Place these crude annotations of meteorological phenomena over the land in Maury's hands, and we may reasonably expect him to point the farmer to a suitable field and climate for the production of the desired crop, in advance of the footprints of the immigrant. . . . Hence it is seen that, on land as well as at sea, climate is not controlled by latitude alone. And in a country like ours, blessed with every variety of soil, great geographical extent, and with the most charming diversity of landscape, it could not be expected that mere distance from the equator would convey any correct idea of climate and agricultural adaptation. The true index of these is to be sought for in careful observation and laborious investigation, conducted according to thermal laws and by geographical conditions. . . .
"To ascertain the limits of plants, to mark them out upon this broad land, to describe the climate and productions pertaining to them, is the initiatory labour proposed by your memorialists, which, in their opinion, deserves the patronage of the Government, that these may be projected on maps of the land similar to those made by Lieutenant Maury of the sea. They propose that this labour shall not be left to the officers of the army alone, whose posts are often widely separated from each other, frequently changed, or totally abandoned, as the exigencies of the service may require, rendering their observations too scanty and irregular for the attainment of satisfactory results. It has been suggested by Lieutenant Maury, and approved by your memorialists, that the number of observers may be multiplied indefinitely by inviting the farmers, like the mariners at sea, to make voluntary observations of the weather, crops, soil, and flora, and report regularly to a common superintendent, by whom they also shall be discussed and classified. In this way, it is expected that thousands of additional observers may be enlisted in this service, from whose joint labours, in col-
