No. 85.J 381 



without price" — when in short, the Common School and the District 

 Library, shall be made to unfold their exhaustless capabilities of dis- 

 ciplining the youth of our land in all the essential requisites of prac- 

 tical knowledge, and goodness and virtue — we see the most abundant 

 cause for congratulation on the wise and beneficent policy, which 

 has heretofore so liberally aided these invaluable institutions. 



If in view of the importance of a practical and permanent con- 

 nection of the great interests of agriculture and public instruction, I 

 might venture to throw out a few brief suggestions for the considera- 

 tion of the intelligent body of which you, sir, are chairman, I 

 would respectfully recommend the organization of auxiliary associa- 

 tions, in each of the eleven thousand school districts of the State, 

 to consist of such of the inhabitants of the district as might feel an 

 interest in the subject, and of the teacher and pupils of the school. 

 The purchase of an acre or two, at least, of suitable land, adjacent, 

 if practicable, to the school-house, to serve as a model farm, and to 

 be exclusively cultivated by the male children, under the direction 

 either of the teacher, if qualified, or of a committee or agent of the 

 association ; and the conversion of a portion of the play-ground at- 

 tached to the school, into an ornamental garden, to be cultivated and 

 superintended by the young ladies of the school and district. For 

 the purpose of a more general and thorough diffusion of agricultural 

 and horticultural information, I would also recommend the prepara- 

 tion of a series of practical works devoted to the elucidation of ag- 

 riculture in its various departments, for the district library ; and of 

 proper elementary text-books, on this subject, for the school. 

 I am, sir, very respectfully. 



Your ob't ser't, 



S. S. RANDALL, 

 Gen. Dep. SupH Com. Schools. 



Letter JYo. II. from the State Deputy Sup^t. of Common Schools, 



[referred to in the preceding report of MR. GREIG.J 



Albany^ January 10, 1845. 

 Henry O'Reilly, Esq., 



Recording Sec^y of the JV. Y. State Agricultural Society : 



Dear Sir — In a former communication which I had the honor to 

 submit to the committee for promoting the introduction of agricul- 

 tural books into the common schools and district libraries of our 

 State, I endeavored to show the practicability and utility of connect- 

 ing the art and science of agriculture with the ordinary branches of 

 elementary instruction pursued in our schools. Since that time, I 

 have bestowed much reflection upon the subject, in its various bear- 

 ings, and have become more and more confirmed in the conviction 

 that the foundation of all those improvements in agricultural science, 



