439 



and is now publishing a full account of live stock, with em- 

 bellishments of extraordinary richness. In the university of 

 Oxford, they have a chair of Rural Economy, filled by a prac- 

 tical man, full of enthusiasm for the art, who has presented some 

 valuable publications to the world, and who is now prosecuting 

 in the botanical garden of the university, a series of most im- 

 portant experiments in vegetation and manures. 



In Harvard University, the learned professor of chemistry 

 has recently given to the public a valuable English work upon 

 Agricultural Chemistry,* wi'h highly instructive notes ; but 

 this is all to be considered as extra duty, as his instructions 

 in chemistry are understood to be mainly limited to the con- 

 nection of the science with medicine. There is wanted, there- 

 fore, a distinct department for this great object. 



In 1805, a number of public-spirited individuals presented to 

 the university a fund of more than $31,000, for the establish- 

 ment of a botanical garden with a view to horticultural and 

 agricultural improvement. It is greatly to be regretted that 

 the patriotic views of these donors should in any respect have 

 failed of accomplishment, as we learn from the elaborate and 

 elegant history of the university by President Quincy, that the 

 funds were some time since inadequate to the support of a pro- 

 fessor, and the trustees of the Massachusetts Agricultural Soci- 

 ety, who were the proper guardians of this important trust, 

 deemed it expedient to resign all charge of it to the corpora- 

 tion. Some persons had hoped that when the present distin- 

 guished incumbent, who was one of the most accomplished, 

 enthusiastic and best practical farmers in the State, was ad- 

 vanced to this high post of public service, he would have car- 

 ried with him a strong feeling of the importance of this great 

 branch of public education, and have made it a particular ob- 

 ject of interest ; but eminent as have been his merits in all 

 other departments of official duty, he seems in this case only 

 to have added another example to that of the Chief Butler 

 when advanced in the palace of the Pharaohs, " who did not 



* Liebig's Organic Chemistry. 



