32 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



schools, for the education of young men for the professions, 

 and why not for agriculture ? Gentlemen who are familiar 

 with the agricultural schools of Europe, know that they had 

 such schools there for centuries before we began to think of 

 having any here. In all the agricultural States of Europe 

 they have them, graded up from the common school in agri- 

 culture to the university in agriculture — graded up regularly ; 

 and that is what we are going to have here, by-and-by, if the 

 agriculturists of the State are awake to this business, and 

 understand the value of these institutions. Do not laugh at 

 it, gentlemen. Do not laugh it out of the State. Go and see 

 it. 



Rev. Mr. Backus. The Secretary's remark, that the one 

 object of this School is to educate boys for the farm, suggested 

 a question which I would like to ask, and that is, whether 

 that is the effect of the education there. That is to say, do 

 the boys learn to love farming ? The more they know of it, 

 do they want all the more to farm it in life ? Do they want 

 to go out and buy a farm and run the risk of paying for it, or 

 do they want to get through as soon as they can and go some- 

 where else — learn a trade, or something of that kind ? Does 

 the School make farmers ? 



Dr. Armsby. Our Junior class has been with us too short 

 a time to say anything about them on that point. Of the 

 Senior class, I can say that, as far as I know, all the members 

 intend to follow farming, and one of our best students is a 

 young man whose father sent him there because he had taken 

 a distaste for farming, and wished to learn a trade, or follow 

 some mechanical pursuit. Since coming there he has under- 

 gone conversion, if I may call it so, is very enthusiastic on 

 the subject, and intends to follow farming for a living. 



Rev. Mr. Backus. I hope he will not backslide. 



Mr. Gold. I have just had time to gather my thoughts, 

 and I find that I made an important omission in speaking of 

 the general force at the School at Mansfield. The Matron, 

 Mrs. Coit, is a motherly woman, endearing herself to all the 

 students by her careful labors and kindly interest in them. 



