HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



277 



colonies. The avidity with which the 

 Jewish lads avail themselves of the facili- 

 ties thus given them convinced him that 

 the agricultural instincts, fostered in Bible 

 times, still lingered, and needed but op- 

 portunity for their manifestation. 



On his return to America, Dr. Kraus- 

 kopf proceeded to formulate plans for the 

 institution of a Farm School, which, while 

 welcoming all students regardless of creed, 

 might satisfy the demand of large num- 

 bers of Jews for agricultural opportunities. 

 After months of agitation sufficient funds 

 were procured for the purchase of a farm 

 and the erection of adequate buildings 

 thereon. On April 10, 1896 the National 

 Farm School was incorporated. The Wat- 

 son farm, situated a mile from Doylestown, 

 the county seat of Bucks, was purchased, 

 where school buildings were erected, and 

 the school opened with fifteen pupils in its 

 first class. The school is a purely technical 

 institution which has for its purpose the 

 •education of young men in both practical 

 and scientific agriculture. The course of 

 instruction contmues for four years. The 

 entrance requirements are those ordinarily 

 demanded of candidates to enter a good 

 high school. The grade of instruction is 

 somewhat higher than that of a high school, 

 because the length of the school year is 

 II months. The academic studies con- 

 sist of instruction in many of the different 

 branches of agriculture and horticulture, 

 general, analytical and agricultural chem- 

 istry; general and agricultural physics, 

 animal hygiene. United States history, Eng- 

 lish, mathematics and surveying. The 

 technical or practical agriculture is required 

 of each pupil every day for three hours, 

 and during the summer months the time 

 is extended to seven hours per day. All 

 of the work on the farm is performed by 

 the pupils. The young men graduating 

 from the school are sufficiently proficient 

 to take positions in the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture at Washing'ton 

 and with different Experiment Stations, 

 and some have full charge of farms, other 

 conduct dairies, while others go into farm- 

 ing for themselves. 



The facilities for instruction consist of 

 a home farm of 122 acres, well stocked 

 with fifty head of cattle, fifteen horses, 

 sheep, swine and poultry. There is donated 

 or loaned to the school from the manu- 

 facturers for use and instruction every 

 kind of a farm implement that is considered 

 of practical use on a Pennsylvania farm. 

 There is also a well equipped dairy where 

 the pupils are taught how to make butter. 

 In addition to these advantages the school 

 possesses two farms of about forty acres 

 ■each, which are equipped as model farms, 

 and which are used for post-graduate in- 

 struction, upon wdiich the graduates of 

 the school have practice in superintendence. 

 One also finds at this schoo"l well equipped 

 laboratories of chemistry and physics with 

 surveying instruments and a good green- 

 house, together with orchards and vine- 



yards and small fruit gardens, for in- 

 struction in horticulture. A library con- 

 sisting of over 2,000 well chosen books 

 adds greatly to the equipment of all depart- 

 ments. A comfortable dormitory provides 

 a home for forty-five pupils, which is the 

 number enrolled for January i, 1906. A 

 large number of names are on the waiting 

 list due to the school's limited accommo- 

 dations. 



The president of the board of managers 

 is the Rev. Dr. Joseph Krauskopf, of 

 Philadelphia ; the secretary is Mr. Harry 

 Felix; the director of the school is John 

 H. Washburn, Ph. D. 



HENRY CLAY STUCKERT, of War- 

 rington, Bucks county, is the eldest son of 

 William H. and Rachel (Scarborough) 

 Stuckert, and one of the prominent farm- 

 ers of Warrington township. Henry 

 Stuckert, the father of William H., 

 and grandfather of H. Clay Stuckert, 

 was born and reared in Germany, 

 where he learned the trade of a baker. 

 He came to Philadelphia when a young 

 man and followed his trade there until 

 181 1, first as a journeyman but for 

 many years afterwards carrying on busi- 

 ness for himself. On April 6, 181 1, he 

 purchased the farms now occupied by his 

 tw'O grandsons, 213 acres, in Warrington 

 township, Bucks county, and turning over 

 his baker business to his eldest son George 

 removed to Bucks county. He was an in- 

 telligent, practical and successful business 

 man, and was highly respected in the 

 community. He married soon after coming 

 to America, Elizabeth Bennett, of Phila- 

 delphia. He died in 1836, at the age of sev- 

 enty years, and his wife died in 1843. They 

 were the parents of six children: i. 

 George, who succeeded his father as baker 

 in Philadelphia, but later removed to 

 Northampton township, Bucks county, mar- 

 ried Anne Hough, of Warrington, but re- 

 turned to Philadelphia where he died. 2. 

 Louisa, married George Jamison. 3. John, 

 who remained in Philadelphia. 4. William 

 H., the father of the subject of this sketch. 

 5. Anna Maria, who married A. Jackson 

 Beaumont, of Solebury. 6. Jacob, who 

 purchased a portion of the home farm in 

 184s, but some years later removed to 

 Trenton, New Jersey, where he died. 



William H. Stuckert, third son of Henry 

 and Elizabeth (Bennett) Stuckert, was 

 born at Warrington, October 2, 1816, and 

 was reared on the farm. At his father's 

 death in 1836 he took charge of the farm 

 for his mother and conducted it for seven 

 years. At the death of his mother he pur- 

 chased that part of the homestead now 

 occupied by his son, H. Clay Stuckert, 

 and made substantial improvements. Sev- 

 eral years later he purchased the home- 

 stead of his brother Jacob and lived there 

 until his death with the exception of a 

 few years spent on a farm in Doylestown 



