282 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 14, IS'S. 



proper discharge of their respective duties. Think 

 you that in the noble science of fiirining — fur sci- 

 ence I will call it — less of education, study and 

 reflection are necessary ? No, gentlemen. De- 

 pend upon it, if we are to place husbandry upon a 

 stable basis— if we wish to see this broad and fer- 

 tile land covered with the habitations of plenty, 

 and containing a happy and pros[>erous people, 

 we must give an early direction to the human 

 mind, to enable it to comprehend and fully grasp 

 the Btiliject. We must come back to elementary 

 principles, and ascertain the different ingredients 

 of which the earth is con)posed ; we must imder- 

 Btaiid their structure, combination, and uses, an<l 

 what acts upon each with most efl^ect for the ben- 

 efit of man. These are studies sufficient to engage 

 the undivided attention from early life to its close; 

 and even if we should fiil in our first attempts, 

 still we would ultimately place husbandry upon 

 so firm a basis, that nothing would be wanting to 

 secure the full fruition of our labor, but the smiles 

 of a beneficent Providence. To accomplish these 

 desirable objects, a young man must first have u 

 goo<! school education ; he must then be laught 

 chemistry, geology, and botany; have a knowledge 

 of mathematics, and perhaps mineralogy, with so 

 much of entomology as is necessary to guard 

 against the mischievous effects of insects. These 

 are some of the hand-maids to the knowledge of 

 agriculture, which, to insure success, must be 

 carefully cultivated. 



To lay the foundation in early life for an agri- 

 cultural education, what would be so useful as an 

 agricultural school, where not only these, but 

 many other collateral branches would he taught, 

 and from which if a young man j;raduated, it 

 would prepare him not only for usefulness in life, 

 but accomplish him as a man of science and a 

 gentleman. It would open his mind to view ag- 

 riculture in a diflierent light from the generality of 

 farmers. He would understand how cause oper- 

 ated to produce effect, and how he could give 

 most efficiency to his labors. From matliemalics, 

 the science which contemplates whatever is capa- 

 ble of being nundjered or measured, it would lead 

 liim to a correct knowleilge of practical mechanics 

 the application of the principles of power and land 

 mensuration. From chemistry, the science which 

 enables us to discover the peculiar pro|K"rties of 

 all natural bodies, eitlier in their simple or com- 

 jioujDil state, he would learn to analyse the differ- 

 ent kinds of soil, ascertain wherein they differ-— 

 what combinations are the most useful, and, if 

 j>ossible, in what the principles of (cr.ilily consist, 

 find what must be added or taken away to make 

 barren or degenerate land more productive. The 

 doctrine of manures canuot be nndurstood without 

 a knowledge of chemistry ^ and it is a -subject so 

 extensive in its application u> farming |Kirpogea, 

 that it must he the A, 15, C, of the farmer's edu- 

 cation. Geology, and, if necessary iniueralogy, 

 would leach him to discriminate between the dif- 

 ferent kinds of substances the earth is conjposed 

 of, and give him a correct knowledge, not only of 

 what the surface of *the soil consists, but what is 

 burib'tl beneath it. Botany, the science of plants, 

 or that part of natural history that relates to vege- 

 tables would teach him to ascertain their different 



uses discrimiiiate the e.\hansling plants from 



those that are less so — the locations most favora- 

 ble to their growth — the seasons for their produo- 

 tion and reproduction — their laws of generation — 

 file ulternuXJUP t'i!i' ought to be observed for the 



best development of their powers, so that whatever 

 plant was cultivated, it would be the best and 

 most valuable of its kind. These are some few 

 of the studies, upon which we have entered some- 

 what into detail, that should be taught in such an 

 inslitutioM. The mind, however, would not only 

 be regulated and instructed, but habits established 

 quite as useful to the full development of the bod- 

 ily powers. Would nothing, think you, be gained 

 by instilling principles of virtue, of regularity and 

 order — by forming habits of industry, teaching a 

 correct moral de|)ortment, and discountenancing 

 idleness and vice ? Permit me liere to particu- 

 larize an<l point out in a single instance the bene- 

 fits that would follow the adoption of one simple 

 rule — that is, keeping farm accounts — entering 

 the debtor and creditor account of the farm, and 

 making out an exa(;t statement of its profit and 

 loss. Or you may go farther, that of each lot ami 

 each animal. If you ask what special benefit 

 would flow from the practice, 1 answer, you can 

 at once calculate the relative value of your farm, 

 either in whole or part — the expenses of its culti- 

 vation, — the animal cost of your household — the 

 profit on each lot or animal, and as a general re- 

 sult determine wlieihtr you are gwining money or 

 losing. If making, to continue; if losing, to quit 

 before bankruptcy fi.llovvs. iJesides you may 

 graduate your family exi>enses by it, and at one 

 glance you may ascertain your exact standing in 

 a pecuuiiry point of view in the comnumity. — 

 Why does a merchant keep his accounts hut to 

 regulate bis business by striking his balances • 

 Ought not the farmer to he equally particular .' 

