DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



cultural population for the schools which the 

 politicians wlio hold that the government is to 

 do everything, wish to give them. 'When such 

 a call is made, there will be Imndreds of enter- 

 prising individuals jn-epared to otfer agricultu- 

 ral schools on the voluntary system. 



A7e are somewhat surprised to see the com- 

 nion-plac? view of agricultural education taken 

 by the editors of the Post. We commend to 

 their attention the R(!port of the Massachus(!tts 

 Agricultural School Commissioners of last Janu- 

 ary. 



A perusal of Professor Hitchcock's very 

 able report on the various Agricultural Schools 

 of Europe, inspected by him personally, will, 

 we think, change their views. Prof. H. states, 

 that the history of the Agricultural Schools of 

 Europe teaches conclusively, that Agricultural 

 Schools usually fiiil, if they do not receive ef- 

 ficient aid from the government. Also, that 

 when the government takes exclusive control of 

 the schools, (as in Prussia,) the people usually 

 take little interest in them. And lastly, he tells 

 us that " those agricultaral institutions suc- 

 ceed best which are started and sustained by 

 the mutual efforts and contributions of individ- 

 uals, or societies, and of the government." 



The plain reason why some government assis- 

 tance is needed is, that one of the principal ob- 

 jects is to try experiments — in order to ascer- 

 tain the ntility or worthlcssness of supposed 

 discoveries and improvements. Now a private 

 school may be able to carry on a good system 

 of farming — but a private school will always do 

 what is most for the private interest of its prin- 

 cipal to do — which is to raise only the most pro- 

 fitable crops — and not waste money in experi- 

 ments. There are many branches of knowledge 

 that would be highly useful for a young farmer 

 living in a wheat district, to learn, that a private 

 farm-school in a grazing district would not find 

 it to its interest to teach; and there would be 

 many branches of knowledge that the young 

 former should acquire, which the limited means 

 (as to teachers, apparaturs, lectures, &c.) of 

 the private school, could not compass — ^and in 

 all these points tlie government would properly 

 come in to the aid of the school. On the 

 other hand; the young agricultural pupil should 

 not be wholly supported and educated by the 

 state — but should be obliged to pay something, 

 either in money or labor, or both — in order that 



he may feel that he has a direct interest in the 

 maintenance of the institution. 



It is, undoubtedly, but too true, that the 

 mass of the farmers feel but little interest in 

 agricultural education. But so it is with the 

 masses in every calling at first. The few more 

 intelligent, feel and see the evils of ignorance 

 and the value and power of knowledge, and it 

 is the few who always organize any such insti- 

 tutions. The common school system, which 

 everybody recognizes as the great institution of 

 this country, was not called for by the mass of 

 the people — it was urged upon them with diffi- 

 culty by a few of the more enlightened minds 

 of the country. Its value once demonstrated, 

 the people look with horror upon the mental 

 darkness of an uneducated nation. So, if the 

 value of agricultural, mechanical, and scientific 

 schools could be once fiiirly demonstrated to 

 the masses, they would at once be adopted, 

 univer.sally, as right sources of power and in- 

 fluence and wealth — in the same way as the 

 printing press and the post oflSce are so adoj)ted. 

 There can be no more real question about the 

 value of special education to the farmer or the 

 mechanic, in a republic, than there is of the 

 value to these men, of the thinking ficulty it- 

 self. If there is anything in agriculture or me- 

 chanics that makes any demand upon the think- 

 ing faculties of man, then those thinking facul- 

 ties should be recognised and educated in the 

 best manner for their special function. If there 

 is not, why then let the brutes take the sole 

 charge of the farms and workshoi)S — it is idle 

 for intelligent human beings to waste their time 

 and talents there. The truth lies in a nutshell. 

 Either fiu-ming is an intelligent occupation and 

 demands education, or it is not, and demands 

 only brute force. Take which ever form of the 

 dilemma you choose — farmers, editors, legisla- 

 tors! 



Ashes vs. Curculio. — Dear Sir: Having 

 read much in your valuable and ever welcome 

 journal relative to the curculio,! thought I would 

 give you a statement which I heard made by a 

 person who has grown the plum with success se- 

 veral years, relative to his treatment of the tree 

 to prevent the ravages of the "turk." It was 

 this: when the tree is full in the blossom, and 

 early in the morning when the dew is 

 throw common wood ashes all throus: 



