888 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Jl'NE 13. 19^8. 



Ircm the Cultivator. 



AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL. 



Albany. \Uh April 1S38. 

 To Hon. J. ]?uEi, — Sir, — It is witii no siinill 

 defrice of difficiilly tlint I comply witli Ilie ri;- 

 qiipst yoii vvne pleased to maWe. in ;) recent c(iii- 

 vciSiition 1 litiil witli yon, in lej.-ition lo ii jnflicinns 

 plan of iiistrnction for the " New YoiU Af.'i icMl- 

 lural Srliool," and tlie advantaj;cs tlint will he 

 likely to rcsuU tliercfroin ; for my experience lias 

 not licen extensive nor varied enoMf;li for so iiii- 

 porlant a purpose. Therefore, I can only submit 

 the followiujs abstract, which if it slinnld merit 

 your npproval, nnd be deemed worthy of hu in- 

 sertion in the Cidtivator, you are at liberty to 

 make that use of it ; if you think otherwise, you 

 have my concurrence. The chief object of the 

 Kcliool shoidd he to form practical mechanic.^!, civ- 

 il engineers, operative clietni>ts, veterinary sur- 

 geons and (iractical agrieultnrist.s. It should he 

 endowed with six professorsliips of the followinj;' 

 subjects : 



1. Mathematics and Design. 



2. Rural Arehiteciure and Civil Engineerinjr. 



3. Natural Philosophy and Pra<tieal jMechanics. 



4. Geology, Miner.-dogy and Chemistrv. 



5. Entomology, Botany and Practical Husband- 

 ly- 



6- Comparative Anatomy and the Vetcrinarv 

 Art. 



The preparatory studies for entering the scho(d 

 shoulil be reading, writing, EiiLdish graonnar, 

 common arithmetic, history, gergraphy and hook- 

 keeping by single entry. No pepil slioidd enter 

 who is under seventeen years of age ; who does 

 not sustain n good iiiorid character, and who has 

 not n constitution adapted to active employment 

 in the field. 



The instruction of the school should be of two 

 Uitids, general and specinl. 



T he p;eneral instruction should continue two 

 3'cars, to be comprised of courses given by the 

 (uofessors at suitable periotls, coinnienciug each 

 year on the first Wednesday in January, and con- 

 tinning until the first \Vedin;s('ay in Septend)er, 

 from which, to the first Wednesday in December 

 the pupils should he put under general examina- 

 tion upon all the branches in which they have 

 received instruction. 



During the entire courses, the pupils should be 

 interrogated by the professors on the various 

 bran(dies they are pursuing, ami shoiilil perform 

 niBuipulations in clieiitistry, natm-al philosophy, 

 mechanics, engineering, rural architecture, ami 

 ornameiilal gardening; and whenever the season 

 would permit, to devote a portion of their time 

 10 tillage and other kinds of work coiMiected with 

 rural afl^airs, and occasiomilly to accompany the 

 profess(U-s or their a<ljuncts on botanical and geo- 

 logic.il excursions. 



Tie drawings should consist of plans made 

 with the scale and dividers, ami of outlines 

 sketched by the lumd rel itive to the courses pur- 

 sued ; the whole of which should be executed 

 by the pupils, and should ho duly verified by the 

 professors. What has been said of the drawings 

 should be repeated in regard to the uumipuhuions. 

 They should be suttlciently immerous to give to 

 tl e pn(iils a jiositive knowledge of every branch 

 pursued. 



Independently of the interrogatories and nnm- 

 ipiilutions, as stated above, the pujjils should 



have general meetings lor discussing topics rela- 

 tive to their studies, and for digesting memoirs 

 upon various questions of political economy, sta- 

 tistics, &c. 



At the end of the second scholastic year, the 

 [iiipils should sidnnit themselves for examination 

 for their fitness or unfitness of entering the duties 

 of their special education ; and if tliey receive 

 their certificate of capability, they should name, 

 with the c<;insent of their parents or guardians, 



or in making parts of, machinery ordered by the 

 pupils in their exercises, and to give them prop.er 

 notions upon llie handling of tools, the use of the 

 forge, &c. 



In fine, there should be placed in the hands of 

 the students all the nntterials necessary for the 

 construction of agricultural impl uients and ma- 

 chines, and such as arc employed in rural archi- 

 tecture; and, in order to give the work as prac- 

 tical a character as possible, they should have at 



the career fiir which they design themselves, and j their disposal a certain nund)tr of models, imple- 

 luring the third year they should be practically I ments, and tnachines whic^h they call )iut up and 



eii. ployed in the kinds of business they intend to 

 carry on. Should they he deemed incompetent 

 to enter their special education, they should be 

 perndtted to repeat their course of studies, or to 

 depart without any certificate of capability, or 

 even of their connexion with the school. 



