490 State Board of Agriculture, &c. 



which we cannot hope to see any great improvement in 

 farming — I have been met by tlie statement that education 

 only drives young men away from tlie farm. If, then, I ask 

 an intelligent farmer who has raised this objection whether 

 he believed that ignorance was the best qualification for suc- 

 cess in farming, he would say : " Not at all ; I am in favor 

 of bringing all the knowledge possible to bear upon the 

 practice of agriculture; I see its benefits every day. I believe 

 in agricultural papers and books, in farmers' clubs, agricul- 

 tural societies, boards of agriculture, in everything that will 

 increase both scientific and practical knowledge among those 

 who are already farniers. And I would favor the direct 

 training of the young man for farming in an agricultural 

 college, if I saw any prospect of getting him on to a farm 

 after he had completed his college course. But experience 

 shows that young men who have received an academical or 

 collegiate edu(^ation very rarely engage in farming. It may 

 be diflferent with agricultural colleges, but perhaps we had 

 better wait to see how they succeed in other States before 

 we try it here." If I venture to call his attention to the fact 

 that we already have an agricultural college in our State, he 

 smiles a gentle smile, and says : '' I have heard so, but can 

 you show me any of its graduates engaged in farming here- 

 abouts ?" 



Now I am obliged to confess tliat it is not our most igno- 

 rant farmers — the hard shelled fraternity of scrub farmers — 

 that talk in this way. These objections are urged by our 

 best and most intelhgent, practical men. They see the need 

 we all have of more knowledge in our business, but they 

 have serious doubts as to our being able to get that knowl- 



