AGRICULTURAL INFLUENCES. 169 



breeds, in a convenient pig-gory, either converting grain and 

 vegetables into sweet, tender pork, or rearing young, and with a 

 little labor and skill on the part of their owner, manufacturing a 

 huge pile of valuable fertilizers from muck, weeds, straw, turf 

 from the roadside, with the aid of the wash from the laundry, 

 ashes and plaster to retain ammonia and assist in decomposition. 

 His abundant crops of all kinds are carefully harvested and 

 securely protected from vermin in their respective places, illus- 

 trate fully and forcibly to every observer, the influence of early 

 and correct agricultural discipline. His literary department 

 would interest intelligent minds, being largely supplied with 

 scientific productions of eminent agriculturists, illustrating the 

 goodness, wisdom and power of nature's God, in the production 

 from the germ to maturity, everything upon which we and ours 

 subsist from infancy to age. Here we find the choice literature 

 of present and past ages ; the relics of dissipation, ignorance and 

 profanity being discarded. His children (being his pupils) here 

 find recreation and spend their leisure hours with profit ; they are 

 familiar with art and science ; they admire the works of nature ; 

 they love the beautiful and rare flowering plants and shrubs that 

 surround their home. They combine theory and practice in the 

 cultivation of all farm crops ; they understand the nature and 

 varying character of their soils, and the requisite quantity and 

 quality of needful fertilizers. They are familiar with the origin, 

 descent and" characteristics of their domestic animals, whether 

 natives, grades or thoroughbred. They have moral courage to 

 advocate truth against falsehood. In short, they love that quiet 

 home, made cheerful and happy by early, continued and practical 

 education in the right direction and are choice specimens of agri- 

 cultural production, possessing such religious, moral, agricultural 

 and political qualifications that when circumstances call them to 

 leave the home of their childhood, we find them master-mechanics, 

 engineers, navigating the ocean, consul or minister to foreign 

 countries, religious missionaries at home or abroad, at the head of 

 or in some of the national departments, in legislative or congres- 

 sional halls, president, professor or student in some agricultural 

 college, or last though not least, members of the board of agricult- 

 ure, devoting their best energies to promote the interests of 

 agriculture. Some may say that this picture is over-drawn ; that 

 that such men as Mr. A are not to be found, and that such models 

 as Mr. B are rarely found. 



