INTRODUCTION. 



BY PROFESSOR JOHN A. PORTER. 



i 



THE views of Agricultural Education in which the Course 

 of Lectures originated reports of which are here presented to 

 the public were set forth in the New Englander, for Novem 

 ber, 1859. From that ar^cle we make a few quotations, as 

 introductory to a sketch of the course itself, and of the advan 

 tages which may be expected from a pursuance of this system 

 of agricultural education : 



" There is little question in the public mind as to the impor 

 tance of new agencies for the diffusion of agricultural knowl 

 edge. A more difficult question is, how the lack of them 

 shall be supplied. The Press does much, but by no means all 

 that is required. The contact of man with man, and of mind 

 with mind, is necessary to inspire the enthusiasm which is 

 essential to rapid progress. 



" The introduction of books on elementary science into our 

 Common Schools, would be a great step in advance ; but here 

 again there is the absence of that contact of the man of knowl 

 edge with the men who need it, which is essential to the 

 highest success. 



"Shall we wait for the establishment by Government of 

 great agricultural institutions, similar to those of continental 

 Europe ? Such institutions are among the most obvious and 

 essential wants of our time, but a public and general opinion of 

 their utility and necessity must be created before either our 



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