66 



GOVERNMENT SEEDS. 



them. Improved varieties of wheat, corn, etc., 

 were sent out, and the benefits to agriculture were 

 fully attested by numerous testimonials from all 

 parts of the country. In 1839 Congress appra- 

 priated ^1,000, to be^taken from the Patent Office 

 fund, " forjthe purpose of collecting and distributing 

 seeds, prosecuting agricultural investigations and 

 procuring agricultural statistics." In 1840 30,000 

 packages of seeds were distributed and statistics 

 were compiled from the returns of the 6th census 

 and other reliable sources. The annual appropria- 

 tions from 1842 to 1854 barely exceeded $5,500. 

 In 1848 the quantity of seeds distributed amounted 

 to 75,000 packages. In 1854 the annual appropria- 

 tion for the distribution of seeds and cuttings was 

 increased to ^35,000 and the amount has since been 

 increased from time to time, until it is now $100,000, 

 which is an amount by no means proportionate to 

 the increase in the number of people now engaged 

 in agricultural pursuits. 



On the 15th of May, 1862, the act establishing the 

 Department of Agriculture became a law, and 

 President Lincoln appointed Hon. Isaac Newton as 

 the first Commissioner. In 1863 the number of 

 packages of seeds distributed was 1,200,000, and of 

 bulbs, vines and cuttings 25,750. It is a noticeable 

 fact that the administration of the first Commis- 

 sioner has been the only one during which a dis- 



tribution of plants, shrubs, vines and cuttings was 

 systematically carried on, the average distribution 

 amounting in the three years following to 37,000 

 packages annually. During the commissionership 

 of Hon. Horace Capron, a special distribution of 

 seeds to " meteorlogical observers" was made, in- 

 stead of the distribution of plants, and the same 

 was continued during the administration of Hon. 

 Frederick Watts. In 1877, when Hon. William G. 

 LeDuc was appointed Commissioner, the distribu- 

 tion to the "meteorological observers'' was dis- 

 continued and one to " Grangers and special farm- 

 ers" was instituted in its stead. Upon the acces- 

 sion of Commissioner Loring to the office, the dis- 

 tribution to the " Grangers and special farmers" 

 was cut off, and that to Senators, Representatives 

 and delegates in Congress proportionately increased. 

 When Hon. Norman J. Colmaii was appointed 

 Commissioner, the quantity to members of Con- 

 gress was continued and slightly increased, as was 

 the miscellaneous distribution ,and a special distri- 

 bution was made by him to " Experiment Stations 

 and Agricultural Colleges'' and to "Agricultural 

 Societies." The following tabular statement shows 

 the kinds and quantities of seed issued from the seed 

 division of the Department of Agriculture, under the 

 general appropriation act of Congress, from July i, 

 1888, to June 30, 1889. 



Description of Seeds. 



Vegetable . . 

 Flower . . . 

 Honey Plant 

 Tobacco . . 

 Tree . . . . 

 Sutiflower . . 

 Pyreihrum 



FIELD SEEDS. 



Wheat .... 

 Oats . . 



Corn 



Barley .... 

 Buckwheat . . 



Rye 



Sorghum . . . 

 Kaffir corn . . 

 Broom corn . . 

 Turnip .... 

 Sugar beet . . 

 Mangel-Wurzel 

 Grass . . . 

 Clover 



Millet .... 

 Teosinte . . . 

 Forage plants 



TEXTILE SEEDS. 



Cotton 

 Ramie 



Grand total 



163 

 144 



39 



OS .s "i; u 



g il S MM 



Packages. 

 2,967,088 

 215,001 



105,212 



541 

 2.281 

 11,546 

 I, '73 

 10 

 67 

 478 



399,113 

 365 

 3,430 

 10,44.- 

 10,512 



90 



4,700 



Packages. 

 175,12" 

 20,160 



66,600 



2i m 



Packages. 

 5'. 946 

 3,720 



3.524 

 3,518 

 50 



214 



109,072 

 196 



345 



143 



5,323 



4. 781 



286 

 438 



23,580 

 123 



683 



385,070 



56,035 



Packages. 

 503,666 

 68,844 

 417 

 8,293 

 643 

 3,222 

 9 



2,141 

 1,317 

 4,577 

 220 

 513 

 169 

 1,834 

 404 



215 

 10,536 

 1,436 

 1,078 

 3,55' 

 2,457 

 loS 

 725 



1,428 



3S 



618,693 



= '2« 



Drib 



6 2-^ si 

 -III 

 aiS Si 's 



W 



Packages. 

 3,648 



173 

 337 



107 

 218 

 365 

 36 



734 

 214 



732 



213 

 146 



46 



356 



7,572 



3 1) 



Packages. 

 8,756 

 82 

 372 

 1,024 



290 



148 

 687 

 815 



53 

 116 



50 

 2,872 

 496 



4,176 

 64 

 77 

 615 

 378 



1,312 



4S9 



Total. 



Packages. 

 3,710,224 

 307,807 

 994 

 186,247 



675 

 3,512 

 9 



2,937 

 8,313 

 21,259 

 1.532 

 6b7 

 311 

 6,310 

 1,114 

 215 

 548,009 

 2,184 

 4,.s85 

 15,381 

 13.493 

 108 

 1,702 

 2,747 



12,119 



38 



52,512 



