AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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AGRICULTURE 18 THE MOST HEALTHY . AZOST USEFUL . ALTO 277ff AfftST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN. - Washington 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ALLEN & CO., 189 WATER ST. 
VOL. XII.—NO. 19.] 
m~FOR PROSPECTUS, TERMS, §c., 
SEE LAST PAGE. 
WHAT SHALL OUR GOVERNMENT DO FOR 
AGRICULTURE 1 
We are indebted to Hon. J. Morton, for a 
copy of the Report of the Committee on Agri¬ 
culture of the United States’ Senate, to whom 
was referred the Memorial of the Maryland 
State Agricultural Society. We have read this 
report attentively, and heartily subscribe to 
most of the sentiments therein caressed. 
To one of its implied recommendations, how¬ 
ever, we must for the present object. We refer 
to the suggestion that a sum of money he placed 
at the disposal of the President, to be applied 
at his discretion to the purchase of Mount Ver¬ 
non for the purpose of converting it into an ex¬ 
perimental farm, connected with an Agricultural 
School, &c. 
We are heartily opposed to entrusting the 
great interests of agriculture to the discretion, 
or care of those who can in any way make it a 
part and parcel of political machinery. When 
the present Chief Magistrate came into office, 
and laid before Congress his first message, 
summing up the general interests of the coun¬ 
try, we had occasion to remark upon the fact, 
that in a long document, referring to almost 
every other branch of industry, not a single al¬ 
lusion was made to the importance of fostering 
and developing the great agricultural interests 
of the country. Just before every important 
election, our politicians are very noisy in their 
expi’essions of regard for the “bone and mus¬ 
cle” of the country—the farmers; but the elec¬ 
tion once passed, and what more do we hear of 
our agricultural interests ? There is a surplus 
of many millions in the treasury—money which 
has been chiefly drawn from the pockets of the 
farmers, in the form of indirect tariff charges 
upon articles of which they have purchased and 
consumed the greater portion ; but how many 
of these politicians by trade, ever countenance, 
or dream of applying a thousandth part of one 
per cent, of this sum in aiding agricultural de¬ 
velopment? They may tax the Patent Office 
Fund, which strictly belongs to inventors, for a 
few thousands, to be expended, as is too often 
the case, in sending out to their favorites an ir¬ 
responsible and undigested mass of crude agri¬ 
cultural matter, so called, but nothing must be 
taken for this purpose, directly from the treas¬ 
ury—the farmers’ own fund. Ten millions can 
be voted to purchase a strip of land from Mex¬ 
ico, unneeded at present, except to serve the in¬ 
terests of a few individuals. Many millions 
more go as readily to protect commerce, to sup¬ 
port military schools and an army, and many 
NEW-YOEK, WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1854. 
other things; but what a commotion would be 
raised, should a proposition be made to appro¬ 
priate a single million of dollars to be expended 
over the whole country in developing agricul¬ 
ture ! 
It is really a noteworthy, aud we believe un¬ 
precedented fact, that we have at last a single 
report from a Committee of the Senate of the 
United States, even recommending a small ap¬ 
propriation for the benefit of agriculture. For 
this the members of the Committee are deserv¬ 
ing of the remembrance of the farmers of the 
country, though we predict that even this re¬ 
port has accomplished all it will accomplish—it 
will, after a little formality, be thrown under 
the table. 
We have said above, we object to the recom¬ 
mendation implied in the Committee’s report. 
If the scheme shall be carried out of purchas¬ 
ing a single experimental farm, at or near 
Washington, to be under the care and control of 
government officers, we predict that little good 
would come of it. 
Our country extends over many degrees of 
latitude and longitude, and embraces almost 
every variety of soil and climate. A system of 
agriculture adapted to the middle portions, 
would be comparatively useless to either the 
northern or southern regions. There should 
not be less than three centers of influence, a 
northern, middle, and southern. If experi¬ 
mental farms are desirable—and we think they 
are eminently so—w r e say let there be at least 
three of them, all located at a distance from 
political influences. Let each be under the 
direction of some of the leading agricultural 
societies, united in groups for this purpose. 
There is among our various State Agricultural 
Societies, the right kind of experience, energy, 
and public spirit, to direct and carry out any 
such enterprise. We should prefer to have lib¬ 
eral appropriations made from the general trea¬ 
sury to each of these State societies, to be ex¬ 
pended upon some general, well-digested plan 
for developing and advancing a knowledge of the 
best methods of cultivating the soil. The sum 
of fifty or a hundred thousand dollars, appro¬ 
priated to each of these, would not be missed 
from the treasury, while it would place them 
all in a position to carry on extensive experi¬ 
ments and- researches. By dividing the work 
among a large number of these societies, much 
would be gained by competition, as well as by a 
mutual correspondence and intercourse between 
them all. 
If there is just now the least inclination on 
the part of Congress to do any thing for agricul¬ 
ture, we hope it will be done well and carefully, 
as far as it goes. The leaving of a few thou¬ 
sand dollars in the hands of the President, or 
[NEW SERIES.—NO. 45. 
his appointed favorites, to he expended at his or 
their discretion , will not be what is required. 
It will only be a drag upon future effort. We 
have now before the country some half a dozen 
or less noisy politico-farmers, men who have 
acquired some little notoriety, but who, on their 
own farms, or half dozen acres at home, are 
known to be ignorant, or at least, unpractical 
theorists. These will be the first to step in and 
engross the first honors and emoluments. We 
sincerely hope no such fatal error will be made 
as to appoint these men as nurses of any new 
enterprise on a large scale. Better that the 
effort should be delayed a few years longer, than 
than such men should give a wrong bias to the 
enterprise. A step in the wrong direction must 
be retraced before a new start can be made, and 
a second effort always lacks in the important 
element of confidence. 
A Suggestion. —In reference to the question 
placed at the head of this article, we think few 
of our political men are pi'epared to answer it. 
They have talked little and thought less upon 
it; the Nebraska bill, the tariff, the navy, the 
consulships, the attorneyships, the post-office 
and custom-house appointments, &c., have en¬ 
grossed all their time, and now there looms up 
in the distance the next presidency, and we sug¬ 
gest for their consideration the following plan. 
Let the present Congress select from among 
its members a committee of a dozen farmers— 
if so many can be found there—and let this 
committee have power to sit during the short 
recess if necessary. Let there be appropriated 
for the use of this committee, say 20 or 30 thou¬ 
sand dollars, to be expended in prizes for the 
best practical essays upon the most feasible 
plan of developing agriculture through the aid 
of the General Government. Liberal prizes of 
this kind will set to work a host of shrewd, in¬ 
quiring minds. We venture the assertion that 
such a course would call forth more practical 
thought, and develop better plans, than would 
be devised in the halls of Congress, should they 
debate the matter daily for months, at a hun¬ 
dred times the expense. In this way there 
would be collected a mass of ideas, suggestions, 
and plans, ready fitted for the consideration 
of the next session, and prepare the way for 
adopting a scheme of operations which would 
not only be an honor to the nation, but also one 
which would add untold millions to the pro¬ 
ductive resources of the country, and to the 
wealth and comfort of its much the largest and 
most important class. 
-© OO- 
Some ladies will forgive silliness; but none 
ill manners. And there are but few capable of 
judging of your learning or genius; but all of 
your behavior. 
