878 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



fJUNE I, 1886, 



jutlgmeut meet you; but one woultl expect nothing 

 else after having conversed with Trofessor Brown, 

 who has the practical working of the farm. Professor 

 Brown is making some experiments in cattle feeiliug 

 and breeding and with various crops, which I am 

 sure will result in much good." 



Mr. Ourtis's notice and that of Mr. Sheldon (Pro- 

 fessor of Agriculture) are shorter ami more general, 

 and may be seen in the Delegates' Report, procurable 

 from the Dominion Agent in London — a most vahiable 

 phamphlet which 1 studietl intently before proceeding 

 on my prospecting tour. The remarks of Mr. Henry 

 (Professor of Agriculture at Lau.sing) I quule in 

 exteii.-iO: — ''It was early on a bright morning of the 

 present month that I statted from the hotel in CJuelph 

 for a visit to the Agricultural OoUege. Leaving the 

 quiet little eitv vvitb its walls of dull-grey limestojie 

 behind, I passed out ou the Duudas-road, and after a 

 brisk walk of a few minutes found myself at the 

 college gate. The first rapid sweep of the eye over 

 the scene brought nothing very interesting or striking 

 to view ; in the back-ground on a rise of ground froTit- 

 ing me stood a long three-storey buiUling of the same 

 grey limest(me as that used for buildings in the city. 

 This main liuildiug was Hanked on one sitte by a couple 

 of neat dwellings, aud ou the other by a cluster of 

 barns and out-buildiugs, while in front of these last, 

 half-hidden in the trees, stood a green-house. The 

 grounds in front of the main building were treeless, 

 and having been recently ploughgd up lav bare aud 

 brown. " To one brought up in the United States, 

 where the idea largely prevads that immense build- 

 ings are prime factors in the make-up of a college.- 

 the sight was not very prepossessing, and yet this 

 institution, situated away to one side of the centre 

 of our American civilisation and almost on the out- 

 skirts, has of late attracted nmch attention from those 

 studying the problem of imlustrial education, aud caused 

 many persons like myself to make long pilgrimages, 

 even in some cases from across the Atlantic to study 

 the causes of its success. In the United States we 

 have scores of colleges with buildings far more massive 

 than these, and whose age renders them venerable 

 compared with this new thing, yet their fame has 

 scarce extended across the borders of the county iu 

 which they exist. 



" But I have kept the reader entirely too long out- 

 side the grounds contemplating the earthy campus 

 and the grey-stone buihiings. I was not long in making 

 my way to the ofhce of the president, .Jxnies Mills, 

 who gave me such a welcome that 1 felt at ease at 

 once. With him as guide, the professor of agricultm'e 

 was soon found, and I uuw had my two mnin sources 

 of information at hand. Let me give to the reader 

 some of the facts gathered. This college accom- 

 modates LiO agricultural students, who all reside in 

 the main biulding under the direct supervision of the 

 president. E^ch cauditlate for adnussiou has to pass a 

 tliort)ugh examination iu the conun<in l^Ingiish branches 

 ui)on entering. The course of study is two years in 

 length, and is made to combine both the practical aud 

 theoretical. All students naturally fall into one of 

 the two classes—' First Year' or ' S>cnnd ' students. 

 Each cl;iss works daily five hours in the fields, barns or 

 works, and have five hours for study aud recitation. 

 Thi! work and recitations of tlie two classes alternate : 

 thus whiU' the first year boys are with the professors 

 in the class-room during the forenoon, the second-year 

 students are employed under the guidance of proper 

 superintendents at manual labour m the fields, barns 

 or shops. During the afternoon the order is reversed. 

 l''or this manual labour the student is allowed from 

 four to ten cents per hour according to his ability. 

