VOL. AVI. KO. 3r. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



291 



a few neigh liois, or becotnins? gifuiiially Unown, 

 ns in oklen times, the knowledgo of it would now 

 be spread in a few days, by the afrricuhiiral peri- 

 odicals, into every corner of the h»nd, and the ad- 

 vantages of the discovery would thus amount to 

 tnillioiis in a single year. So with every other 

 improvement in husliandry. It is not the prov- 

 ince, nor is it the study of news journals^and lit- 

 erary editors to deal extensively in agricultural 

 concerns. They seldom publish even the inci- 

 dental notices which are designed to subserve the 

 interests of husliandry, without a sjiecial request, 

 ami a fee in the bargain, as though they had no 

 personal interest in the progress of agricultural 

 improvement. We would infer from these pre- 

 mises, that every man will promote his interest, 

 and benefit the public, by patronising and endeav- 

 oring to exteml the circulation of our agricultural 

 papers. They tend to no possible evil, while 

 they are certaiidy calculated to do much public 

 good. 



Another means of facilitating agricultural im- 

 provement, is to introduce class books, into our 

 common schools, for the senior boys, which shall 

 teach those elementary principles of science which 

 are indispensable to the successfid practice of 

 agriculture. A boy may be almost as easily taught 

 to analyze soils, and to comprehend the leading 

 principles of animal and vegetable physiology, as 

 he cnh to commit to memory pages of matter, the 

 knswiedge of which seldom serves him any use- 

 ful purpose in manhood. We must begin in 

 youth, if we would bring about any material im- 

 provement in the habits of society. The good 

 seed that is sown in the spring time of life is 

 never lost, — it will ultimately sprout, and grow, 

 and give its increase, as surely as the grain which 

 we (leposite in a fertile soil. The tree will grow 

 as the twig is bent. Youth is the season to get 

 instruction in the principles of the business which 

 is to constitute the emjiloyment of life ; and the 

 more tlie knowledge which boys actpiire in these 

 principles, before they start in life for themselves, 

 the more likely they are to prosper and become 

 useful to society. The time that the senior boys 

 in school devote to the business of the farm, will 

 jive to studies which are connected with their 

 present and future business, an interest and an in- 

 6uence which will be as abiding as life. 



But we would go fariher in the business of ag- 

 ricultural instruction ; we would establish schools 

 to teach simultaneously, both the theory and prac- 

 tice of agriculture. We would carry something 

 of the theory into the primary schools, and much 

 of the pr.Tctice into the school of science. Vete- 

 rinary schools, to instruct in the anatomy and inan- 

 igeinent of domestic animals, have long been es- 

 ahlished in Europe ; their usefulness has been 

 jighly extolled, and their numbers are increasing. 

 Switzerland, Prussia and France have also their 

 ichools, in which the science and practice of ag,- 

 •iculture are taught to hundreds of young men, 

 rVho are thereby enabled to manage their estates, 

 ivith greater benefit to themselves and the piiblic, 

 )r to obtain honorable and lucrative situations as 

 nanagers for others. We give bounties on our 

 isheries, to make them a nursery of seamen ; but 

 ve give none upon agriculture, which is the best 

 lursery of freemen. Wo spend millions annually 

 o protect our commerce ; but we give nothing to 

 mprove agriculture, which is the basis and sup- 

 )ort of that commerce. We protect our manufac- 

 iires by n heavy tariff; yet agriculture, wliich 



furnishes the raw raateiials, and buys the fabrics, 

 which the manufacturer consumes and vends, is 

 left to protect itself W^e have expended nearly 

 three millions in this state, to aid in educating al- 

 most exclusively professional «nd other gentle- 

 men ; and yet we have given notliing exclusively 

 to educate our agriculturists, who cousiitute the 

 great mass of our population. And yet there is 

 probably no employment in life capable of being 

 more benefitted bj^a professional education — none 

 in which a professional education would conduce 

 more t'> the pid)lic prosperity — than that of man 

 aging our farms. \ proper knowledge of soils, 

 manures, vegetables and animals — of the agency 

 of caloric, of moisture, of the atmosphere, and of 

 light, in the economy of vegetable and animal 

 growth — are all of great use to the farmer, and 

 yet in what existing school can tie acquire this 

 knowledge, during the period of life in wliicli he 

 ought to oblain his practical knowleilge ? 



All impressions of general reform, to be suc- 

 cessful, must be first made upon the ductile minds 

 of the younger population. 'l"he old are apt to 

 be too obstinately wedded to their juvenile habits 

 and piejudices. Men are apt to grow up in the 

 creeds in which they arc instructed, — be they 

 Christian, Mahomedan or Pagan, — he they of 

 good or bad husbandry. And if our youth are 

 early instructed in the first elcmentsi of agricul- 

 ture, and taught to consider it, what it truly is, an 

 employment eminently calculated, above all oth- 

 ers, to [iromon individual and national [irosperity 

 and happiness, they will aspire to honor and dis- 

 tinction in its labors — and will not so generally 

 press to the cities — to the bar and the counter — 

 for the means of gratifying a laudable ambition. 