 The time will come when he too will make his 

 regular daily entries as necessary to the success- 

 ful prosecution of bis business. 



We have dwelt on this one item, simply as an 

 elucidation of the general argument in favor of 

 education ; but suppose, to quote the language I 

 have used on a former occasion, a State Agricul- 

 tural School, under a proper course of instruction, 

 to contain two hundred students, and a course of 

 studies to last three years. It would send each 

 year, after the termination of the third, nearly 

 seventy young men, so educated into the differ- 

 ent sections of our stale. Their knowledge of 

 theoretical and practical farming would he gener- 

 ally diffused ; and continue this number for many 

 successive years, it would give thousands of the 

 best farmers, si;attering them through every portion 

 of the state. And here let me usk, who is so 

 much of a skeptic as not to believe, that agricul- 

 tural knowledge would be increased by so great 

 an accession ; and, in consequence, agricultural 

 products be prodigiously nmltiplie<l ? JJut, this 

 is not all ; our school would not only send her 

 missiotiaries of intelligence and industry through 

 this state, hut all her operations — so far as con;- 

 peiciit professors coidd discharge tl;eir iluty of 

 instrncling or ex[ierimenting — of collecting, com- 

 paring ami examining all that was most I'amiliar 

 or rare — ornamental, useful, or profitable, in each 

 of then" peculiar departments — in a short time we 

 would have a liirm and collection, which would 

 vie in extent and appearance, and much exceerj 

 in usefulness the litr-famed gardens of London or 

 Paris. Probably at no time in the history of our 

 state, could an agricultural school be founded un- 

 der as favorable auspices for ultimate success, as 

 at present. IJy the establishment of agricultural 

 journals, n taste for that kind of reading has been 

 created ; our citizens are alive to farther improve- 



ment.'?, for they have heretofore felt the want of 

 them. The efforts made and making to give a 

 more thorough school education to our population 

 — the ability of our citizens to contribute what- 

 ever may he required to carry the object into ef- 

 fect — the easy transmission of produce through 

 every portion of our state by our rivers, roads, 

 canals and railways — the facility of eommmiica- 

 tion with New York, one of the best markets in 

 the world, all are so many aids to the successful 

 completion of the plan. 



Should this school go into operation, and carry 

 out the great principles of its founders, the time 

 will, nmst come, when every citizen will he proud 

 of it as a state institution ; when those who have 

 been its friends, «ill gladly come forward imt 

 c aim the honors to which they will be entitled 

 and the present state authorities will take a pridi 

 to date its commencement as coeval with thein 

 administration of power ; for, besides being a tesi 

 farm systi matically managed, its maimfacture ant 

 collection of the various farm implements, it 

 specimens of geology, mineralogy, and botany 

 the exhibition of its animals ; the order and reg 

 ularity of all its operations in husbandry; the cir 

 dilation anjong our farmers of usefid intelligenc 

 collected there, either from practice or experi 

 ment ; the aids it will give to om- agricnitura 

 journals, and above all, the young men it wil 

 yearly send out to every portion of our country t' 

 vivify by their intelligei'ice, and fructify by tliei 

 industry, whatever place they settle in ; will h 

 so many claims to popular favor, for they will h 

 constant and living evidences of its great useful 

 ness. 



(From tlie Horticultural Register.) 



ON THE NURSERIES IN THE VIClNITTi 

 OF HOSTON. 



Mr Editor, — If you will permit nie to us- 

 your valuable [Miblication, for this comimmicationi 

 and, it may be, for some further remarks hereal 

 ler, it is my intention to lay before your readers ) 

 fevv observations made on the NuRSERtES in thi 

 vicinity of Roston in the autumn of the year 1831 

 So far as my memorandums ami memory wil 

 serve me at the present moment, the following! 

 an outline of the establishment of my respecte' 

 friend, Mr William Kenrick, at Nonantum Hil> 

 Newton. 



The Nursery of Mr AVilliam Kenrick is wes 

 of Rosteii ; distance about five miles. It is chief]* 

 devoted to the cultivation of fine fruit and hard, 

 ornamental trees, shrubs, roses, and herbaceeu 

 plants. About 25 acres (out of 60 acres wliici 

 constitute the establishment,) are at present ap 

 propriateil to the purposes named. This lot I 

 chiefly situated on a hill ; which from itsexposur 

 on all sides to winds, is much less liable to heat 

 fei-led by the influence of the late frosts of sprinf 

 or the early frost of autumn, than the low groundi 

 Trees thus exposed to the wiinls, from every quat 

 ter are rendered hardy ; and are the better pre 

 pared to w thstand the effects of a change of cli 

 mate, whether they be sent to the east, or to th 

 west, to the north, or to the south. 



I understood Mr Kenrick to say, that u|)wanl 

 of 60,000 trees had been inoculated in his nnrser 

 during the past year. At the time of my visit 

 found some six or eight persons employed i 

 building seeilling peach trees. The buds, tb 

 hands were then using, I found by the tallies weft 

 from bearing trees, and from sources to be depeao 



