28i 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEB.r, 18 <8. 



At llio :i!i!iu;il meeting of the Boslon Asylum 

 and Farm School for Indigent Boys, Jan. 9, 1838, 

 the following Report of the iMaruigers was read, 

 accepted, and ordered ta be [irinted. 

 REPORT. 



The Munagers of tlie Bo.ston Asjhiiii and Farm 

 Scliool sulimit to the corporation their fourth an- 

 nual Report. 



During the past year thirteen boys have been 

 admitted into tlie Institution, and nine liave been 

 indented as apprentices, and one withdrawn by 

 his friends. The luimber now upon the Farm is 

 one hundred and ten. No death has occurred on 

 the Island during the past year. 



There ar;; 38 lioys between the ages of 7 and 

 10 years; 50 between 10 and 13; and 22 between 

 13 and 15. 



The same course of instruction has been pur- 

 sued for the [last year as had been previously 

 adojited ; and no change has taken place in the of- 

 ficers under whose direction the immediate man- 

 agement of the Asylum has been conducted. The 

 Managers have the satisfaction of declaring, that 

 the experience of the present season has strength- 

 ened their convictions of the value of the Insiitu- 

 tion to those who are inmates of its walls, and 

 their belief that, before the lapse of many years, 

 the commimiiy will reap the revvcrd of the bene- 

 ficience, which has founded and supported it. 



The Managers avail themselves of this opportu- 

 nity to express their obligations to those clergy- 

 men and others whose benevolence has prompted 

 them to visit the Island on the Lord's Day, to lead 

 the devotions appropriate to that season. The in- 

 fluence of public worship is too well understood 

 to require any argument to force its importance, 

 especially to the young. Although the Superin- 

 tendent and Teaclier have faithfully devoted them- 

 selves to the duties of that day in instructing the 

 boys, yet it has lightened their labors, and been 

 highly gratifying to the Managers, to receive the 

 assistance of those whose studies and profession 

 have best qualified them to speak from the pulpit ; 

 and the Managers trust that the appointment of a 

 Chaplain will not long be deferred, as the want 

 of such an officer in an Institution designed for 

 the education of the young, and separated by its 

 location frons immediate connexion with any re- 

 ligious society, must be regarded as a serious de- 

 fect. 



The salubrity bf iHe Island has been inily pro- 

 ved by the experience wc have had of it since the 

 boys were placed there, and under the skilful and 

 judJcJou.s management of Captaiii Daniel Chand- 

 ler, the Superintendent, its fertility bas been much 

 increased. The value of the produce raised on 

 ': Worm „; J836, was $3,526 70 ; and in 1837, it 

 ' ^ITco «<l Of these amount.s about $1500 

 r Suzed fnm. -'- ->"-'"y, ""^ the residue 

 ^ . Im-p is consumed on the Island. 



"^xLC'r^^noftbe Finances of the Corpora- 

 noration require son,« espec.al not.ce, at our 

 \1L. The whole art^ount of property as charged 



pon our books is $77,776 51, of wh,ch sum the 

 I land with its buildings, furniture, tools ol hus 



bandr; and other '^^^^^f'r"':^'''f%l^uS 

 %M 832 44, leaving a funded capital of $36,944 07. 

 Itom this sun. au income of $1,800 per annun. 

 may be expected, . 



The annual expenses of the Corporation, with 

 its present number of boys, amount to about 

 $9,000, exclusive of interest upoi) the sum ex- 



pended upon the Island ; of this sum the farm agant or exaggerated. It has for two years pa» 



been visited by large r.umbers of our citizens ; il 

 character, its objects are well understood amo 

 us, and we are fully confideiit that it will not 

 suffered to languish for want of funds. 

 For the Managers, 



WM. GRAY. 

 Jan. 9th, 1838. 



pays about .§4000, leaving $5000 to be provided 

 by income from funded capital and annual sub- 

 scriptions. During the past two years ami a half, 

 we have encroached upon our permanent fund, as 

 apjiears from the Treasurer's books, $5630. Th.re 

 is on hand, however, at the Farm, the nett sum 

 of $250l in value of produce, which will reduce 

 this deficiency to .$3,130.' Our sense of the im- 

 portance of preventing the diminution of our cap- 

 ital, as well as the express provision of one of our 

 by-laws, render it imperative upon us to restore 

 the fund to its integrity. For this purpose it is 

 proposed to make an appeal to the public to make 

 up the existing deficiency. 



Our annual subscrijitions are an (d)ject of par- 

 ticular solicitude, and it is exceedingly desirable 

 that our list should be much enlarged ; a small sum 

 from a number of subscribers, will much augment 

 the income from this source, and it is res|iectfully 

 suggested to each member of the corporation to 

 endeavor to induce his friends to join us in our 

 work. 