 And society will reap an abundant reward from 

 the change. We will illustrate this by an histor- 

 ical fact. Ernest, former Duke of Saxe Gotha, 

 had his people instructed by compendiums of ev- 

 ery kind of useful knowledge, including music 

 and drawing, that were |iut into the hands of 

 youth in all country schools; and which in a few 

 years entirely changed the face of his princijial- 

 ity : and " it is amazing," adds our author, who 

 wrote some years afterwards, "to observe the dif- 

 ferent irradiations of genius, in this and the adja- 

 cent circles. The effect was alike beneficial in 

 the improvement of the soil and mind. And the 

 example of Saxe Gotha, probably led to the ex- 

 cellent system of school instruction in agiiculture, 

 which has since been introduced by Prussia, and 

 most of the German States. 



It has been stated, as an objection to the estab- 

 lishment of agricultural schools, that they would 

 be only accessible to the rich. This objection, 

 even if well founded, would not go to lessen their 

 value to the State : For if we could convert a few 

 hundred drones, as the sons of rich men may gen- 

 erally be termed, into working bees, the public, 

 as well as the young men them themselves, would 

 certainly be gainers by the transformation. The 

 complaint is that we have many consumers, and 

 too few producers. This would tend to restore 

 on equilibrium : For the examples of the rich, be 

 they good or bad, have an imposing influence on 

 the middling and lower classes ; and thus to im- 

 prove the habits and morals of the rich, would be 

 the surest way to improve the condition of soci- 

 ety. Hence, therefore, if agricultural schools can 

 be instrumental in annually converting a few hun- 

 dred of the idle and dissipated sons of wealth — or 

 rather in preserving them from these habits — into 



wholesome, industrious farmer.i<, agricultural pur- 

 suits will be more respectable, and more follow- 

 ed ; and we venture to predict, that then we shall 

 not long continue to do, what we have done — 

 import potatoes from Ireland and Germany, hay 

 and oats from Scotland, eggs from France, and 

 bread stiilfs from all the countries of Europe, in- 

 cluding the dominioin of the autocrat of Russia, 

 and of the Grand Turk. 



But it is not exactly true, that the rich alone 

 would find access into agricultural schools, were 

 such establisljed. The rich rely upon their pa- 

 ternal wealth, and have not often the ambition to 

 become useful, at least by the lialiits of manual 

 labor, which would be rigidly required in such 

 schools. The schools would be filled with the 

 youth from all classes of society, who aspired to 

 fortune and indepen<Jen'Ce,by a inanly exercise of 

 their mental and jihysical powers — the young men 

 of this description, even frotn the poorer classes- 

 do obtain admission iiitoi literary institutions, and 

 they would into agricultural ones with greater fa- 

 cility — because the terms of a<l mission here would 

 be more reasonable — and with equal prospect of 

 <listinction and usefulness in sfier life. But wheth- 

 er these schools shoiihl be filled from the rich or 

 poorer classes, or, as We have snpposed, from atf' 

 classes indiscriminately, a certain and great pub- 

 lic good would result from their establishment : 

 the pupils would go to swell the prostueing clas- 

 ses of society, with habits of applicaliorr and use- 

 fulni^s, minds imbued with scientific knowledge, 

 bodies hale and robust, and hands [iractised in all 

 the manual operations of the farm. 



It verily seems to us certain, that if the iinpor- 

 tance of the subjects which we have discussed, 

 could be justly appreciated by the community at 

 Iar;;e, every class of our citizens would concur in 

 the propriety of a united effort to improve the 

 condition of our husbandry, and of speedily adopt- 

 ing the measures we liave suggested, or others 

 equally availing, to produce the desired result. 



Genius vs. Labor. — "Of what use is all your 

 studying and your books?'' said an honest farmer 

 to an ingenious artist. " They don't make the 

 corn grow, nor produce vegetables for the inarket. 

 My Sam does inore good with his plough in one 

 month, than you can do with your books and pa- 

 pers in one year." 



" What plough does your son use ?" said the ar- 

 tist quietly. 



" Why he uses 's plough to be sure. I 



can do nothing with any other. By using this 

 plough, we save half the labor, and raise three 

 times as much as we did with the old wooden 

 concern." 



The artist quietly turned over one of his sheets 

 and showed the farmer a drawing of the lauded 

 plough, saying, " I ani the inventor of your favor- 

 ite plough, and my name is ." 



The astonished farmer shook the artist heartily 

 by the hand, and invited him to call at the farm 

 house and make it his home as he liked. 



The flour coming. — Large quantities of flour 

 is stored in all the western towns on the lakes, to 

 he shipped for the seaport cities as soon as the 

 spring navigation opens. .At Cleaveland it is now 

 selling at six dollars a barrel. 