 His earnings are credited ou his board account. For 

 board, washing, and lights ih(! cost is about ten tlollars 

 per nu)nth. The cost of the yi'ar's schooling is. to a 

 ifood working student, ntit. nvtn- sixty tlollars per yeiir 

 lor all expenses, except clothing." .VII students are 

 treated alike as to hour.s of labour, and the endeavour 

 is to make each familiar with all the varied farm oper- 



* This refers to outsiders, and the charge for them 

 has just been doubled. 



ations. To be sure, with only a two-years' course, and 

 half of the day spent iu the field, no extended course 

 of instruction can be given; yet, since no time is spent 

 on any foreign language, the student is given a fair 

 .start at least in such sciences as botany and chemistry, 

 aud is given a good drill iu English. The range of study 

 and thoroughness is more than one would suppose at 

 first thought. The average student leaves the college 

 an intelligent man, if not .an educated one. It is in 

 the practical operations tl-.at 'Lis school excels. Let 

 me illustrate by showing how the young men are 

 taught in regard to stock. When Professor Brown 

 takes up this topic, his lectures are illustrated by the 

 living animals. When talking about Shorthorns, for 

 instance, a bull or a cow of this breed is led into the 

 lecture-room and studied. Before the subject is left, 

 seve*'al individuals are brought in at once and compared. 

 After this course with each breed, representatives of 

 different breeds are placed before the class, as Here- 

 fords, Short-horns, and the Polled Angus, and com- 

 parisons made. Nor does this end the matter. Each 

 student must pass an examination upon these lectures, 

 and in a most rigid way. When being examined the 

 student is alone in the room with the stock, the Pro- 

 fessor and some practical stockmen chosen for the 

 occasion. It is not to be wondered at that these young 

 men become very proficient in such matters. It is iu 

 wayslike this that the whole farm is made to serve as 

 illustration. The farm is very complete, and I wish 

 this whole ))aper could be given up to an account of 

 it. It consist of 550 acres of choice laud. There are 

 twenty-one fields of twenty acres each ; there are seven 

 fine teams of work-horses and all sorts of farm mach- 

 inery, mthout limit almost ; there are on the farm 

 seven breeds of cattle, six of sheep, and three of 

 swine. 



" The college is now about to take a step in advance. 

 Several years ago §10.000 were spent in blooded stock. 

 This has paid handsomely, as over ^15,0UO have been 

 realised for surplus stock sold out of this herd. This 

 fall they propose to hoM a clearance sale aud re- 

 stock the farm with a larger number of animals of a 

 higher type. Not only is there to be a great change 

 in the stock, but the college grounds are to be met- 

 amorphosed. Mr, Jliller, who laid out Fairmount 

 Park, Philadelphia, has lieen employed to remodel the 

 grounds, and the work has alrcaily begun. This ac- 

 counts for the large lawn in front of the main building 

 being ploughed up, as mentioned at the begiiming of 

 this article. In jilace of their present so all green- 

 house they are to have one costing over ^IO.Ol\l. and 

 all the barns are to be torn down and new ones built 

 on a new site. These progressive changes are a measure 

 of what the Ontario [leople think of their agricul- 

 tural college. Pre.^ideut Mil's informed me thdt if he 

 wished he could fill this school with young men from 

 England alone, and that the cities of Canada would 

 over h.alf supply the list. His endeavour, however, is 

 to have the .sons of farmers from Ontario fill the 

 school. So^long as this is not the case outsi.lers will be 

 admitted. Last year sixteen young mi'U from England 

 were in attendance, Ireland and Scotland sent three each, 

 and Turkey, \Vales, the United States and West Indies 

 each sent one. Each term he has to refuse many 

 applications for admission. President Mills says that, 

 so far as he knows, eviiry stu'lriit n-lio came ti the 

 collei/e from the f ami hus qoiw Kiel- tn the farm irlun 

 thro'ii(/Ii. Let these who claim that education drives 

 young men from the farm ponder over this statement. 

 The reasons for the success of this school can be 

 found iu the men and the methods. Those in authority 

 li.ive turned themselves squarely to the farmers of 

 t)ntiirlo, and sought to know what under pre.seut 

 conditions should be taught to their sons to muke 

 good farmers out of them. They have not looked to 

 classical (colleges for guidance, lull liav.' been governed 

 by the needs' of the common people. Who conld 

 expect anj thing but success when such methods have 

 been employed. No wonder money is beginning to 

 How towards this school like water, and both political 

 parties of Ontario are claiming the college as their 

 own particular child. Without fear of successful con- 



