316 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



tions of the State cannot fail to be largely in- 

 creased. Let but the vast deposits of min- 

 eral, calcareous, and even vegetaljle materials 

 for improvement be turned to the best ad- 

 vantage; and the tiiie principles of practical 

 Agriculture thoroughly understood, and the 

 farming intei-ests of Maryland will be second 

 in point of profit to none other in the Union. 

 The varieties of our soil, our climate and fa- 

 cilities of transportation cannot be surpassed, 

 if equaled, by any other State. 



To effect this, time is required — public sen- 

 timent must be prepared to appreciate the 

 worth of such a system. And the measure 

 proposed appears to the cominittee a proper 

 introductory step, which even of itself will 

 be productive of much practical good, and 

 will bring about that first desirable result. 

 When this shall have been etlected, tinle econ- 

 omy will supply the means. Courses of ag- 

 ricultural education will be adopted in the 

 public academies and schools ; or schools for 

 that especial purpose will be established. 

 Agriculture will then be placed upon its prop- 

 er level. It will no longer be regarded as a 

 species of degrading drudgery, requiring nei- 

 ther education nor talent to understand and 

 improve it ; but will be inseparably connect- 

 ed with the highest branches of Natnrtd Sci- 

 ence upon which it is in truth dependent for 

 its ultimate perfection. 



It is only justice to add that the plan sug- 

 gested first originated with a member of the 

 Committee on Agriculture at the December 

 session of 1840, whose zeal and exertions in 

 behalf of tliis interest it should be the pleas- 

 ure of every friend of Agiiculture gratefully 

 to acknowledge. 



G. D. COAD, Chairman. 

 PETER GRABILL, 

 J. G. MORRISON, 

 WM. E. DOYLE, 

 A. H. SETH. 



A BILL entitled, an Act to provide for the ap- 

 pointvient of an Agricultural Chemist for 

 the State. 



Section 1. Be it enacted by the General 

 Assembly of Maryland, That the Governor, 

 by and with tlie advice and consent of the 

 Senate, shall hereafter aninially appoint and 

 commission a person of abihty, integrity, and 

 suitable practical and scientific attainments as 

 agricultural chemist for the State ; and if the 

 Senate shall have adjourned before the Gov- 

 ernor shall make the appointment for the 

 present year, or if a vacancy shall hereafter 

 occur during the recess of the Senate, then 

 the Governor alone shall make such appoint- 

 ment which shall be good and valid until the 

 .tenth day after the next meeting of the Senate. 



Sec 2. Be it enacted, That the State shall 

 loe divided mto three disti-icts ; the first shall 

 comprise that part of the State now compris- 

 ■ed in the first gubernatorial district ; the sec- 

 ond that of the thhd gubernatorial district, 

 and the third tliat of the second gubernatori- 

 al district. 



Sec. 3. Be it enacted, That the said agi'i- 

 cultural chemist shall spend cue year, the 

 (636) 



first beginning on the date of his appointment, 

 in each of said districts in the order named ; 

 it shall also be his duty to spend one month 

 in each county and Howard district, and visit 

 each election district. 



Sec 4. Be it enacted, That it shall be the 

 duty of said agricultural chemist to analyze 

 one specimen of each variety of soil of the 

 county in which he shall be, that may be 

 brought to him, or that he may find to exist, 

 and also to examine, and if necessary analyze 

 one specimen of each kind of marl or other 

 mineral or vegetable deposit that may come 

 to his knowledge, in order that his instnic- 

 tions may be of the more practical utility. 



Sec 5. Be it also enacted, That it shall 

 also be his farther duty to deliver one public 

 leclure, after having given timely notice there- 

 of, in each election disliict in each county, 

 and then to deliver a course of public lectures 

 at each county town after having given also 

 sufilcient notice thereof in each election dis- 

 trict, and he shall also peraiit the clerk of the 

 levy com-t or of the commissioners of the tax 

 as the case may be, to take a coijy of said 

 course of lectures to be retained and kept for 

 the use and benefit of the county, and pub- 

 lished by said levy court or commissioners of 

 the tax, if to them it shall seem expedient. 



Sec 6. Be it farther enacted. That for the 

 full and more satisfactory discharge of his du- 

 ties, the said agi-icultural chemist shall be au- 

 thorized to employ an assistant, whose duty 

 it shall be to aid him in collecting and ana- 

 lyzing specimens of soils, marls, &c. and to 

 render him any other assistance he may deem 

 advantageous. 



Sec 7. Be it enacted, ThaXlhesBAd c\\era- 

 ist shall make an annual report to the House 

 of Delegates, if in session, and if not, then to 

 the Governor (whose duty it shall Ije to cause 

 the same to be published) of his proceedings, 

 and such other matters touching the agricul- 

 tural interests of the State as may be consid- 

 ered necessaiy. 



Sec 8. And be it enacted, That for the 

 faithful discharge of his duties, the said agri- 

 cultural chemist shall receive the annual sal- 

 ary of thirteen hundred doUars, and his assist- 

 ant the annual salary of seven hundred dol- 

 lars, to be paid as the salaries of other civil 

 officers are or may be paid ; and for the pur- 

 chase of chemical implements and materials 

 the said chemist shall be allowed for the first 

 year the sum of five hundred dollars in ad- 

 vance, and on each succeeding year a sum 

 not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollar's, 

 out of such moneys as may be in the Treasuiy 

 and not otherwise appropriated by law. 



A New Substitute for Corn. — From au- 

 thentic information, recently received from the 

 Province of Pernambuco, it appears that Fa- 

 rinha de Mandioca (or Caaava) may be ob- 

 tained in any quantity. This article forms a 

 liighly nutritious and, when properly prepared, 

 an extremely palatable description of food. In 

 Pernambuco it is eaten by all classes of people, 

 without exception, and its price varies froniXl 

 12s. b\(\. to £l 19s. 8d. per imperial quarter 



