No. 4.] BOAKDS OF AGRICULTURE. 35 



Doubtless you have all heard of that worthy son of Erin's 

 Isle, who was sending a valuable package by express, and, 

 following out the custom much in vogue, he stamped in 

 bold type, "This side up with care." Fearing that this 

 important injunction would not come to the attention of the 

 hustling expressman unless more prominently displayed, he 

 emphasized by repeating it, and sent the package upon its 

 journey after plainly marking on each of its six sides, 

 " This side up with care." We would have such earnest- 

 ness manifested in this subject of practical education and 

 such demand for it that advocating the advantages of prac- 

 tical education in agriculture shall be printed in bold type 

 at the head of the list of duties assigned to boards of agri- 

 culture ; then we would have this list prominently displayed 

 in every school-room, in every academy, in every grange 

 hall, in every other place in the land where people assem- 

 ble for educational purposes ; and when securely placed 

 we would print in flaming type the inscription of our 

 Irish friend, "This side up with care," and thus hasten 

 the good time coming when the agricultural people of 

 this nation shall appreciate practical instruction for the 

 elevation of the great fundamental industry, — American 

 agriculture. 



And then we would teach the farmers of this country the 

 advantages of agricultural education by manifesting, in their 

 homes, on their farms, in their market places and wherever 

 we meet them, such absolute confidence in its utility and its 

 advantages for their children over a literary education simply, 

 that they w T ould be made to realize the honor and dignity of 

 the true husbandman, and all together, the farmers, boards 

 of agriculture and the managers of agricultural schools, we 

 would fight valiantly for restoring in some degree the in- 

 tegrity of mind and heart among our rural population ; and 

 when that shall have been accomplished we shall have in 

 our New England country homes the foundation for ideal 

 country life. 



The Chairman. There will now be an opportunity for 

 discussion, but first I wish to call upon our old friend Dr. 

 Geo. M. Twitchell, secretary of the Maine State Agri- 



