60 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



BEPOKT OP THE COMMISSIONER OP 

 AGBICULTURE. 



The Second Annual Report of the Commission- 

 er of Agjiculture embraces a summary of his do- 

 ings for the year 1%63. In the opening paragraph 

 he congratulates the country that during the past 

 year "a wider territory has been cultivated and a 

 larger yield realized, except where drought and 

 frost interfered, than during any previous year." 

 The amount of the leading agricultural staples 

 produced in 1863 as compared with 1862, is as 

 follows : 



1862. 1803. 



Wheatin bushels 169,993,500 191,063,239 



Oats in bushels 172,520,997 174,858,107 



Corn in bushels 586,704,474 449,103,894 



Hay in Pounds 20,000.000 18,500,000 



Tobacco in pounds 208,807,078 258,462,413 



Wool in pounds 63,524,172 79,405,215 



The influx of foreign population has greatly in- 

 creased during the past year, the report of the 

 New York Commissioners of Immigration show- 

 ing that the number of immigrants which arrived 

 at that port during the eleven months ending on 

 the 30th of November, 1863, was 146,519 against 

 76,306 in 1865. 



The collection of agricultural statistics, accord- 

 ing to the system pursued by the Commissioner 

 during the past year, has been of much impor- 

 tance. The secretaries of agricultural societies 

 and farmers' clubs have furnished much informa- 

 tion, and active farmers and business men of all 

 professions have also lent their aid. About 2000 

 circulars comprising questions have been sent 

 monthly to correspondents in every State and al- 

 most every settled county, and the replies, syste- 

 matically arranged, have been published monthly. 

 About 20,000 circulars have been issued in all, 

 and 70,000 monthly reports have been sent out. 



The Commissioner sums up what has been done 

 in the distribution of seeds as follows : 



"Pursuing what I regarded as the most judi- 

 cious and satisfactory course, I imported from 

 England, France, Belgium, Russia, Sweden, and 

 other foreign countries, several hundred bushels 

 of choice wheat and other cereal grains, and sev- 

 eral thousand dollars' worth of the most valuable 

 seeds for field and garden culture, including a 

 large collection of such flower seeds as were 

 deemed suitable for our country. These, with an 

 assortment of the choicest varieties of the most 

 desirable grains and vegetables grown in our coun- 

 try, were spread over the country with a lavish 

 hand. In addition to these about 1500 bushels of 

 cotton seed were procured, packed and distributed 

 mainly among the farmers of the west. There 

 was, too, a very great demand made upon the de- 

 partment for tobacco seed, which was not readily 

 found in many parts of the country, but which, 

 fortunately, I was prepared to supply, and by which 

 the wealth of our country was increased millions 

 of dollars. Of the quality of these seeds and 

 their products it is sufficient to say that, in reply 

 to a question proposed to all the correspondents 

 of the departments as to the seeds, the response 

 was universal that the seeds were good and had 

 produced satisfactory results. The whole num- 

 ber of packages of seeds, cereals, &c., distributed, 

 is about 1,200,000. Of these, over half a million 

 were sent or given directly to those applying for 

 them. About 300,000 were distributed to mem- 

 bers of Congress, and over 300,000 to agricultur- 



al societies. About 40,000 were quart packages 

 of wheat and other cereal grains ; about 950,000 

 garden and flower seeds ; about 120,000 tobacco 

 seeds, and the remainder cotton, flax, &c." 



In regard to the Propagating and P^xperimental 

 Garden, the Commissioner reports that it had suf- 

 fered much in former years through incompetency 

 and neglect ; but that these evils are now being 

 remedied as far as possible under the manage- 

 ment of a gentleman every way qualified to carry 

 on the experiments. There have been distributed 

 from the Garden during the year about 25,750 ar- 

 ticles, comprising vines, bulbs, cuttings and plants. 



In regard to the general scope and objects of 

 this branch of the department, the Commissioner 

 remarks that investigations having in view a thor- 

 ough knowledge of the diseases of plants, should 

 receive attention. The greatest importance of the 

 grape crop has led to an extensive correspondence 

 in regard to the success of difi'erent varieties in 

 various parts of the country. In connection with 

 this, a collection of varieties of vines has been 

 made, and illustrations given of various modes of 

 treatment, a feature which is said to be found of 

 special interest to visitors of the garden. 



The contracted limits of the present garden are 

 said to retard the development of this object, and 

 it is proposed to enlarge it. "The purposes of a 

 garden, as a proper auxiliary to the de])artment," 

 it is said, "will not be fully answered until a bot- 

 anical collection and museum is estabished. It is 

 a source of well-founded surprise to visitors at the 

 Capital of the nation, that no systematic attempt 

 has been advanced having in vjew a museum of 

 native vegetable products, or a general botanical 

 garden of plants." 



An entomologist has been engaged for the de- 

 partment, and arrangements have been made to 

 place on exhibition a large collection of insects, 

 companied with drawing, and descriptions. 



In reference to the appropriation by Congress 

 of $20,000 to test the practicability of preparing 

 flax and hemp as a substitute for cotton, a com- 

 mission was appointed by the Agricultural Com- 

 missioner, consisting of J. K. Morehead, of Penn- 

 sylvania, W. M. Bailey, of Rhode Island, and J. 

 M. Warder, of Ohio, who met in Washington, and 

 after the transaction of some preliminary business 

 adjourned to meet again, and report in detail on 

 the subject. — Bostoii Guliivcdor. 



THE WHEAT QUESTION. 



Upon this question, I will say that farmers who 

 plowed their old ground last fall, can t'y the ex- 

 periment without much cost. Some will fail, no 

 doubt. Many will succeed, in my humble opinion. 

 It is not for my interest to advise farmers to do 

 what would be for their disadvantage. I have 

 stated facts in my own experience. Plowing the 

 ground in the fall exposes it to the frost and air, 

 and insects find a cold berth. The exposure of 

 the soil to air and frost prepares it to support the 

 straw, or my experiment amounts to nothing. 

 The same soil, treated in the same way, in all re- 

 spects, except it was plowed in the spring, pro- 

 duced a crop of small kernels and broken backed 

 straw. The other stood up like well drilled sol- 

 diers, and produced a good kernal. I attribute 

 my success to fall plowing, early solving, and the 

 kind of manure applied in the spring. My sta- 

 bles are plentifully supplied with dry muck and 



