198 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Statement showing the AREAS of the several land States and Territories, the amount of land disposed of by sale <3fc., and the amount unsold and 
undisposed of on the 30th of June, 1857. 
States and Terri¬ 
tories. 
Ohio. 
Indiana. 
Illinois. 
Missouri. 
Alabama. 
Mississippi. 
Lousiana. 
Michigan. 
Arkansas. 
Florida. 
Iowa. 
Wisconsin. 
California. 
Minnesota Territory. 
Oregon Territory. 
Washington Territory 
New Mexico Territory 
Utah Territory. 
Nebraska Territory... 
Kansas Territory. 
Indian Territory. 
Total. 
Areas of the land States 
and Territories, exclu¬ 
sive of water. 
Sq. 
Miles. 
Acres. 
39.964 
33,809 
55,410 
65,037 
50,043 
37,337 
41,346 
56,451 
52,198 
59.263 
54,930 
53.924 
188,981 
141,839 
196,295 
126,457 
256,309 
220.196 
342,438 
126.283 
67.020 
25.576.960 
21,637,760 
35.462,400 
41.623.680 
32,027,520 
23.895.680 
26.461.440 
36,128,640 
33,406,720 
37,931.520 
35,155,200 
34,511,360 
120,947,840 
90.776.960 
125,628,800 
80.990,080 
164,037,760 
140.925.440 
229,160,320 
89,821,120 
42,892,81)0 
Surveyed 
up to June 
30, 1857. 
2.265,625 1.450.000,000 
16,770,984 
21,487,760 
35,462,400 
41.598,898 
31,993,813 
23,895,680 
24,039,319 
36,128,640 
33.279,008 
25,362,287 
34,074,598 
28,419.823 
21,611,447 
12,188,281 
4,443,831 
739.992 
107,928 
1,999,908 
1,902 541 
3,826,326 
399.333,464 
Unsurveyed 
on June 30, 
1857. 
24.782 
33,707 
2,422,i21 
127,712 
12,569,233 
1,080.602 
6,091,537 
99,336,393 
78,588,679 
121,184.969 
80,250,088 
163,929,832 
138,925,532 
217,257,779 
76.994.794 
42,892,80 
1,041,710,560 
Offered for 
sale up to 
June 30, 
1857. 
770,984 
487,760 
454,262 
186,654 
903,283 
892,577 
231,161 
115.710 
618.409 
876,615 
888,670 
131,412 
508.710 
Acres sold 
up to June 
30, 1857. 
12,622,793 
17.111.221 
19,226,103 
18,206,454 
16,128,168 
11,492,671 
4,404,397 
11,201,553 
5,307,166 
1,616,433 
11.430,815 
9,262,863 
i,734,098 
41,029 
1,154 
28,590 
17,350 
327,066,207 139,032,865 
Dona¬ 
tions and 
grants for 
schools, 
universi¬ 
ties, &c. 
727,528 
673,357 
1,001 795 
1,222.179 
925,814 
860,624 
832.124 
1,113,477 
932,540 
954.583 
951.224 
1,004,728 
6.765,404 
5,089,244 
6,192,124 
4,545.529 
8,826.956 
7,781,707 
12,175,573 
4,468,602 
Grants 
for inter¬ 
nal im¬ 
prove¬ 
ments. 
1,243,001 
1,609,861 
500,000 
500,000 
500,000 
500.000 
500.000 
1,250,000 
500,000 
500,000 
1,385,078 
1,069,371 
500.COO 
$340,000 
Grants 
for mili¬ 
tary ser¬ 
vices. 
1.804,423 
1,304,496 
9,648,850 
5,274.873 
1,040,924 
269.573 
637,750 
2,100 653 
1,889,933 
413,719 
11.903,703 
4,730,137 
’2,867,280 
37.720 
125,840 
I 
Reserv¬ 
ed for 
the ben¬ 
efit of 
Indians. 
109,300 
""227 
119,183 
137,894 
32,438 
1.250.937 
1,833,412 
4,064,788 
2,595 
2,834,090 
10,910,792 
7,273,724 
8,026,358 
11,630,271 
1,739.505 
2 350,000 
Railroad 
grants. 
2.595.053 
1,815,435 
2.332,918 
1,687,530 
1,102.560 
3,096,000 
1.405,297 
1,814.400 
3,456,000 
1,622,800 
4,416,000 
67,736,572 10,697,313 144,109.879 3.400,725 51.948,916 25,403.993 1,088,792,500 
The Public Lands cf the United States. 
We present above, both for present and future 
reference, a very interesting table, showing at 
a glance, the amount, condition and location of the 
lands under the control of the General Govern¬ 
ment of our country. These statistics are made 
up only to the first of July, 1857, it requiring the 
greater part of one year to collect and compile 
the reports from all the Territories. One of the 
first things that will attract attention, is the last 
column, which shows an extent of territory yet 
unappropriated, of 1,088,792,500 acres! The 
population of the United States and Territories 
at the last Census (1850), was 23,263,488. At 
the rate of increase (36^ per cent) for the previ¬ 
ous ten years, our next Census Report (1860) 
will show a population of 31,715,000. Now sup¬ 
pose the inhabitants divided into families of five 
persons each, or 6.343,000 families, and this do¬ 
main equally divided among them. There is un¬ 
occupied land enough to supply each one of these 
families with a farm of 172 acres ! In other words, 
if all the present inhabitants are provided with 
just the needed amount of land (and there is 
twice as much occupied as there is cultivated) we 
could supply another population as large as the 
present, with a domain of 172 acres to every five 
persons. 
