56 



iiL\)c Samux'B iUontljlij btsitor. 



THE SHORT HORN BULL, FAIRFAX, 

 Tlie Property of E. P. Prentice, Esq., Mount-Hvpe, near Albany, N. Y. 



For Ihe Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 



Henry Ii> Ellsworth, Ootnmissioner of Patents 

 at the City of Washington. 



No man who 1ms liitlieito occupied the station 

 of commissioner of [iHtents, has in onrjndgment 

 filled that place so advantaaeonsly to his conn- 

 try. Since he came to the slation,and only since, 

 an annnal pamphlet has l)een issned in the shape 

 of a report to Congress, which is now not only 

 valuable and instructive to il»e slatestnan, but to 

 the whole country, and its citizens in every walk 

 and pursuit of life. Hen- we tind not only the 

 patents granted in the preceding; year arranced 

 in a maimer that gives facility in reference, but 

 also those patents expiring hy the limitations of 

 law and thus becoming common property. This 

 is valuahle,very valuable information to the users 

 of patent rights and to Ihoso who desire to use 

 them. On looking over the pages what a grati- 

 fication is derived from the evidence here given 

 of the never ceasing energies of the human mind 

 under a government that invites its energies and 

 fosters and protects its trium|ihs? The time may 

 be said to have passed when we felt any thing 

 like a pride of rivalry with other nations, and if, 

 as is said of us, we converse in the e.\travagarK'e 

 of metaphor that amounts to poetry, do we not 

 tread also upon the heel of imagination in our 

 inventions ? True it is, and nnist ever be the 

 case, that many are failures, hut these may, and 

 often do contain valuable contrivances, that are 

 applied elsewhere, and hence the great whole is 

 advanced and benefitted. 



But this is entering upon detail, while the re- 

 port which has attracted our attention, and not 

 for the first time this year, deals in generalities. 

 The commissioner of patents has not been an 

 idle incumbent contented with the salary, fulfil- 



ling the letter of the law and resting there. Far 

 otherwise. Catching as it were the fire of en- 

 thusiasm of invention and nsefuluess so con- 

 stantly flowing in upon him, he ba.s condensed, 

 and harmonized tlie whole, and placed facts un- 

 deroureyes at ouce gratifying and astonishing. 

 The farmer sees how large a share he has in the 

 prosperity of hiscotmlry — that more than eighty 

 per cent, of the population look to the soil fur 

 employment and support; and the results of the 

 great combined effort is here given. The pro- 

 ducts, the aggregate i>ro(lucts of each State in 

 the Union are presented, and the combined whole 

 is sunnned up. This task, so satisfactory, could 

 not have been accom()lishe<l without nuich labor; 

 but this is but the beginning. Mr. Ellsworth who 

 enters the field does not confine hini.self to 

 it, but also unfolds the triumphs of the laboratory 

 and the work-shop. lu this report, of which we 

 propose hereafter to take notice in detail, we 

 finil the valuable introduction of new branches 

 of industry, and new inventions of general inter- 

 est noticed and explained. The position occupi- 

 ed by thi! commissioner of patents is a favorable 

 one for the dissemination of useful knowledge, 

 and it is not iniused or neglected. Mr. E looks 

 forward to further triumphs, to greater usefulness. 

 He looks to the fulfilment of the trust reposed in 

 our country by a generous foreigner, and which 

 though paid in gold has so far been unexecuted, 

 to diffuse knowledge among our tnen, a knowl- 

 edge of our resources and the means of drawing 

 thetn forth ; a knowledge of ilie elements that 

 surround us, and the means of rendering them 

 more usefid to man ; and a knowledge as far as 

 we can penetrate of the planets and worlds that 

 we can only observe beyond our reach. Wluit 

 has been accomplished, leads ns to anticipate 



what may yet be done, what is still in reserve for 

 toil, energy and genius. Our aniicipations may 

 be realized as in the document belore us. Last 

 year we thought that nearly every thing in such 

 a publication had been accnmplisbed, but the 

 present year shows that we luul been unaware of 

 the extensive fields before us. How slow has not 

 been in Europe and even in onr own country the 

 ailoption, the general adDjition of improvement. 

 Matured hopes and cherished preferences, are 

 hard to be overcome. How slow has been the 

 triumph of steam power, even wiih its striking 

 demonstrations to multitudes — and what changes 

 has it wrought.' The triumphs in agriculture 

 may be as decisive. So far we have had to deal 

 with a virgin soil and genial skies; but to reno- 

 vate and keep up these soils now claims, and 

 must hereafter claim our especial attention. The 

 means of doing this are, to a great degree, still 

 imknown and undeveloped. The plan of Mr. 

 Ellsworth would disseminate this knowledge as 

 inifolded by experience upon the wiuL's of the 

 wind ; and we could if we would plant our 

 vine and gather the rich clusters with our own 

 hands in our own day and generalinn. More 

 than eighty, it appears, out of every hundred are 

 immediately interested in this informalion. But 

 it is not limited here; the other twenty have 

 their share also. Alter perusing this rei)ort, we 

 propose to give it a further notice. P. 



As spring, with its cheering sunshine, and re- 

 freshing sliowers, reanimates to new life the 

 growth of vegetation ; so the soothing accents of 

 love and sympathy restore to wonted brightness 

 the heart desolated by grief; causing itto put 

 forth the shoots of gratitude and iov. — Frasmenls 

 e/Time. 



