EARLY NATIONAL SUPPORT OF AGRICULTURE

Washington and Jefferson, like other founders of our nation, took
the keenest interest in agriculture. But in the early years of our
history little was done by the national government for its
promotion, except by a rather generous policy of disposing of the
public lands (see Chapter XIV). In 1820 a committee on agriculture
was for the first time created in the House of Representatives,
and in 1825 a similar committee in the Senate. In 1839 Congress
made its first appropriation for agricultural purposes, $1000, to
be spent in gathering information about crops and other
agricultural matters. This was a small beginning when compared
with the $37,000,000 appropriated by Congress for agricultural
purposes in 1918.

CREATION OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The United States Department of Agriculture was created by
Congress in 1862, though it was not placed on an equality with the
other executive departments of the national government, with a
member of the President's cabinet at its head, until 1889. While
it has some very important regulatory powers, that is, powers to
enforce laws and otherwise to control the practice of the people,
its service has been largely by way of scientific investigation of
the problems of agriculture and the distribution of the
information so acquired. Its policy has been one of cooperation
with state authorities.

NATIONAL COOPERATION WITH THE STATES