ORGANIZATION OF INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENT. 9 



tics and scientitic articles was directly under tlie care of the Commis- 

 sioner until that time, l^o clerk was especially assigned to the duties. 

 In that year the name of F. G. Skinner, who had been publisher of the 

 American Farmer at Baltimore, appears in the Official llegister as col- 

 lector of agricultural statistics, at $1,500 a year. In 1851 it had been 

 found advisable to secure a man of high scientific attainments, and 

 Dr. Daniel Lee, of Georgia, was employed, at $2,000. In 1853 the salary 

 was reduced to $1,500 again, and D. J. Browne, of New Hampshire, was 

 employed. In 1855 Mr. Browne's salary had been made $2,000, and 

 C. L. Alexander, at $3 a day, was assigned to the same work. In 1857 

 the roll stood: D. J. Browne, $2,000; T. Glover, New York, $2,000; 

 H. C. Williams, Virginia, $2,000 ; C. L. Alexander, District of Columbia, 

 $1,200; W. H. Dietz, Pennsylvania, $1,000; Thomas Douoho, District 

 of Columbia, and Jos. Kilian and C Simmons, Maryland, each $3 a day. 

 Mr. Browne was succeeded, on change of Administration in 18G1, by 

 Isaac Newton, of Pennsylvania. David P. Holloway, of Indiana, 

 became Commissioner of Patents at that time, and in his first annual 

 report made an earnest argument for the establishment of a separate 

 department of the Government to deal with the interests of agriculture 

 and productive arts. 



ORGANIZATION AND "WORK OF INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENT. 



The subject of an independent department was immediately taken up 

 in Congress and the necessary legislation enacted practically without 

 opposition. The law* was approved May 15, 1862. The United States 

 Agricultural Society, organized iu 1852 and meeting in Washington 

 annually from that time till 18G0, was at all times active in urging the 

 establishment of the department. It was largely instrumental in creat- 

 ing the public opinion which made this practical realization of the hopes 

 of Washington so easily possible. It is noteworthy that in this same 

 year, June 19, 1862, was passed the first act, known as the Morrill law, 

 for the establishment of agricultural colleges. 



COMMISSIONER NEWTON'S TERM. 



The first Commissioner of Agriculture was Hon. Isaac Newton, 

 already mentioned as chief of the section of agriculture in the Patent 

 Office. He took charge in his new capacity on July 1, 18G2, when the 

 law establishing a department went into effect. He was a native of 

 New Jersey, but early in life settled in Pennsylvania, where he devoted 

 himself to scientific farming. Under his new appointment he Avas given 

 full control of the property of the division in the Patent Office and con- 

 ducted his work independently of the Department of the Interior. 

 The propagating garden at Sixth street and Missouri avenue NW., 

 in Washington, first mentioned in the annual report of 1858, was placed 

 under his care and a tract of 40 acres in the same city, lying between 



The text of this and other laws will be found elsewhere. See pp. 41-52. 



