NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



141 



small, compared with what they would expect from 

 other vocations. I never heard of a man, that did 

 not own a farm, Avho was desirous that his sons 

 should be educated farmers ; and some only have 

 consented to their working on farms as a means of 

 their immediate support. If the sons of wealthy 

 men only can, or are to patronize the institution in 

 question, for the sake of acquiring the theory of agri- 

 culture, with a view of superintending their own 

 estates, upon which they have never learned by ex- 

 perience, then the number Avill be ver}' limited, its 

 l^opular usefulness will be fatally held in check, and 

 it will only be known as a failure. I cannot perceive, 

 then, if the above views be correct, how such a 

 school can procure students on the naked ground of 

 agricultural education. 1st. Because farmers' sons 

 profess to know enough alread}', or can supply their 

 deficit cheajjly by books or periodicals; and 2d. Be- 

 cause those who are not farmers' sons, and have no 

 land to cultivate, do not think of becoming farmers, 

 certainly not till late in life, when they may have 

 the means so to do. 



But if such an institution should be founded, and 

 succeed in acquiring a sufficient number of students, 

 could it do more for agriculture than is already doing 

 by some of our "model farmers" and scientihc nur- 

 serymen, who enjoy a well-earned reputation all over 

 the state, and perhaps New England ? Are not these 

 enterprising agriculturists and horticulturists doing 

 every thing that science can suggest to advance and 

 improve the cultivation of the soil in all its branches ? 

 Are not their establishments the best schools of farm- 

 ing ? And are not their instructions scattered, through 

 periodicals, broadcast over the land, so that " he who 

 runs may read " ? Besides, if a farm school were 

 established in the central part of the state, would its 

 instructions be generally valuable to those of other 

 localities — that of Cape Cod, of the western coun- 

 ties, &c. ? In short, is it reasonable to suppose that 

 its useful experiments would prove so elsewhere, or 

 that those of other cultivators from all sections 

 would not be more satisfactory ? 



In a word, as before hinted, I cannot conceive that a 

 special agricultural school is more needed than a public 

 state school to teach architecture, sculpture, painting, 

 or any of the various trades of art ; and in fact, hardly 

 so much ; for these callings make draughts upon the 

 whole community, while an agricultural school could 

 only claim the farmers, who, I believe, do not feel 

 the necessity of such instruction in such a manner. 

 The learned professions make great draughts upon 

 the whole community ; and young men designed for 

 a profession, feel the necessity of leaving home to 

 seek a lit education, (that which home cannot gen- 

 erally furnish,) in some institution, wliere they must 

 pass an ordeal of severe study ; but those who intend 

 to be cultivators of the soil, having land, and being 

 brought up to it, need no such foreign education, — 

 or at least, it Avill be difficult to make them think so. 



Now who, and whence, are our farmers ? Farmers' 

 sons, generally speaking, are averse to agriculture as 

 a vocation, because it seems a drudgery, a mere 

 slave's life. They are therefore eager for some other 

 employment. But the homestead must be retained, 

 and one of the sons generally takes possession of it 

 on the death of the parents, by satisfaction to the 

 heirs, who seek a place elsewhere. This is one 

 source, an hereditary souixe, of farmers, and one very 

 valuable and permanent. The other source is large — 

 it is made up of retired merchants or mechanics^ in 

 advanced life ; frequently wealthy, generally com- 

 petent ; sons coming back, perhaps, to purchase a 

 part of the old homestead, and erecting a new cot- 

 tage ; and these are tlic men who need agricultural 

 education. But will they attend a public institution 

 to acquire this knowledge: No, that would be in- 

 convenient ; they purchas© books, and subscribe lib- 



erally for periodicals ; and if they do not become 

 skilful cultivators it is their own fault. Such per- 

 sons, however, generally exhibit a good deal of zeal ; 

 and in fact, they soon take the lead in agriculture, 

 as the beautiful farms of many such gentlemen in 

 the vicinity of Boston will well" attest. 



Your correspondent " W.," of Middleburv College, 

 Vermont, in No. 7, Vol. IL, N. E. Farmer, highly 

 commends (but not too highly) good agricultural 

 papers. In my limited association Avith farmers, I 

 have heard of many useful facts which I have not 

 seen in jiriut ; and hence it is plain to me, that if 

 cultivators were more in the habit of giving their 

 experience to the public, agricultural papers and 

 magazines would be far more useful. The press, 

 after all, is the mainspring of improvement, for it 

 scatters to every part of civilization the experience 

 of tlie world. 



The views which I h&ve given above may be novel 

 and unsound; but they are submitted with deference 

 to your columns, hoping that they raaj' lead to a 

 more general expression on the important topic of 

 agricultural education. L. 



Boston, Aitril 4, 1850. 



Remarks. — We give our correspondent's views, 

 but we do not indorse them. If the practice of 

 fai-ming can be learned from good practical farmers, 

 so can the practice of medicine be gained from an 

 old lady well acquainted with the medical use of 

 herbs, roots, and barks. And if medical schools are 

 necessary for the purpose of giving the student a 

 knowledge of those sciences that aid him in the 

 healing art, so are agricultural schools necessary to 

 instruct the young farmer in those sciences that 

 appertain to his profession. "We believe that no one 

 can deny this proposition ; for in no calling is a 

 knowledge of so many natural sciences necessary as 

 in that of the farmer, and to him may they be made 

 available, as well as other sciences to other arts. At 

 another time we may give our views more at length 

 on this important subject. — Ed. 



For the Neto England Far>nei\ 

 NATIVE TREES, SHRUBS, AND PLANTS. 



[Continued from p. 109.] 



CULTIVATION OF NATIVE TREES. 



The first tree we shall notice is the White Elm, 

 sometimes called the American Elm. This beautiful 

 and magnificent tree is very generally known in New 

 England, and has long been a luvorite with all lovers 

 of trees. It is of the most rapid growth, forming, in 

 a few years, quite a tree, even from seed, and bears 

 transplanting better than any otlier forest tree that I 

 am acquainted with. It should be known by those 

 about to transplant this tree, that as it advances in 

 age, it presents three or four distinct forms of growth. 

 The first is, when it rises tall and erect, and its head 

 forms a fiat top, resembling a vase ; the second, 

 when it throws up two or more brandies to a great 

 height ; the third, when it presents somewhat the 

 form of a wee;)ing willow, its branches growing 

 downwards, and ahnost sweeping tlic ground ; til© 

 fourth, when it assumes the form of the sturdy oak. 

 The weeping form of the elm is better adnjitcd to 

 ornament tlie grounds around a dwelling-house, than 

 to stand by the road-side, as iti limbs frequently 

 obstruct the street. The brandies of the tall, vase- 

 ibrnied elm, when planted on tlie opposite sides of a 

 street or avenue, generally meet at the height of 