But five acres of land is an abundant allowance 
tor each man, woman and child. The population of 
Massachusetts is equivalent to about one individual 
to each four acres. If, then, we allow only one 
inhabitant to each five acres of the unoccupied 
land (1,088,792,500 acres) in the possession of 
our government, and still unsold, there is room 
for over two hundred millions (217,758,500) of peo¬ 
ple. These figures, however, as large as they 
may appear, give but a faint idea Of the extent and 
capabilities of our country. Nineteen States are 
not mentioned in the above table, and even in those 
named there are over four hundred and sixty mil¬ 
lions (461,207,500) acres already disposed of, but, 
as yet, sparsely inhabited. 
It will be noted that over thirty six million 
(36,301,306) acres have been granted to 14 States 
for public works; that is, 10,897,313 acres for 
internal improvements,” such as canals &c.; 
and 25,403,993 acres to aid in the construction of 
railroads. 
Another column exhibits the large amount of 
44,109,879 acres granted for military services. 
This is equal to 2,560,000 acres more than the 
wjmle area pi ‘he six New-England States ; or a 
territory one-and-a-half times as large as the 
State of New-York. These “bounty lands” 
should be taken into account as one item of war 
expenses, by those who are so ready to involve our 
Nation in another contest. 
It is a source of no little satisfaction to find in 
another column that 67,736,572 acres have been 
given for schools, Universities &c. If the mat¬ 
ter can be rightly managed so as not to prove a 
detriment to Agricultural improvement, instead 
of a blessing, we think there can be no objection 
to adding to this last item the 6,340,000 acres for 
Agricultural Colleges in the several States, as 
proposed in Mr. Morrill’s Bill. 
The third, fifth and sixth columns of the'table, 
show : that of the 399,333,464 acres surveyed up 
to July 1st, of last year, 327,066,207 acres 
had been offered for sale, of which 139,032,865 
acres had been purchased, leaving open for sale 
at that date, 188,033,342 acres. As the hard 
times have operated against free purchases during 
the past year, and several new tracts have been 
thrown open, there are now probably over two 
hundred million acres of lands ready for native 
or foreign emigrants who desire a farm of their 
own, at the government price of $1£ per acre. 
- - -—--- 
Tennessee Lands- 
The two articles recently published on the 
above topic, (one on page 102, April No., and one 
on page 133, May No.,) have called out a score or 
more of lengthy communications, both from Ten¬ 
nessee and elsewhere. A considerable portion of 
these we suspect to be from persons directly or 
indirectly interested in lands awaiting pur¬ 
chasers—some of these writers very evidently 
have an “ax to grind,” and their communications 
have the go-by of course. The others are on file 
for such examination and use as we may have time 
and space for. As we have before remarked, we 
have no doubt that there are many fine tracts of 
land yet unoccupied in different parts of Eastern 
Tennessee, but in the multitude of conflicting 
statements presented, we find it difficult to locate 
them definitely. 
In these days, in order to avoid being hum¬ 
bugged ourselves, and humbugging our readers, it 
is almost necessary to suspect a cat in every 
meal-tub. 
- m~, -— »♦— - - - 
Mpney, like manure, to do much good must be 
well spread. 
Agricultural Humbug at Washington. -IV- 
Washington White-wash—The Auto-Biography 
of an Agricultural Clerk sent around the Country 
at Public Expense fj-c., c., rf-c. 
In the former three articles under the above 
general head, we have pointed out some of the 
derelictions of our government in general, and of 
certain officials in particular, with respect to pro¬ 
moting the agricultural interest of our country. 
Among the leading causes of complaint, were the 
following : 
I. That while over seventy-five million dollars have 
been annually expended by the general government for 
various purposes, only seventy-five thousand dollars (one 
dime out of every hundred dollars) have been even nomi¬ 
nally devoted to the improvement of agriculture, over the 
whole country. 
II. That even this pittance has been well nigh wasted, 
and in part worse than thrown away : 
1. By intrusting the chief management of the agricul¬ 
tural department to an unskillful, inefficient person. 
2. By the collection and distribution of many worthless 
seeds. 
3. By the importation of seeds originally grown anc 
now widely scattered here, and distributing them as new 
seeds from abroad. 
4. By sending out many seeds carelessly labeled, thus 
producing confusion, and loss of time and labor, on the 
part of those who undertake to cultivate them. 
5. By sending promiscuously to every partof the country 
those seeds which, in any case, are only adapted to par¬ 
ticular localities. 
6. By a great waste of seeds, great numbers of pack¬ 
ages being sent off-free through the mails—which are 
never used for legitimate experiments. 
7. By the appropriation of funds to useless trips to Eu¬ 
rope of government employees. 
8 By the preparation, at great expense, of a volume 
(Agr. Report of Patent Office) which, though containing 
a few good things, is, in character, infinitely below what 
it should be, as the leading governmental document of the 
country. [We have under investigation some curious 
items regarding the sources and prices paid, or said to 
have been paid, for articles, in the last Report.] 
9. By printing extra copies of the “ Report” at great ex¬ 
pense, which have been sold, indirectly at least, to 
booksellers for a pittance, to oe afterward hawked with a 
profit at the street corners, for less than half the original 
cost to the government. 
With our knowledge of the way things are 
managed at Washington we had little expectation 
that the above allegations would be noticed there, 
and our chief object has been to arouse farmers 
themselves to assert their own dignity and im¬ 
portance, and not remain content with the sop of 
a few packages of seeds, often useless, or a Pa¬ 
tent Office Report—proffered to them as a stick 
of candy to a child, to keep it quiet. Politicians 
have exceedingly short memories ; they are lavish 
