1881.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
93 
from heavy rains, especially when the ground 
is frozen by the washing of the soluble por¬ 
tions of the manure from the fields into the 
ditches and streams. Moderate rains, when 
the ground is open, only tend to carry the 
feltilizing elements into the soil and within 
reach of the roots of the plants. All very 
soluble fertilisers, as the nitrates, are best ap¬ 
plied to the surface of the soil, and in small 
quantities at frequent intervals. 
No “Secretary of Agriculture.” 
The success of the present earnest, per¬ 
sistent efforts to have the Agricultural Bureau 
at Washington raised (or lowered), to the 
dignity of a Cabinet Office or Secretaryship, 
is to be strongly deprecated. It sounds very 
plausible to say that because Agriculture is 
the most important interest of our country it 
should have a representation among the Pres¬ 
ident’s official advisers, and no doubt it 
would gratify the personal ambition of any 
head of the Agricultural Bureau to hold such 
a position with the authority and emoluments 
enjoyed by the Cabinet Officers, especially if, 
as has usually been the case in the past, the 
incumbent had little else to fall back upon. 
But to say nothing of the past, if the 
future chief officer of the Governmental Ag¬ 
ricultural Department is to accomplish any 
real good to the general agricultural interests 
of the country, he will have quite enough to 
do without devoting time and thought to the 
many other topics that come before the Cab¬ 
inet meetings. A place in the Cabinet can 
m no way aid him in the work proper to the 
Agricultural Bureau. 
Further, while the President should appoint 
the men best fitted to perform the duties of 
the several Secretaryships, it is well under¬ 
stood that there are political and sectional 
elaims to be consulted in making up the 
Cabinet. But while there are many men 
able to act as Secretaries of War, or Navy, 
Interior, etc., as yet there are very few men 
fitted to properly and efficiently supervise 
and direct the work needed in an Agricul¬ 
tural-Bureau, and this office should be wholly 
disconnected from all political influences, to 
the end that the best men in all the country 
may be chosen to fill it. 
The many who know of the most valuable 
work already done and being done by Prof. 
Baird, of the Smithsonian Institution, as the 
head of the “ U. S. Commission of Fish and 
Fisheries,” naturally wish that such methods 
of work might be introduced into the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture. It is only where, 
as in the case of Prof. Baird, the work needs 
and must have the man, and not where the 
man needs the salary attached to the position, 
is such an officer beyond all connection with 
polities. He does not need to spend a large 
share of his time in lobbying for appropria¬ 
tions to carry on his work, or in making 
places among his subordinates for the prote¬ 
ges of Members of Congress and politicians. 
The man for the position of Commissioner 
should have, first of all, a knowledge of Agri¬ 
culture. It may seem strange that such a 
suggestion should be needed, but in former 
appointments that does not appear to have 
been considered. The selection has not fallen 
upon the men that the Department most 
needed, but upon those that most needed the 
place and the pay. When we say that the 
Commissioner should have a knowledge of 
agriculture, we do not refer to the mere rou¬ 
tine of farm work—though this is desirable 
—but of agriculture in its broadest sense. 
Of agriculture in its relations to national 
prosperity, of agriculture in its relations to 
the Government, or, more properly, those of 
the Government to agriculture. A proper 
appreciation of what the General Govern¬ 
ment can do and should do for the benefit of 
agriculture, and how it should be done. We 
have hardly taken the first step in ascertain¬ 
ing wlfat the Government can and should do 
through its Department of Agriculture, 
though we have been taught a number of 
things it should not do. The head of the 
Department should have that knowledge of 
the sciences, related to agriculture and the 
workers therein, that will allow him to select 
the veiy best men as 
his aids. He should 
be so appreciative of 
scientific work that 
the workers, all over 
the country, should 
look to the Depart¬ 
ment as a center, and 
not keep it, as it al¬ 
ways has been, a 
place with which 
they have no more 
concern than if it 
were in Japan. There 
is nothing for which 
the vast majority of 
the voters of the 
country would more ^’~ 1 halter fob 
willingly have their pulling horse. 
