July, 1908.] 



59 



Miscellaneous. 



THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT 

 OF AGRICULTURE : ITS ORIGIN, 

 GROWTH AND PRESENT 

 CONDITIONS. 



By T. F. Main, b.sc, f.h.s., 



Deputy Director of Agriculture, Bombay. 



The Indian Agricultural Department 

 is but on the threshold of its existence. 

 One is naturally inclined to speculate a 

 little upon its future and to enquire 

 what work it will be likely to perform, 

 and to what extent it will be a real be- 

 nefit to the agriculture of the country. 

 If analogy be of any use under these 

 circumstances, we have a very interest- 

 ins: example in the United States Agri- 

 cultural Department. 



In the space at my disposal I shall 

 endeavour to show how this department 

 was developed, and also refer to some of 

 the work accomplished. I am indebted 

 chiefly for this information to a histori- 

 cal sketch compiled by Charles H. Great- 

 house. I have taken numerous quota- 

 tions from his Bulletin. The sketch 

 explains the objects of the Department 

 and its organization, and also describes 

 its various divisions. 



Previous to 1860, little attention was 

 given to scientific agriculture in the 

 United States. The patent office distri- 

 buted seeds, and collected and published 

 agricultural information. At this time 

 the United States Agricultural Society 

 was active in urging the establishment 

 of a separate Department of Agriculture. 

 In 1862 an Act/was passed which provid- 

 ed for an independent department with 

 a Commissioner at its head. 



Washington really started the United 

 States Agricultural Department and 

 Franklin helped its progress by practical 

 activity. The former proposed the for- 

 mation of a branch of the National Gov- 

 ernment to care for the interest of 

 farmers. 



The Department as it is now consti- 

 tuted embraces many divisions, and its 

 gradual growth is a most instructive 

 study. The Weather Bureau took its 

 origin from the observations of the 

 Smithsonians, who devoted a great deal 

 of time to the publication of Meteorolo- 

 gical data. In 1872 the Government pro- 

 vided a Meteorological Department, and 

 the Department began to publish Agri- 

 cultural Statistics. In 1868 the Depart- 

 ment of Statistics was established. In 

 1904 a Bureau organization was provided. 



During Commissioner Newton's time 

 the Department Library and Museum 



were started. This Library was not 

 officially recognised till 1871, when a libra- 

 rian was appointed. The first books were 

 obtained from the patent office. Addi- 

 tions have siuce been made by exchange 

 and purchase. The library now contains 

 92,000 volumes, and is probably the best 

 separate collection on agriculture and 

 allied subjects in the world. 



Although the Agricultural Department 

 was separated from the patent office in 

 1862, it was not provided with separate 

 buildings and other accommodation till 

 1867. It comprised at this time the 

 Division of Chemistry, Gardens and 

 Grounds, Entomology, Statistics and 

 Botany. About this time the control 

 of quarantine for animals was trans- 

 ferred from the Treasury to the Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, and in 1884 the 

 Bureau of Animal Industry was estab- 

 lished by Act of Congress with a grant 

 of $150,000 to deal with pleuro-pneumonia 

 and other diseases. 



The Hatch Bill became Law in 1887. It 

 deals with the form in which the results 

 of experiments and investigations should 

 be recorded, aud for this purpose the 

 office of experiment stations was estab- 

 lished. 



In 1889 the Department was raised to 

 the first rank in the executive branch of 

 the Government. Its work was "treated 

 slightingly by many Congressmen, and 

 was considered merely as a means to 

 reach many constituents with -small 

 favours by the distribution of seeds and 

 books. The clerkships and the positions 

 in the Department were regarded as 

 patronage to be given to political ad- 

 herents with little regard for fitness." 

 '• But Commissioner Le Due, when ap- 

 pointed by President Hayes, took up 

 the duties with such earnestness that 

 Congressmen were impressed with the 

 seriousness of the work for which the 

 Commissioner asked appropriations and 

 the Department was granted more 

 funds." "The head of the Department 

 owing to persistent public opiuion was 

 giveu a place at the President's Council 

 Table.' 



The Hon'ble Jeremiah M. Rusk was 

 selected by President Harrison as his 

 Secretary of Agriculture in 1889. In re- 

 organising the Department he divided 

 the work in two main classes : executive, 

 under his own immediate charge, and 

 scientific, under a specially appointed 

 Assistant Secretary Avho had scientific 

 agricultural attainments. 



In 1893 the Hon'ble J. Serling Morton 

 became Secretary of Agriculture. He 

 developed the Department considerably, 



