58 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



them in Latin or Greek, for those languages are not taught at 

 the institution. We teach geometry, chemistry, physiology, 

 and practical agriculture ; and some of our students, this term, 

 have taken German. 



The next question you will ask me is, " What have the boys 

 been doing in agriculture ? What have the boys been taught ? " 

 Before the school commenced, the plan was adopted that every 

 young man who came there should be taught to work upon the 

 land. Some, perhaps, knew how to work, some did not ; some 

 had no sort of acquaintance with agricultural operations. The 

 plan was adopted, I say, that every young man who came there 

 should work upon the land six hours in a week ; that the whole 

 class sliould work, upon the land, as a part of their regular 

 school education, two hours on Monday, two on Wednesday, 

 and two on Friday. And then we held out the inducement, 

 that if there were any young men in the Commonwealth who 

 desired a first-rate intellectual education and thorough disci- 

 pline (for that the trustees designed to give,) they would give 

 them wages for just such an amount of labor as they could 

 perform, witliout detriment to their studies. The consequence 

 has been, that we have some twenty students who have been at 

 work during the entire term for wages, from one up to four 

 hours a day, besides their two hours work with the class every 

 other day in the week. 



Then the question comes, " How do you make labor and 

 study go together ? " I suppose that question will be asked 

 me, for it often is. If I should answer it in the off-hand way I 

 sometimes do, I should say, " first-rate." I am ready to 

 acknowledge, that before our students appeared there, I had 

 many misgivings in relation to the question of labor. I knew 

 the responsibility would fall upon me, and I dreaded to have 

 the day come when I should have from thirty to fifty young 

 men there, and be required every other day to take them upon 

 the land, and make a business of teaching them to work — in the 

 first place, planning the work ; and, in the second place, seeing 

 that they did the work like men, systematically and regularly. 

 But there has been no trouble about it ; it has come as a matter 

 of course, without arijr difficulty whatever. Having established 

 the system, it has worked like a charm. 



