ignorance and cliildisli curiosity they had eaten 

 of the berries of the Jamestown weed. 



Enlomologj', too, or the study of insects, opens 

 a wide field for amusing researcli, and is na- 

 turally allied to Agriculture, and inseparable 

 from rural life and observation, as I have 

 noted and argued in a chapter in the Farmers' 

 Library, devoted to this subject. We are told 

 that the skill of the groat naturalist Linna>us, by 

 the most shnple observation, taught his country- 

 men how to destroy an insect — the cantharis 

 navulh — which liad cost the Sw^edish govern- 

 ment many thousand pounds a year by its rava- 

 ges in one sliipyard alone. After its metamor- 

 phoses, and the season when the fly laid its eggs 

 ■were known, all its ravages were stopped by 

 immersing the timber in w'ater during that pe- 

 riod. While the provident housewife iudusiri- 

 ously destroys the vermin that infest her closets 

 and her dormitories, her less persevering spouse, 

 in indolent despair, permits the residue of that 

 immense family, undi.sturbed, to feed on his 

 crops, and then patiently re-plants to supplj^ 

 them with a fresh banquet. 



When I recommend elementary instruction 

 in these subjects, so closely allied to practi- 

 cal Agriculture, and familiarity with which, 

 it must be admitted, is so befitting everj' 

 country gentleman, let it be borne in mind 

 that nothing is more remarkable in this age of 

 progress than the improvements which have 

 been devised to facilitate the acquirement of 

 knowledge in all the natural sciences. To that 

 end illusti-ations are employed, and terms and 

 language have been simplified and adapted to 

 the comprehension of the most youthful and 

 the plainest minds. 



It was but a few days since that I received a 

 journal from Ireland, under an address, in which 

 I recognized the autograph of an accomplished 

 lady and a faithful friend. Unfolding it to see 

 what it contained, which it was supposed pos- 

 sessed interest for me, my eye fell upon an 

 account of a public examination at the already 

 celebrated (Temple Mo^'le) Agvicvltvral Insti- 

 tute in Ireland ; and truly was I gratified to see 

 there, so fully carried out, all that the friends of 

 enliarhtened Agriculture have hoped for or 

 fancied in the way of agricultural education. 

 I regret that I can only take room to trans- 

 cribe a single passage. A fuller account. 

 ■with the address of Profes.sor JoHNSO^f, 

 will be recorded in the " Fanners' Library." 

 Of the examination, it states that — " It em- 

 braced everj' topic of interest to the enlight- 

 ened agriculturist. Among other subjects 



treated of, were these: The Nature and 



Composition of Soil — Draining — Sub.soil Plow- 

 ing — Rotation of Crops — Manures — The Com- 

 position of Vegetable Sub.stances — Gase.s — 

 Minerals — Fermentation — the diflferent kinds of 



Wheat — Varieties of Rye and Barley — the best 

 Soils for these Grains — Potato Culture, &c. The 

 result was most satisfactorj-. Of the twenty- 

 five lads examined, almost all showed that they 

 possessed an intimate acquaintance with practi- 

 cal Agriculture, and that they were perfectly 

 conversant with the scientific principles neces- 

 sarj', in order to become intelligent and judi 

 cious fanners. 



I must repeat one remark of Professor John- 

 son, to the honor of the Scotch people. It should 

 be printed and hung up in letters of gold, and 

 read by every Chaplain of every Legislative 

 Hall, and by every Minister of the Gospel in 

 every State of this Union, ^here education is 

 neglected. He says " that the poorest Scotch- 

 man, on the smallest lot of ground, will deny 

 himself the necessaries — even of proviision and 

 clothing — for the sake of educating his children." 



Substituting such a coiirsc of instniction as 

 is here indicated, for our antiquated systems, 

 it would surely come to pass in process 

 of time and, at no additional expense, that 

 our tillers of the soil would get to be a race 

 of real GENTLEMEN farmers — in the true sense 

 of the word— men ■whose hands, hardened by 

 ■wholesome and honest toil, would yet have their 

 minds imbued and conversations ornamented 

 ■with all the various learning and literature asso- 

 ciated with, and necessary to a gentlemanly, 

 ay, and let me add, the mo.st succe.s.sful prose- 

 cution of the business of Agriculture. Such, 

 my friends, is the character which we should all 

 aspire to see, and which the laws of every State 

 should be framed to secure for the free tillers of 

 the soil of Republican America. Such men, so 

 used to labor, and so blessed with intelligence, 

 I know you have among you. Such a man, was 

 the venerable patriot, Timothy Pickering, of 

 whom I have heard it related tliat he was 

 once, when Secretary of State, at a diplomatic 

 dinner at the President's, when the fact of his 

 being practically a working man, on his little 

 farm, was brought into question ; whereupon a 

 disbelieving courtier asking him to let him ex- 

 amine his hand, received a grip like that of a 

 blacksmith's vice, and was quick to cry peccari. 

 May the time come when every farm, in our 

 land shall be cultivated by such ctiltivated men! 

 — then and not till then shall we have realized 

 the glorious promises of national independence, 

 and all the blessings of free government — for 

 after all — 



What constitutes a State ? 

 Not high-rais'd Iiatllcment or labor'd mound, 



Thick wall or moated cato ; 

 Not cities proud, with spires and tiUTOts crown'd — 



Not l>ay.'' and broad armed poits, 

 Where, laughing at the stoim, rich navies ride; 



Not staiT'd and s])angled courts. 

 Where low brow'd baseness waits pei-fumcs to pride ; 



No ! Men, high-minded men ; 



Being called on so unexpectedly to pronounce 



