EXPOSITION OP 1867. 
385 
treated by many of the governments of Europe, even now, as 
both an art and science, and schools of forestry, well endowed 
and officered by men of ability and distinction, are found in 
all the leading, and even in many of the smaller countries and 
principalities of the continent. The time is coming, and now 
is, when the attention of our state and national governments 
must be turned to this important subject. 
Agriculture .—Progress in this department of extractive in¬ 
dustry has been manifold and important. The cotton famine 
that prevailed during the American war, gave rise to numerous 
experiments in various other parts of the world, especially in 
India, Egypt, Brazil, the Levant and the Antilles. 
Before the war, Europe derived 1,432 millions of pounds, or 
almost five-eighths of its entire supply, from the United States. 
Now, much the larger proportion is derived from the other 
sources named. During the interval, India has increased her pro¬ 
duct from 180 millions pounds to 506 millions. Quite success¬ 
ful experiments have also been made in Algeria, Australia, 
Cochin China, Queensland, the West Indies, Peru aud even in 
Italy and Southern France. In none of these countries is the 
quality of cotton equal to the best American, and yet much of 
it will be employed in domestic manufactures and the best 
find its way into the great manufacturing countries in compe¬ 
tition with ours. 
Sheep-husbandry has also extended itself in a remarkable 
manner, and has been characterized by a generally im¬ 
proved quality of the fibre—the result of a better diffusion of 
a knowledge of the principles of breeding and the manage¬ 
ment of flocks. This is true as applied to the older and more 
advanced nations generally. But the most noticable feature 
of this subject is the extraordinary development of the busi¬ 
ness of producing wool in many far-off and semi-civilized por¬ 
tions of the world. The growth of this branch of husbandry 
in Australia, South Africa, and in that vast region of country, 
constituting the valley of the La Plata and its tributaries, 
has been without parallel. In the first-named country it was 
25 Ag. Trans. 