At the general examination at the end of each 

 scholastic year, there shoidd be selected from the 

 school six of the most distinguisheil |)npils, who 

 shouKI serve as adjunct professors, and who 

 should receive, besides this distinction, their in- 

 struction gratuitously during the third year. In- 

 depen<lently of their special duties, ihey should 

 assist their professors, and give elementary lessons 

 to pupiis whose pre[iar!itory studies may liave 

 l)een too small. 



The special instruction should occupy the 

 third sidioiastic year, during which the pupils 

 should be actively engaged in the kinds of busi- 

 ness for which they design to prepare themselves, 

 whether to pmsue general studies so as to qualify 

 themselves for professors, or to become practical 

 nnn-hnnics and civil engineers, operative cheiidsts, 

 manufacturers, veterinary surgeons, or practical 

 agriculturists. They should then be placed under 

 the special direction of the professors of the 

 branches they pursue, who should afford them 

 daily conferences, to point out to them a plan of 

 operations, to follow their progress, and to desig- 

 nate the portions of the courses it would be use- 

 ful to repeat anew. 



The school should be furnished with a library 

 of select books on mathematics, natural history, 

 agriculture and the veterinary art. It should be 

 provided with an extensive philosophical and 

 ( henncal ap|iaratus, and with a collection of 

 plants, ndnerids and aiiatoridcal preparations. 

 There should be constantly kept on the farm a 

 large stock of the most useful breeds of domestic 

 animals, and ati hospital for the reception of sick 

 ainmals, and for veterinary practice. The farm 

 should be large enough to produce a sufficient 

 quantity of food and vegetables for the animals 

 kept upon it, and to embrace as great a variety ot 

 simIs as possible, and a water privilege. It should 

 be princiiially tilled by the students, who should 

 be practically instructed in the nature and compo- 

 sition of soils, the economy and preparation of 

 manures, the adaptation of crops to particular 

 soils, and the alternation of crops. 



The buildings belonging to the e.stahlishment 

 should be well construcied, and adapted to the 

 objects for which they aie intended. The labor- 

 atories and workshops designed (or manipulation 

 and experimentsshould be spacious, so that a large 

 mimber of students can labor in them at a time. 

 1 here should be attached to the school a carpen- 

 t(M' and wood-turner'.s shop, and of a mounter and 

 turner (d' metals. Workmen shoulil be employe<l 

 under the eyes of the students, whether in con- 

 structing models lor the collection of the echool, 



take down, to operate, and to submit to such tri- 

 als as will enable them to estimtite their useful 

 efi:'ect. 



There should be connected with the Bchool, 

 either directly or indirectly, into which the stu- 

 dents could he introduced in onler to study the 

 operation, establishments for the fabrication of 

 cliemical jn-oducts; for the making of charcoal 

 from wood ; for the preparation of coke ; for the 

 extraction of marine salt ; for the [)reparatioii of 

 lime, gypsum, potash and soda ; for the making 

 and refining of sugar; for thi- preparation of 

 wine, beer, cider, oils, tallow ; and for the manii- 

 facture of flour, starch, soap, candles, and nu- 

 merous other products; which would afford the 

 students means to acquire a j.ractical knowledge 

 of the labors relative to their fabrication. 



Such is a general plan of what may be deemed 

 proper to improve the condition of our agri(;ul- 

 ture. Independently of the special objects of 

 this seminary, yoimg men will find a positive ed- 

 ucation, which will inspire them with a taste for 

 agricultural |iursuits, because they will see that 

 labor guided by science is fruitful in useful results. 

 Such a course of instruction will offer to those 

 who shall distinguish themselves a station in so- 

 ciety as honorable as it is lucrative, and will be 

 regarded equivalent to a collegiate education, in 

 harmony with the spirit of our institutions, the 

 imi)ortanc(! of which will be more and more felt, 

 in proportion to the growth of the mighty west, 

 which will receive new developments, when its 

 political influence is better understood. 



When we reflect upon the great interests of 

 our country, we cannot but look with regret upon 

 the neglected condition of our agriculture. For 

 some y.:ars past, this all-important branch of in- 

 dustry has experienced serious obstacles, not only 

 from being viewed by many as a degraded occu- 

 pation, but from the want of i'.ttcufion and intel- 

 ligence in the great body of our population. We 

 have in our coniilry numerous young men who 

 have atnple meims for entering largely into this 

 branch of business, but who are too little eiilight- 

 ened in regard to its n.uure, and refrain from in- 

 dustry, and snfl'er their capital, even with great 

 lo.sses, to retnain dormant. We have otheis, too, 

 who are without capital, and have u remarkable 

 tendency towards the study of the practical sci- 

 ences, of which we all feel the need in our actual 

 or our future oceu|)ations. The hitter class of 

 young men would be incalculably benefited by 

 this course of education, and might he usefully 

 and profitably employed as civil engineers, as di- 

 rectors of establishments, as well as teachers and 

 professors in onr colli'gi-s atid schools. 



•Jn order that agricultural industry may develop 

 itself throughout onr countiy, it is necessary that 

 our practical studies should enter into our man- 

 ners ; ami this to such a degree, that each cap- 

 italist uiav fiud, either in himself or around hirr 



