talned 117 out of the 164 pages from the secre- 

 tary's pen, and the third volume 98 out of 138 

 pages, the last two volumes contains but six out 

 of 408, and 12 out of 356 pages respectively. 



The significance of these facts are obvious. 

 They show the advancement in agricultural 

 thought, as strongly as may be, while an inves- 

 tigation of the contents of these volumes shows 

 a gradual passage from a trivial thought, largely 

 influenced by foreign reading, towards an Amer- 

 icanized and philosophical scheme. 



These volumes are not perfect, they contain 

 far too much that should have been omitted, 

 and far too much of mediocre writing. Yet they 

 are deserving of praise for what they are, and 

 from their effect on the community wherein 

 they have circulated. 



Massachusetts is an old state, for America, 

 and has advanced towards a mature growth, and 

 these volumes indicate that while agriculture 

 has hardly kept up with the other arts and sci- 

 ences, yet has ever advanced, slowly, to be sure, 

 yet with a steadiness that promises future re- 

 sults. Indeed, in these volumes, we begin to 

 see trace of a national literature, a literature 

 adapted to American wants. This interpreta- 

 tion is an encouraging one, as it is not through 

 its secretary, nor through any one individual ; 

 in fact many leading talkers and writers, on the 

 contrary, have acted as hold-backs, been setting 

 back against the breeching of the car of progress, 

 yet in spite of this, advnncing culture, the spirit 

 of energetic progress has borne agriculture 

 along in its train. What Massachusetts agricul- 

 ture has become is not so much due to herself, 

 as to the times and the locality wherein she has 

 been circumstanced. 



We shall next consider the societies and the 

 aids to agriculture which centre about our Na- 

 tional Government, and in our list shall include 

 efforts which, although having a bearing on lit- 

 erature, are not strictly literary in their opera- 

 tions. The Columbian Agricultural Society, for 

 the promotion of Rural and Domestic Economy, 

 was organized at Georgetown, District of Colum- 

 bia, Nov. 28th, 1809. and held the first agricultur- 

 al exhibition in America in the form of a Na- 

 tional Pair, at Georgetown. D. C., May 10th, 1810. 

 The first field trial of implements in America 

 was the plowing match at the fifth semi-annual 

 exhibition, May 20. 1812. After holding a sixth 

 successful exhibition. Nov. 18, 1812, the term for 

 which the society had been organized having 

 expired, it was dissolved at the close of that 

 year. 



These exhibitions and trials must have had a 

 distinct influence, held so successfully in close 

 vicinity to the seat of government, and favored 

 with the presence of so many able men. As 

 preceding the governmental assumption of the 

 duty of aiding agriculture through the patent 

 office publications, this organization is deserving 

 of notice here. Under such auspices as sur- 

 rounded them, these fairs could not have 

 been unintluentiai in moulding agricultural 

 thought. 



In 1839, Congress, at the suggestion of Hon. 

 Henry L. Ellsworth. Commissioner of Patents, 

 appropriated $1.000 for the " collection of agri- 

 cultural statistics, investigations for promoting 

 agriculture and rural economy, and the pro- 

 curement of cuttings and seeds for gratuitous 

 distribution among the farmers," and here we 

 huve the foundation of the valuable Patent 

 Office reports (agricultural) which only ceased 

 in 1862, when its duties were passed over to the 

 "Department of Agriculture," then created. 

 In 1840 and 1841 this paltry appropriation was 

 omitted, but in 1842 was renewed, and afterwards 

 increased very largely. The agricultural publi- 

 cations of the Patent Office commences then in 

 1839, then a break to 1842. and thence appearing 

 annually, with the exception of 1846, when the 

 appropriation and volume was omitted. 



These twenty volumes compare very favora- 

 bly with other agricultural publications of their 

 times, but from defective arrangement of their 

 matter, and trivial communications in form 

 more suited to the newspaper, and from lack of 

 system and condensation, have been valued less 

 than they deserve. With the presence of a com- 

 plete index, they would form a valuable addition 

 to a library. Their contents are the product of 

 very little original research, show but liitle 

 striking observation, and are rather 'common- 

 place, as befitting the state of agricultural 

 thought with which they are cotemporaneous. 

 While we can give them a little praise, yet they 

 are entirely unworthy as the productions of a 

 great government. 



By an act of Congress approved May 15, 1862, 

 the United States Department of Agriculture 

 was organized, and entered into operation the 

 following July 1st, and published its first volume 

 of reports for the same year. These reports have 

 continued annually, although sometimes a year 

 or more behind time, up to the present. 



In 1865, the Department issued a series of pam- 

 phlets, called "Monthly Reports," but these 

 have not been strictly monthly, but intermittent 

 in their appearance, several months being fre- 

 quently consolidated into one. The object of 

 these reports is stated to be the communication 

 of topics of less permanent, (or of transient in- 

 terest only,) than those which appear in the an- 

 nual reports. 



These publications, although of value, are ex- 

 ceedingly discreditable to the Department of 

 the Government which issues them. The com- 

 missioners have not been strong or original 

 men, and have puttered away in the beaten 

 tracks, or have frittered away their appropri- 

 ations for measures uncalled for by the public, 

 and of little public interest. The volumes al- 

 ready issued are weak and narrow in their views, 

 and the main effort has been apparently to in- 

 terest rather than to instruct and elevate the 

 farming public. So iar as the Department is 

 concerned they have no literary character, and 

 such we must expect them to be, until the 

 right man directs their appearance, and the 

 party hack, or man with influential friends is 

 ignored in the appointment, and true merit 

 wins. Never was there a better place for the 

 right man to influence agriculture than here. 

 Let the reports be true reports in fact as in 

 name, and convey instruction and wisdom as 

 well as interest. Let them leave to the news- 

 paper those features which the newspaper can 

 do so well and the Department publications so 

 illy. Let the genius at the head be sufficient te 

 demand the respect of the liberal farmer, be he 

 North or South, East or West. Let the Depart- 

 ment cease doing the work of the trader and 

 seedsman, and spend its money to economise 

 farming for the farmer, and let the result of its 

 work appear in its reports. It is a disgrace for 

 these reports to publish the work of others with- 

 out credit, or at least it would be disgraceful 

 for a high-toned society to do this, or even for 

 an honest individual. It is a disgrace that with 

 such expenditure as it makes, that so few re- 

 sults should show. Our population is largely 

 agricultural. The Department was established 

 for their interest, and these books, misnamed 

 reports, should clearly succeed in showing the 

 benefit they are to American agriculture. Our 

 harshest criticism is that these reports are so 

 far from what they should be, and are so poorly 

 correlative with the circumstances under which 

 they originate and appear. 



In 1841, a "United States Agricultural So- 

 cioty " was organized, and efforts were made to 

 establish a great school and library of agricul- 

 tural science and experiment from the Smith- 

 sonian behest. On the tailure of the realization 

 of this hope, all interest was lost: indeed, this 

 society never held a meeting: after its organiza- 



