AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES. 17 



The advantages of such a school to the farmer, are 

 pointed out with the characteristic force and perspicuity 

 of the author, and a plan for its organization, together 

 with the probable expenses of founding and maintaining 

 it, is given. 



In accordance with the decision of that committee, the 

 next Legislature was applied to for an Act of Incorpora- 

 tion, which was granted and approved, April 13th, 1854. 



ACT OF INCORPORATION, 



This act states that "the Institution shall be called the 

 Farmers High School of Pennsylvania, and shall be 

 under the control of a Board of Trustees, composed of the 

 Presidents of the County Agricultural Societies, and the 

 President and Vice President of the State Agricultural 

 Society, thirteen of whom shall constitute a quorum. They 

 are directed to meet at Harrisburg, on the 2d Thursday 

 of June after the passage of this act, and to organize and 

 select a site, and erect buildings for an Institution, and 

 procure a good practical farmer for its principal, who, 

 with such other persons, as shall from time to time be em- 

 ployed as teachers, shall compose the faculty." 



The teachers are to be capable of imparting a know- 

 ledge of the English Language, Grammar, Geography, 

 History, Mathematics, and such other branches of the 

 natural and applied sciences, as would conduce to the 

 proper education of a farmer. And the students should 

 be required to perform a certain amount of manual labor 

 daily. 



It was also made lawful for the State Agricultural So- 

 ciety to donate, out of its funds, for the purpose of the 

 act, the sum of $10,000. 



It is obvious that this act contemplated an Institution 

 for a very elementary course of scientific and literary in- 

 struction, combined with instruction in practical agricul- 

 ture; but its most remarkable feature was the provision 

 for the control of the Institution. 



It requires but little reflection to see that a responsi- 

 bility so divided as that devolving upon the trustees de- 

 signated in this act, would be felt by no one. 



