180 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



Since the establishment of the institute it has sent out no 

 less than 2,944, including those in the school of forestry, or 

 2,322 agriculturists, and 622 foresters ; while from the school 

 of practice, since its opening, in 1818, to 1861, inclusive, the 

 number of graduates is 334, without including some tempo- 

 rary students, a few of whom are taken nearly every year. 



The Other Means op Instruction. — Among the means of 

 instruction presented at the institute may be mentioned, what 

 has already been alluded to, the whole management of the farm, 

 with its experimental fields, the implement manufactory, the 

 workshops, the forests and hunting parks, the nurseries, both 

 native and exotic trees, the botanic garden, the library and the 

 different collections and apparatus designed especially for the 

 purposes of instruction. 



The botanic garden was started in 1829, with an area of about 

 ten acres. It was intended to serve the double purpose of 

 instruction and ornament to the surroundings of the chateau. 

 I spent a good deal of time in the various parts of this garden. 

 It is laid out on a generous scale, with an agreeable, park-like 

 aspect ; groups of trees, ornamental and useful shrubs, parterres 

 of flowers and lawns well kept. A part of it is devoted to 

 annuals, where an immense number of varieties of wheat and 

 other grains are cultivated ; each plot labelled, so that the 

 visitor may know, without a guide, what each contains. In 

 another part are the perennials, especially those of economical 

 value. A grass garden forms a part by itself, where the different 

 species of grass are cultivated in little clumps, each labelled with 

 its systematic and common name ; while an arboretum of consid- 

 erable extent is, at all times, accessible for students and others. 



The library contains 4,000 volumes on agriculture and forestry 

 and their auxiliary sciences. 



The collections are very extensive and valuable, more so than 

 at any other institute of the kind that I visited. They consist 

 of large collections of soils, manures, models of implements, and 

 implements in full size ; admirable collections of wools, kept in 

 glass cases, among which are complete historical collections 

 from the sheep kept on the farm for many years back, especially 

 of the most celebrated bucks and ewes ; collections of woods, 

 minerals, petrifactions, <fec. ; collections of seeds of fruits, her- 