money expended than for the promotion of 
agriculture. There is no public expenditure to¬ 
wards which Congress would be more liberal 
—if for no higher reason than it would be 
popular with their constituents—than the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture. But Congress 
must feel that the man at the head has the 
confidence of their constituents—the farmers 
of the country. When such a man is ap¬ 
pointed he will not need to lobby for appx'o- 
priations, for all parties will unite in giving 
him abundant means, so soon as they know 
they will be properly used. Shall we ever 
have such a man to fill this important place ? 
To Prevent Horses Pulling at the Halter. 
The contrivance shown in the engravings 
is made to prevent horses from pulling upon 
the halter, when hitched in the stable or else¬ 
where. Instead of joining the two side-rings 
of a common halter by a simple strap, a cord 
is used as shown in figure 1. This cord is 
passed through the two rings and the two 
ends fastened together, with the tie strap 
upon the cord. When the horse draws upon 
the halter, the rope presses against his under 
jaw, and the pain it causes is more than the 
animal is willing to endure, and in a short 
time the pulling upon the halter is given up. 
Figure 2 shows the halter upon the horse. 
A Way to Promote Agricultural Science. 
The table and text on pages 96 and 97 
tell of useful work done by several Agricul¬ 
tural Colleges and enterprising farmers. The 
value of such co-operative experiments is 
past question. We need more. The rela¬ 
tions of our cultivated plants to the nitrogen 
supply, and the more general subject of the 
feeding capacities of plants, their power to 
get food from the soil and air, and the effects 
of different materials upon their growth, are 
important questions in agriculture and of 
the greatest importance in their bearing 
upon the use of fertilizers. Mr. Sanborn, o f 
the New Hampshire Agricultural College, 
one of our best experimenters, in alluding to 
the fact that, hitherto, our knowledge of 
these matters has come from Europe, and 
that we need facts and principles of our own, 
says of this work: “ It is of incalculable im¬ 
portance to this country. * * * The co¬ 
operative plan is the only right thing, if 
quick and reliable work is to be done.” 
The experiments thus far have been with 
com and potatoes. They are needed on 
wheat, oats, rye, bai'ley, turnips, onions— 
indeed, all our cultivated crops. Until more 
of such work is done, we can not have a ra¬ 
tional system of fertilizing. 
We are informed that a nunxber of Agri- 
cultxiral Colleges, Experiment Stations, and 
prominent farmers propose to xxndertake 
experiments of this sort the coming season. 
It seems to us they could not do better. Is 
not this a good work for farmers’ clxxbs to 
take hold of ? For any of oxir readers who 
are ready to share in this good work, materi¬ 
als, dii'ections, etc., will be obtained at cost. 
Preparing I’rodiiee for iilarkel. 
—Those who have had no experience are not 
aware how largely the price, if not the sell¬ 
ing at all, of country produce in city mark¬ 
ets, depends upon the appearance of the arti¬ 
cles. Each lai'ge market has its peculiar 
customs, and eveiy one who sends produce 
should conform to these. No matter what 
may be the real excellence of an article, if it 
does not look right, it will not bring the 
“top of the market” pi'ice. We, several 
years ago, published directions for preparing 
what are known as “ Hog-Di’essed Calves,” 
a term which appeal's to be peculiar to the 
N. Y. market, if the method is not. In an¬ 
swer to inquiries, we reproduced this article, 
several years after, and now we are again 
asked about the metiiod. With eveiy desire 
to oblige new readers, we can not treat the 
same subject each season, and would suggest 
to those who ask as to this metiiod of sending 
veal to market, that Messrs. E. & O. Ward, 
one of the oldest commission houses in the 
city, have published a veiy compact circular, 
giving advice on the preparation and ship¬ 
ping of produce in general, including the Hog- 
dressed calves. This can be had, without 
charge, on application to Messrs. Ward. 
