No. 9. 



Fellenherg School at Hofwyl, 



287 



given, according to established data, and so 

 much prodnce from an acre — boinir taken as 

 the result of experiment. All went to work, 

 and in about fifteen minutes the problem 

 was solved. INI. Fcllenberg was with them, 

 seeing that the operations were correctly 

 ]ierformed, and taking all measurable inte- 

 rest in their work. There was certainly 

 nothing very profound in the question as a 

 mathematical task, but it was eminently 

 i)ractical, and has moreover one of the es- 

 sentials to progress and success in agricul- 

 ture, viz., quantily. 



The rain continuing, the whole party went 

 to another room, and remained two hours iu 

 cutting and coring apples to be dried. Du- 

 ring this time I visited the sleeping-rooms, 

 where each has a bed for himself^ — as is the 

 case everywhere, so far as I have observed, 

 on the continent — the room for drying seeds, 

 the work-shops, and a variety of other rooms, 

 and finally terminating in the apartment 

 where all the Rcholars, with M. Fellenherg, 

 were seated on benches, working at the ap- 

 ples. He had employed the time in such 

 conversation as was adapted to fit them for 

 the duties of men, discussing the little points 

 of what T have called political economy of 

 agriculture, for want of a better name. For 

 tliis he is eminently fitted, for as one of the 

 early poets says of his hero, "he has seen 

 much of cities and of men." In a few mo- 

 ments we left. 



While awaiting the solution of the fodder 

 problem, I copied the following study plan 

 for the summer term ; 5 — 6, breakfast; 6 — 11, 

 work; 11 — 12, study, (chemistry, mathe- 

 matics, botany, and book-keeping, alternat- 

 ing with each other;) 12 — 1, dinner; 1 — 2, 

 free hour, drawing, &c. ; 2 — 5, work; 5 — G, 

 chores; 6 — 7, supper; 7 — 8, singing and gar- 

 den work, alternately; 8 — 9, writing out 

 notes and day-book; 9, gathering in assem- 

 bly-room, and retiring. 



Sunday; 5 — 6, breakfast; 6 — 10, free- 

 time; drawing, sketching, and models; 10 — 1, 

 church at Hofwyl ; 5 — 6, excursion visit to 

 peasant farmers, recreation. 



The whole labour, and each and every kind 

 of labour, is gone through with by the scho- 

 lars. M. Fellenherg quoted Napoleon's max 

 im — that every soldier had a marechal's 

 commission in his pocket. So, I suppose, as 

 they needed but the necessary experience 

 and effort to win the epaulettes and com 

 mand, each one of the pupils may attain to 

 the most profitable farm direction, if he 

 comes through the course of ploughing, hoe- 

 ing, harvesting, and all the toil of liis call- 

 ing to this position. 



The grounds are ploughed, the seed sown 

 and harrowed in, the harvest gathered, and 



threshed with their own hands. Tiieir day- 

 books show how much liorse-labour, man- 

 labour, seed, and manure, have been given 

 to each crop. They also show jiow much 

 grain has been harvested, and sold ; and a 

 rainy day will enable them yet to bring the 

 several quantities in the relations of invest- 

 ment, income, and profit or loss. 



The milking of the cows is performed by 

 the scholars in succession, eacii serving four- 

 teen days. All the charge of the stock is 

 entirely given up to them, and M. Fellen- 

 berg assured me there is awakened tiiat re- 

 gard for the domestic animals, which is so 

 essential to their good preservation, and 

 which, while it makes the scholars feel that 

 they are confided in, relieves the day-labourer 

 from an important responsibility. There is 

 indeed on this beautiful and highly cultivated 

 farm of more than two hundred acres, only 

 a director, and at times a few day-labourers, 

 the labour being nearly all performed by the 

 pupils. 



The agricultural employment — in other 

 words, the labour — is made delightful, part- 

 ly, I think, by there being just enough of it, 

 but chiefly by the botany, physics, chemistry, 

 mathematics, and drawing, with which it is 

 all made in a measure scientific. 



On our return, M. Fellenherg expressed 

 his intention to teach, or have so nmch of 

 chemistry taught, as would enable his pupils 

 to analyze soils, manures, and ashes. Tliis 

 lie will have done in winter, when the num- 

 ber of study hours will, in proportion, be 

 greatly increased, and when all the pupils 

 will return to Hofwyl. He- would have 

 them, hereafter, occupy the leisure of their 

 winters with little laboratory investigations. 

 He seems to think the result not of difficult 

 attainment. 



Parting with my noble acquaintance at 

 the higher school-house, I received two vol- 

 umes "on Agricultural Education, one by 

 himself, directed to the Landswirthschaftve- 

 rein of Prussia, and the other by a pupil of 

 his father, now at the head, M. Fellenherg 

 assures me, of the best school of this kind 

 in his acquaintance, situated in canton Ap- 

 penzill. 



Rice Cakes. — Boil a cup fiill office until 

 it becomes a jelly, while it is warm mix a 

 large lump of butter with it and a little salt. 

 Add as much milk to a small tea-cupful of 

 -flour as will make a tolerably stift" batter- 

 stir it until it is quite smooth, and then mix 

 it with the rice. Beat six eggs as light as 

 possible, and add them to the rice. 



Serve them with powdered sugar and nut- 

 meg. They should be served as hot as pos- 

 sible, or they will become heavy. 



