Such an agent, if qualified for his duties, could, through his reports, 

 give to the country a mass of information which would be of lasting 

 benefit to all concerned. 



So far as regards experimental work in connection with objects of 

 culture in gardens and orchards, the area of the Department gi-ounds 

 which can be devoted to this object is now so limited as to preclude 

 practical tests of the merits of varieties of fruits, and its exposed posi- 

 tion subjects all operations to interference by depredators who are ma- 

 liciously inclined. Even for purposes of propagating out-door plants, 

 the grounds are but of little avail, because their situation in the city 

 prevents a guarantee of accuracy of nomenclature. 



The introduction and i)ropagation of semi-tropical plants of economic 

 value are receiving considerable attention, but the facilities are alto- 

 gether inadequate to the prosecution of this work on a scale sufficiently 

 extensive for the demands of the country. These demands cannot be 

 fully met until the Department secures ample facilities for thoroughly 

 testing and propagating such plants as oranges, lemons, figs, olives, , 

 cinchona, mangoes, &c., in the open fields in States where the climate 

 admits of such cultivation. 



The distribution of economic and other plants during the season 

 amounted to 74,000. These consisted of oranges, lemons, olives, man- 

 goes, guavas, figs, tea, coffee, Japan persimmons, piue-apj)les, ramie, 

 grapes, native and foreign, strawberries, raspberries, also mulberry 

 plants for silk-worm encouragement, and a few ornamental plants of 

 scarce kinds. 



AGRICULTURAL METEOROLOGY. 



The distribution of rainfall, the range of temperature, the proj)of- 

 tionate duration of sunlight and obscuration are among the meteoro- 

 logical agencies which affect crop production. Our climate is subject 

 to frequent and positive changes, which by turns stimulate i^owerfuUy 

 and depress severely the vitality of plants. The European vine is 

 too delicate to endure these changing conditions, except on the Pacific 

 slope, and our native genera, hardy as they are, find an unrelenting 

 enemy in mildews. Excessive heat, following excessive moisture, 



