FARMERS' REGISTER— EXPERIMENTAL FARMS, &c. 



161 



ON THE NECESSITY AND IWEANS FOR LEGISLA- 

 TIVE AID TO AGRICULTURE NO. 3. 



[Conliuued from page 63, Vol. II.] 



For the Fanners' Register. 



There is another important purpose which 

 mio'ht be served by an experimental farm, whicli 

 is ahnost entirely wanting in this country — the in- 

 struction of apprentices to farming. I do not mean 

 apprentices in the common acceptation of that 

 term — but rather pupils, who by giving their time 

 for six or eio-ht months, and their close attention, 

 and manual labor, as well as time, to the business 

 of the fann, might be taught how to pertbrme\'ery 

 operation in the most perfect manner — and which 

 are not learned, and indeed not seen, bj' most 

 farmers in twenty years,if ever. It would be pro- 

 ductive of no less honor than profit to the sons of 

 the Avealthiest tarmers, who are designed to Ibllow 

 their fathers' business, to attend, and labor at such 

 a school of industry: and to those who are to be 

 farmers on a small scale, with scanty means, there 

 would be still greater advantages, because, they 

 would in the routine of their own business, find 

 but little ojiportunity of receiving instructioti in 

 good husbandry, or of being convinced of what 

 was bad, except by dear bought and slowly ac- 

 quired experience. The business of a farmer, 

 which ref;uires more varied qualifications to cany 

 on well than any other whatever, is the only one 

 that is generally undertaken without preAdous in- 

 struction cr training, and which, it would seem, 

 men are expected to understand by a sort of natu- 

 ral instinct, (perhaps I ought to except the busi- 

 ness of statesmen and legislators, which it appears 

 that every man is fit for.) A young man of large 

 landed estate, who expects to derive his entire 

 support from that source, and to spend his life on 

 his farm, and as a farmer, usually passes his whole 

 minority in learning other things in no way con- 

 nected with the cultivation of the soil, or in idle- 

 ness — and then connnences his' business in the 

 most profound ignorance of its details, and with 

 habits altogether unsuited to proceeding either with 

 profit or pleasure. If he has "a turn for farming 

 and management," as Ave call it, and a natural 

 fondness fbr the business, he may, and generally 

 will become a good farmer, notwithstanding all 

 these early disadvantages. Indeed, such instances 

 of success are found in men vrho have lived long in 

 towns, and who were almost entirely unacquainted 

 A\nth the countiy and with farming, during all the 

 early part of their lives. But whatever such men 

 have done, under their existing disadvantages, 

 would have been much better and sooner done, 

 and with far less waste of capital and labor, if they 

 had enjoA-ed the means I have recommended for 

 receiving instruction. To poor farmers, the value 

 of such means for instruction, would be still greater, 

 because their close confinement to a very limited 

 sphere of action, in Avhich their circumstances and 

 habits Avill probably retain them throughout life, 

 would prevent their receiving after instruction bj- 

 travel, books, or conversation with the best farm- 

 ers, and personal observation of their labors. To 

 one of those men who practice farming as the 

 agents of others, or overseers, the expense of an 

 apprenticeship, or course of instruction at a pat- 

 tern farm, Avould be paid back to him in his next 

 year's wages; and his value to his employers, and 

 as a member of tlie community, would be soon 



doubled, unless he was incapable of being im- 

 proved by instruction. 



These observations bring me back to what I 

 endeavored to establish in a preceding number, 

 viz: that the business of the pattern fiirm might 

 be (and no doubt would be) conducted with a de- 

 plorable Avant of economy and good management 

 — and therefore Avith loss, instead of profit to the 

 oAvner, and yet this be no sound objection to the 

 use of the processes carried on, fbr experiment of 

 their Avorth, or fbr the purpose of conveying in- 

 struction. If a young man desired to learn Iioaa',. 

 in the best manner, to plough land under diflerent 

 circumstances— -to sow seed regularly — to reap 

 wheat, and secure it Avell — to knoAv the proper 

 management of a thrashing machine, &c. &c., it 

 Avould be sufficient that he should find on the pat- 

 tern farm, suitable land, crops, and implements to 

 exhibit all these operations, and the best laborers 

 employed in executing them — and that he should 

 join in those labors, until he had become dexterous 

 and competent in each process. It would be ut- 

 terly unimportant to the person thus acquiring 

 instruction, Avhether the lessons Avhich he receive! 

 were more costly or profitable, to those at Avhose 

 expense they were furnished. ' 



Apprenticeships to farming, upon a different 

 plan, have been resorted to AAdth much adA-antage 

 in Great Britain. Young men who were to be 

 the possessors of good estates, have been proud to 

 assist fbr months together, in the labors of such 

 distinguished flirmers as DaAvson, and Walker, 

 and BroAvn: and at least one of these teachers, 

 (DaAvson, Avho earned the honorable title of "the 

 fiifher of Scottish husbandry,) OAved his early 

 lights, and after success, to alike course of train- 

 ing on a farm in a distant region, where the state 

 of agriculture Avas far more advanced than in Scot- 

 land at that time. 



In these remarks on farming apprenticeships, I 

 have referred merely to instruction in the labors of 

 agriculture. There is another branch of instrac- 

 tion, the scientific or theoretical, AA'hich should not 

 be omitted. This might be derived from a sepa- 

 rate institution, as a professorship of scientific ag- 

 riculture, or perhaps the practical and theoretical 

 branches might be united in a manual labor school. 

 This scheme I should be glad to hear discussed — 

 but as I am not sanguine of success (that is, if any 

 pecuniary ])rofit is expected) from establishments 

 of this kind, I leave the subject to others, r. k. 



k 



Vol. II.— 15 



THE SKINLESS OAT. 



To the Editor of Uie I'armers' Register. 



In perusing j'our A^aluable journal, I liaA^e not 

 been able to see mention made of Avhat is called 

 the "sldnless oat;" can you or any of your readers 

 inform us any thing about them? In conversing 

 Avith an English farmer a feAV days ago on a visit 

 to Virginia, (avIio presented me Avith a spoonfull 

 as a curiosity) he stated that they AA^ere introduced 

 into Englancl in 1830 by himself] that they Avere 

 indigenous of China, and succeeded remarkably 

 well in that climate. Their product is astonish- 

 ing, bemg twenty-six barrels of fourteen stone 

 per acre — A'ciy hardy and standing their Avinters. 

 The advantages that ttiis grain possesses over all 

 others of the kind, are Avhen thrashed out perfectly 

 free from husk, fit for immediate use, either for 

 culinary or other purposes, their fla\'or being de- 

 lightful, and contains more farinaceous matter than 