From the state of the funds the past year, the 

 Managers were compellfd to pass a vote, March 

 23d, 1837, prohibiting the admission of any boys 

 whose expenses were not fully and adequately se- 

 cured to the Corporation. This fact will account 

 for the small number of admissions since the third 

 annual report. This vote is still in force, and it 

 will even be necessary to reiiuce our present 

 number, unlews our income shall be increased. 



From a comparison of the expenses of the Farm 

 School with those of other institutions most sim- 

 ilar to it in character, the managers find that the 

 comparison is a favorable (Uie for the school. 

 Expenses of Farm School with 110 boys, $9000 

 Proceeds of the Farm, 4000 



Balance, 



or 87 1-2 cents per week to each boy. 

 Expenses of the House of Refuge in 



New Tork, with 227 boys, $17,596 14 



Earnings of the boys, 4,792 83 



Balance, 

 or .$1 08 per week to each boy. 

 Expenses of the House of Refuge in 



Philadelphia, with 142 boys and 



girls, , 

 Earnings, 



U2,803 31 



$15,192 26 

 3,283 02 



Estimate of quantity and prices of Produce raisei 



on Thom|)Son's Island in the year 1837. 

 Corn, principal part sold for seed 75 



bushels. $131 



Potatoes, 950 " |)art for seed, 415 



Onions, 42 " 31 5 



English Turnip, 100 " 20 



Mangel Wurtzcl, 530 " 174 9 



Sugar Beet, 150 " 49 5 



Carrots, 320 " 12S fl 



Blood Beet, 75 « 52 S 



Parsnips, 12 " - 8 4 



Cabbages, 2000 heads, 80 C 



Riita Baga, 10 bushels, 5 ( 



Pumpkins, 5 cords, 20 ( 



Canada squash, 3 tons, 90 ( 



Field Beans, 10 bushels, 25 C 



Seed Peas, 15 " 45 ( 



Asparagus roots, 11000 55 ( 



Mulberry Trees, sold 100 ( 



Spring V\'lieat, 28 bushels, 49 ( 



Oats, 40 " 20 < 



Spring Rye 30 " 37 i 



Green Peas, 25 " 18 ' 



Rye Straw, 1 ton, 10 ( 



Barley, 550 bushels, . 435 I 



Barley Straw, 8 tons, 100 ( 



Garden Seeds, most kinds, 60C I 



English Hay, 32 tons, 640 I 



Salt '• 10 " 110 1 



Corn Fodder, 10 I 



Pork, 2000 lbs. 200 I 



Veal, 30 i 



Milk, 2920 gall. 467! 



Butter, 200 lbs. 401 



Vegetables sold in sumtiier, 190 i 



Pigs sold young, 174 



$4,563 



Balance, $11,909 24 



about 1,50 per week to each child. 



The Asylum and Farm School is believed to be 

 the first, if not the only Institution of its kind in 

 this country. Its object is to unite in early 'years 

 the discipline of the school with a practical edu- 

 cation in agricultural pursuits, and to offer a home 

 to those who are friendless and morally exposed. 

 The exiieriment, were it entirely untried, would 

 recommend itself as worthy of attention to all 

 who regard with any degree of interest the desti- 

 tute boys who are among us, or the welfare of 

 our community, whose happiness depends, in a 

 great degree, upon the direction which may be 

 given to their characters. But, although this lu- 

 Btitution is a new one, the Managers are satisfied 

 that it hasshownitself capable of being eminently 

 successful, under a judicious course of manage- 

 ment. They are unwilling to use language, in 

 speaking of jts deserts, which miglit seem extrav- 



During the Queen's progress from Gui|dhal 

 Temple Bar, after the late memorable dinner giv 

 to her by the City of Loudon, her Majesty is sa 

 to have observed to the Earle of Albemarle th 

 she should like to know v/hether the hospital 

 Cockneys were as well pleased with her as * 

 was with them. "No doubt of it, your MajestJ 

 said the Earl, "you see each family speaks for 

 self in the affirmative. Not a house that has' 

 'Ve are' (V. II.) blazing outside of it." Her Mi| 

 esty ought, nnquestioiiably, to have given ordc 

 for his immediate execution. 



A DISCOVERY LATELY MADE f. ENOL.\ND.-Ti 



21st verse of the 7th chapter of Ezra contains 

 the letters of the alphabirt. We have conchid 

 not to co(iy the verse, as it might prevent soK 

 from looking into their Bibles, who might be bil 

 efitted by so doing. All the vowels occur in tbi 

 order in the wori\ facetiously. ! 



Cotton wet with sweet oil and paregoric,- 

 lieves the ear-ache very soon, 



