true, the bill proposes that the instruction of stu- 

 dents shall be gratuitous; but it must be re- 

 membered that the necessary expenses for 

 board, clothinu:, &;c. \vould be more than 999 

 out of 1000 of the farmers of the country could 

 possibly afford to pay. How, then, can this 

 matter be so arranged that the poor man may 

 fee) encouraged to send his son to the " Farm 

 School ? " How can the charge which is so of- 

 ten made against institutions of this kind — 

 that they are designed for the rich, and they 

 only receive the benefits of them — be avoided ? 



These questions bring me to the plan which 

 I wish to propose. I will give but a mere out- 

 line, and that as brief as po.ssible. 



lu the first place, the farm should contain at 

 least 1200 or 1.500 acres. It should be — for con- 

 venient to market, procuring of manures, &.C., 

 located near a large city — say within five miles. 

 A portion of this iand should be applied to hor- 

 ticultural purposes. This large tract of land I 

 conceive to be indispensably necessary for the 

 purpo.ses of the Institution. It would furnish 

 lull room for sufficientexperiments-with all kinds 

 of grains, roots, fruits, grasses, manures, &c. — 

 not merely with a handful of each, the results of 

 which can never be confidently relied upon — 

 but with bushels, thus testing at once the worth 

 of an article presented. It would furnish ample 

 room for the rearing and keeping of all kinds 

 of farm stock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, 

 swine, poultry, &c. of all the different breeds 

 and crosses. Here, too, would be foil room for 

 all the details and outdoor labor of the farmer, 

 with opportunity for testing all machines and 

 improvements designed to facilitate his labors. 



Here, then, upon this domain, would he col- 

 lected the best of every thing that a farmer 

 would wi.sh to have upon his own land. Above 

 all, here would be opportunity for the young 

 man who wished to be a real farmer, to make 

 him.self acquainted with the whole science, from 

 it.s most intricate mysteries down to the minutest 

 details of everyday labor. 



An extended system of exchanges of all farm 

 produce, ice. should be kept up with foreign 

 countries, and citizens of this countn,'. Nothing 

 which is the produce of the soil should he ;^iven 

 away. An equivalent in kind or value to be 

 returned in all case.s. Of stock, none but the 

 best being kept, an excellent opportunity would 

 be always at hand for the purcha.se of such as 

 any buyer might -want. 



Upon this domain should be erected the build- 

 ings of the Institution — convenient and large, 

 but in jilaiii, farmer-like style. The dwelling- 

 hou.se should be large enough to accommodate 

 500 students, with the Profes.sors and their fami- 

 lies. Another building located near the dwell- 

 ing would be required for the Library, Labora- 

 tories, departments of Geology, Mineralogy, 

 Natural History, study rooms. &c. 



Ample provision in the way of acres, build- 

 ings, Ac. being made, the number of students 

 should be limited to twice the number of Rep- 

 resentatives in Congress — that is, two shall be 

 chosen by the Representative from each Con- 

 gi-essionai Di.strict in the Union. This plan gives 

 the whole country an equal participation in the 

 privileges of the Institution. The term for which 

 .students will enter should be two years. At the 

 commencement of the first year, however, the 

 students should be divided into two classes, one 

 of which will leave at the end of the first year, 

 the other to continue the full term. This plan 

 of classing the .students, by which one-half the 

 (1031) 



aggregate number would be renewed every 

 year, will prevent the emban-assmenl of entire 

 new classes at the same time. 



Each student should be allowed pay of a suf- 

 ficient amount to meet the necessary expenses 

 of a two-years' stay at the Institution, and also to 

 ser\^e as an encourageaient to those who are 

 poor, and who would othcrwi.se be loth to avail 

 themselves of the advantages of the Institution. 



But, I think I hear you exclaim : This will 

 cost too much ; where is all the money to come 

 from ? 



Briefly, I will tell you : The farm, buildings, 

 &c. would in any case require a large outlay. 

 The only difference between the bill and the 

 plan which I propose, is the increased amount 

 of land. The buildings, furniture. &c. would be 

 nearly the same. The labor of the farm, such 

 as fencing, ditching, preparing of ground for 

 crops, harvesting, <5cc. would all be performed 

 by the students. It may reasonably be expect- 

 ed that when fairly in operation, the produce of 

 the farm would feed the Institution. I think 

 that in a few years, with the farm fully stocked, 

 soil improved, and a rigorous system of econo- 

 my enforced, a considerable revenue would be 

 obtained from sales. 



If this be so, then the only demand for money 

 would be to pay the salaries of officers and stu- 

 dents. Assuming that the whole number of 

 students would be 460, at a monthly pay, be- 

 sides board, which would be furnished by the 

 Institution, of $8, or $96 a year, the amount 

 would be — 



For students $44,160 



Professors, teachers, 6cc 20,000 



For Agricultural Department $64,160 



Estimated amount required for Normal 



School 41,880 



Total .$106,040 



Here there is an amount of $106,000 required 

 annually for the support of the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution ; and a revenue of interest from the 

 principal of the Fund of only $30,000. leaving a 

 deficiency of $76,000. Whence can this amount 

 be supplied ? I answer, From ike general 

 Treasury. 



Let us look at it for a moment. Congress is 

 appropriating millions annually for the Army, 

 Navy, tVc. while occasionally it reluctantly gives 

 a few hundreds for the funherance of the peace- 

 ful Arts and Sciences. The Report of the Au- 

 ditor of the Treasury shows that during the year 

 ending June 30, 1845, there was expended un- 

 der the direction of the War Department the 

 sum of nine and a half millions, and by the 

 Navy Department six and a quarter millions of 

 dollars — making together, as the cost of sustain- 

 ing the war machinery of our Government, the 

 enormous sum of Jiflccn and tkrec-qiiarler 

 viiUions. Commerce, like the horseleech, is 

 constantly crying, •' Give, give ! " and the money 

 is given. If asked for what purpose the money 

 is required, the answer is, that the interests of 

 the country demand it. It is said that by pro- 

 tecting commerce, the farmer and mechanic are 

 also protected. Now, if this be so — and I will 

 not dispute it — why not appropriate a portion 

 of this money in a direct way, for the benrfit of 

 fhe farmer and. mechanic? If the ditt'erent 

 branches of industry are so indissolubly con- 

 nected with each other that one cannot be pro- 

 moted without benefiting the other, then the 

 commercial will be advanced in proportion to 

 the extension of Agriculture and the useful Arts. 



