CONTENTS 



Page. 



Early Government aid of agriculture iu America 5 



Was^bington's views as to a Board of Agriculture 6 



Keoeption of Wasliingtou's suggestions 6 



Work of Amerieau representatives abroad 7 



Agricultural Division in tbe Patent Office 8 



First appropriation by Congress 8 



Growth of the work in the Patent Office 8 



Organization and work of independent Department 9 



Commissioner Newton's term of office 9 



Appointment of early officials 10 



Weather service and beet sugar inquiry suggested 11 



Death of Commissioner Newton 11 



Commissioner Capron's term 12 



Experimental farm given up — Division of Botany 13 



Commissioner Watts's term 13 



Ne w work undertaken 14 



Weather reporting transferred to the War Department 14 



Commissioner Le Due's term 15 



Investigation of animal diseases 15 



Experiments with sorghum and other work 16 



Commissioner Loring's term 16 



Origin of Bureau of Animal Industry 17 



Development of tbe work in statistics 17 



Commissioner Colman's administration 18 



Office of Experiment Stations 19 



New divisions established 19 



Scientific discoveries 20 



War on contagious diseases 20 



The Department raised to tbe first rank 20 



Secretary Eusk's administration 21 



First of the Farmers' Bulletins 22 



Investigation of foreign markets 22 



Pleuro-i^neumonia eradicated 23 



Inspection of American cattle in England 23 



Improvements in transportation of cattle by sea 23 



Texas fever 24 



Establishment of tbe Weather Bureau 24 



Experiments and improvements 24 



Secretary Morton's administration 25 



Development and reorganization 26 



The Columbian Exposition — Discoveries and adA'ances 27 



The civil service, and savings 28 



Yearbook — Expositions — Assistant Secretary 28 



Commencement of Secretary Wilson's administration 28 



The Department buildings and grounds 28 



Main Department building 28 



Erection of smaller structures 29 



Weather Bureau — Department grounds 29 



3 



