INTELLECT IN AGRICULTURE. 197 



in the sciences which unlock for him the arcana of 

 Nature ; for these are intimately related to all he 

 must do, and devise, and direct, throughout the whole 

 course of his active career. Whatever he may learn 

 or dispense with, a knowledge of these sciences is 

 among the most urgent of his life-long needs. 



Hence, I would suggest that a simple, lucid, lively, 

 accurate digest of the leading principles and facts in 

 Geology and Chemistry, and their application to the 

 practical management of a farm, ought to constitute 

 the Reader of the highest class in every Common 

 School, especially in rural districts. Leave out details 

 and recipes, with directions when to plant or sow, 

 etc. ; for these must vary with climates, circumstances, 

 and the progress of knowledge ; but let the body and 

 bones, so to speak, of a primary agricultural educa- 

 tion be taught in every school, in such terms and 

 with such clearness as to commend them to the un- 

 derstanding of every pupil. I never yet visited a 

 school in which something was not taught which 

 might be omitted or postponed in favor of this. 



Out of school and after school, let the young farmer 

 delight in the literature illustrative of his calling I 

 mean the very best of it. Let him have few agricul- 

 tural books ; but let these treat of principles and laws 

 rather than of methods and applications. Let him 

 learn from these how to ascertain by experiment what 

 are the actual and pressing needs of his soil, and he 

 will readily determine by reflection and inquiry how 

 those needs may be most readily and cheaply satisfied. 



