Middle^ Class Education. 5 



capable of making an exact analysis ; it affords many good 

 tests of the value of manures, soils, »Scc. It points out the 

 composition of everything to those who can understand the 

 meaning of chemical terms; enables a man to judge what his 

 land may want without going to the doctor, and tells him 

 whether the proper medicine be on the farm or not. For in- 

 stance, land may require lime ; but if good marl or chalk can 

 be found free of cost and near at hand, either one of these may 

 generally take the place of lime. Chemistry tends to open the 

 eyes and enlarge the understanding ; it awakens inquiry and 

 reflection — weighs, ponders, and suggests what is useful to be 

 known. It is never entirely learned, and therefore has a never- 

 failing interest. 



In the scientific teaching of an agricultural school. Natural 

 Philosophy in general, and Chemistry in particular, should have 

 prominence ; for although boys, as boys, might not make much 

 advance at school, the groundwork would be laid for further 

 improvement. 



Geology, which has an intimate connexion wdth the che- 

 mistry of soils, should be taught to some extent in agricultural 

 schools, but not professorially or much in detail. It is always 

 a highly interesting supplement to a general education ; but I 

 think it a Avaste of time for boys of average attainments to 

 learn the technical names of the fossils belonging to the various 

 strata. Nor is it worth while to enter into speculative theories 

 as to whether Adam and the Alps were created within some 

 millions of years of one another. There are faults and slips in 

 geological reasoning as well as in the natural phenomena to be 

 dealt with, so that it is not easy to account for the half dozen 

 different kinds of soil frequentlv found in the same field. 



Botany is also a very interesting study, and useful to gardeners, 

 or to the adventurous farmer who aspires to introducing some new 

 plant or some new variety of plants, &c. If, however, there are 

 coarse grasses in a field which nothing will eat, they should be 

 destroyed without even so much as inquiring their names. Prac- 

 tical farming shows various ways of doing this. 



Few practical farmers occupy much time with botany. 



" The primrose by the river's brim, 

 A simple primrose is to him, 

 And it is nothing more." 



And perhaps it is as well that it is so ; for the life of a man is 

 too short for him to learn everything ; and it is better to learn 

 what is undoubtedly useful than what may onlv happen to be so. 

 If there is scarcely time for more, let the groundwork of a good 

 general education be secured, with the rudiments of those sciences 

 which have the most intimate connexion with the special profession 

 to be followed. 



