STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 105 



HOW TO KEEP THE BOYS OX THE FARM:. 

 By Prof. Elijah Cook, Manchester. 



This question is often considered and it must be acknowledged to 

 be important^in all its bearings. The last census shows a rapid 

 flocking to the cities from the country, a circumstance which bodes 

 ill and ill only to all classes of people. To turn this tide in some 

 measure and induce the young man while deciding upon his life 

 work, to give the old homestead due consideration, is worth}- of the 

 best efforts of all those capable of influencing the people. The ad- 

 vantages of the farmer are many and great and are such as affect 

 every part of his being. A writer in Harper's Weekly recently began 

 an interesting article by saying that farmers are chronic grumblers, 

 a statement which in the main I deny, and yet it contains truth 

 enough to make it worthy of notice. 



It is too often the case that the farmer gives the impression to his 

 children that his business contains hardships seldom or never met 

 with in the other occupations of life, and the advantages are not 

 mentioned. He should be induced to magnify his calling. If all 

 tillers of the soil would look about them to see how they can secure 

 better returns for the expenditure of their energies and while adding 

 to their incomes, add to the health, comfort and happiness of the 

 family, the boys would have more love for the farm and its occpa- 

 tion. The people better appreciate the business of the farmer every 

 year and the government is already doing much to provide him with 

 better methods but not half as much as the importance of the sub- 

 ject demands. 



Over seven hundred thousand dollars were given from public funds 

 for the support of experiment stations in the United States last year. 

 Large as this sum may seem it is only a little more than a cent for 

 each of our population. We have over forty experiment stations 

 and nearly four hundred trained men constantly seeking for ways of 

 increasing the products of the farm at less expenditure of both money 

 and labor. These stations have accomplished already that which 

 will enable the farmers to greatly increase their annual income. 

 The scientific principles discovered at the stations and disseminated 

 by the institutes and pomological meetings ought not only to enlarge 



