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NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



March' 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE MASSACHUSETTS AG'L COLLEGE. 



The progress and success of this institution 

 has very naturally awakened a good deal of 

 interest not only within, but beyond the limits 

 of this Commonwealth ; because few States 

 have had the courage to use the aid granted 

 to them by the General Government lor the 

 promotion of education adapted to the me- 

 chanical arts and agriculture in establishing 

 independent schools or colleges, and because 

 it is expected that whatever Massachusetts 

 undertakes will be well done. 



A leading attraction with many attendants 

 at the meetings of the Board of Agriculture 

 recently held at Amherst was to see and learn 

 more of our new college than can be gathered 

 from mere casual reports. The result of this 

 three days' acquaintance may be brietiy summed 

 up by saying that tb' work that has been done 

 upon the farm and the college buildings, the 

 examinations of the diG^erent classes, the drill 

 in infantry tactics, and the general appearance 

 and conduct of the students produced a favor- 

 able impression. Several prominent speakers 

 took occasion to publicly give their hearty en- 

 dorsement to all they had seen and heard. 



The President of a Berkshire agricultural 

 society stated that it sent a petition ro the Le- 

 gislature last winter for the abolishment of the 

 Board of Agriculture altogether, upon the 

 ground that it was doing little or no good, 

 compared to the cost of maintaining it, and in 

 the belief that the money could be used in 

 some other way with better results ; but he 

 was glad that petition was not heeded by the 

 Legislature, for with the evidences which the 

 past few days afforded, he was satisfied the 

 Board was doing a good work, and that oppo- 

 sition to it arose chiefly from an impeifect 

 knowledge of what it really was doing. 



Prof. Agassiz said he had always favored 

 connecting the agricultural school with some 

 other college already in existence, as he feared 

 if it was established as an independent insti- 

 tution it would be merely an imitation of the 

 other colleges, of which there were already so 

 many in the State that he had favored concen- 

 tration instead of increase in their number to 

 secure their greater efBca?;y ; but seeing that 

 the college had marked out a distinct course, 

 and was taking an indejjendent stand by ad- 

 hering strictly to the objects for which it was 

 designed, he would frankly admit he was not 

 sorry his plan of annexation did not prevail ; 

 he only wished now the college had the money 

 and professors requisite for carrying out 

 promptly all its plans. 



Thus the questions which have been agi- 

 tated so long in this State, concerning the 

 best methods of promoting agricultural educa- 

 tion have been settled, at least for the present, 

 and an agricultural college has been com- 

 menced, and men who entertained divers 

 opinions are gradually coming round in its 



favor, and it only remains for the farmers 

 throughout the State and our liberal patrons 

 of the sciences to give it a cordial and gener- 

 ous support, to secure an institution second 

 to none in the State for usefulness. 



It may surprise some to hear that the col- 

 lege has many immediate and urgent wants. 

 An impression is somewhat prevalent that it 

 is to receive constant help from Amherst Col- 

 lege. To a limited extent this is true ; the 

 latter has extensive libraries and cabinets of 

 great value, but these can only be occasion- 

 ally used or consulted. The plan of sending 

 a class of fifty a mile and a half through mud 

 and snow, and in all kinds of weather, for a 

 place and means to properly conduct a recita- 

 tion in chemistry or philosophy, as was done 

 last year, is simply absurd. With equal pro- 

 priety might a farmer always depend upon 

 borrowing of his neighbors the tools and news- 

 papers he wants in his daily work. Such a 

 system of borrowing and begging is not con- 

 sistent with the training model farmers are 

 expected to receive. The Agricultural Col- 

 lege should own all the books, apparatus and 

 everything necessary for daily work and all 

 ordinary occasions, and have them always near 

 at hand in their own buildings. For one, I 

 do not see how the old college can materially 

 lessen the cost of the new one. Every col- 

 lege requires about the same outlay for build- 

 ings and endowments to put it in tolerable 

 working order. Therefore if there is a loud 

 call for help for a few years, it will accord 

 perfectly with the na'ural course of events. 



One want which will be made public pre- 

 sently cannot fail to commend itself to think- 

 ing men, — that is a department of veterinary 

 art, witi a competent instructor. The inti- 

 mate connection between the health, quality 

 and cjuantity of farm stock, and the co^t of our 

 own living, health and happiness is too appa- 

 rent to require any illustration. The attain- 

 ments of the present so-called cow and horse 

 doctors, generally speaking, are entirely be- 

 neath the intelligence and good sense of our 

 people ; their remedies and methods of treat- 

 ment are harsh, nay cruel and nonsenical in 

 the extreme. The society for the prevention 

 of cruelty to animals would find an interesting 

 field for investigation, if they looked after 

 their treatment in sickness as well as in health. 

 If they see the defects of the practice, they 

 would at once aid in establishing such a de- 

 partment. It is not expected that every stu- 

 dent will become a professional practitioner ; 

 but the graduates when consulted in a case of 

 sickness or accident to our dumb animals, 

 ought to be able to give an intelligent answer, 

 and suggest a merciful remedy. 



Another want is a building for an armory 

 and drill hall. Instruction in infantry tactics 

 is rccpired by the conditions of the grant from 

 Congress. By having a commodious drill hall 

 it is proposed to give special attention to drill- 

 ing in winter and wet weather, and so omit it 



