134 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1824. 



Improvement in Fire Places. — The following 

 is from the pen of a Gentleman, to whom the 

 world is indebted for many important improve- 

 ments in philosophy and mechanics. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. II, 1824. Restdt of an Experiment to malce the 

 Chimney of a rery close room carry off the Smoke, by 

 admitting tlic external air tlirough a heutal passage. 



The back and jambs of the fire place are of 

 stone, between which and the brick walls, a 

 !»pace is left, (covered at the lop) for air to cir- 

 culate and enter the room heated ; for this pur- 

 pose a circular hole was made of an inch diam- 

 eter at each side, one being near the hearth, 

 and the other as high as the top of the open 

 fire place. In this state the cold air of the room 

 was received in the lower aperture, and passed 

 into the room through the upper; the current 

 of air being barely perceptible. The room was 

 incommoded with smoke at all times when a fire 

 was burning, except when external air was ad- 

 mitted by opening a door or window a small 

 distance. — A remedy for this evil has now been 

 sought, by cutting a passage through the brick 

 w all behind tfie stone back opposite the fire, for 

 admitting the e-^iternal air into the space before 

 mentioned, and the following result is produced 

 by thus ajiplying this long known principle. 



A strong current of heated air is constantly 

 entering the room, the temperature of which 

 depends on the quantity of fire at the lime. On 

 the 3d, 4th, and 61b of the present month, the 

 temperature was noted hourly, from a Ihermnni- 

 eter placed close to the aperture, and though 

 bnt a moderate fire was kept, the heat of the air 

 was such as to reach 133° at times, and to give 

 an average of 101, while the strength of the 

 current is generally so great as instantly to ex- 

 tinguish a lighted lamp held at the place of its 

 admission. — The passage cut through the brick 

 wall is about two inches square, and the incon- 

 venience of smoke in the room is almost entire- 

 ly removed. 



tion by officers chosen by the students. — Offen- 

 ders are tried by a regular court, have an o])- 

 portunity of making a fair defence, and cannol 

 be punished, till found guilty by a jury of their 

 peers. A leger account is opened with each 

 student, by an officer called the Dook-kceper, 

 in which all delinquences are entered to his 

 debit, while he receives credit for successfully 

 discharging his duties, and for any extra labour 

 of a useful kind, which he may be inclined to 

 perform. These "accounts are balanced weekly, 

 and if they are in favour of any individual, 

 he is entitled to various privileges, and ex- 

 empted from laborious duties ; but if against 

 him, he is disqualified from holding certain of- 

 fices, subjected to the loss of other privileges, 

 and to the performance of laborious duties, or 

 liable to admonition, &c. 



" The Trustees are inclmed to expect much 

 from this system. The students possess a 

 knowledge of each other's character, which in- 

 sfructers cannot always obtain, but which is 

 very necessary tor forming just decisions. — 

 The meetings of the general committee, and, the. 



liver annually a course of lectures on all such 

 subjects, as are of the highest interest to the 

 farmer. 



" Believing that a course of studies may be 

 devised, which ivould be appropriate, and of 

 great utility to such as are designed for mer- 

 cantile pursuits, and that such a course would 

 properly come within our design, we shall en- 

 deavour to devise one, which may be pursued 

 independently of the usual course, or in connex- 

 ion with it. In such a course, we should pro- 

 pose a more extended study of Geography, in- 

 cluding a description of the natural products 

 of different states, their arts, their trade and 

 their policy; the subject of Exchange ; the 

 onllines of Political Fxonomy, and a full and 

 minute coe.rse of Book-keeping, with particu- 

 lar attention to Penmanshiji. 



" We hope we need sav no more in defence 

 of Ihe usefulness ofoiir design. The saying of 

 Agesilaus, that " youth should learn that, which 

 will I'O cf most use to them when they become 

 men,'' mu-1 approve itself to every understand- 

 ing. A mechanick or a farmer must have an 

 education before he can successfully practise his 



Garpiner Lvcel'm. By the kindness of a I 

 friend, we have received a pamphlet containing ! 

 a "Catalogue of the Officers and Students of 

 Gardiner Lyceum, with an Address to the Pub- 

 lic, October, 1824." Wo have repeatedly tak- 

 en such notice of this Institution as we thought 

 was merited by Ihe novelty and utility of the 

 jilan, and the course of studies pursued, and i 

 would refer our readers who may feel an inter- 

 est in the Seminary to our second volume, pages 

 172, 1G2, and 371. We will, however, add 

 some further particulars respecting it, extract- 

 ed from the pamphlet before us. 



" The system of discipline, adojited by the 

 Trustees, places a large share of the govern- 

 ment of the institution, in the hands of the 

 students. It is repulilican in ils spirit. A 

 general committee is elected tivice each term, 

 by 'he stuilenls, in which one of the instructors 

 usually presides, and by which all the laws 

 are enacted. They are carried into execu- 



trial of offences, will afford excr-lient opportu-ji 



nilies for quickening the perceptions of the i ar', and I'e may, slowly and inipeifeirilj, acquire 

 students, for leading them to discriminate ac- 1 th;-; educaiion liy bis own experience, or more 

 cuiMtely, strengthening their judgment, and r.qiidly fiom bou'v-;, which recoro the experience 

 giving Ihem the power of expressing their of o hers, and which have red I'-.cd the results of 

 tl:oi!ghls with ease and correctness. The laws lh:it experieace into a scifntific form. We hope 

 being made by the studen's. will be thoroiigb-l th't the iinne is nt>t far dibtani, uhen il shall be 

 ly understood, and ihe consciou«nes-i, that they | as cinmirn for fi.'inois arid artists, to prepare 

 are governed by regulations of their rivn, wli thtiiieUes fo'' (heir iia^'iness <:y a suitable and 

 prevent all tear of oppression. The confidence 

 which this system repnse.s in the student, h;:-- 

 Ihe effect of eh-^vatirig his character. The 

 exercise, which he has in seil'-government, is 

 favourable to a proper self-government in fu- 

 ture life, and the p;irt, vvhicli lie acts in this 

 small community, evidently prepare him to 

 discharge his duty, as a citizen of a free re- 

 public. 



" This system of discipline is not orig'nal 

 wilh us. It has already been for several years 

 in optiration in a large school in England, 

 and we are happy in being able to state, thai 

 our expectations in reference to it, do not res! 

 upon speculations only, but also upon the very 

 great experiment, as it has been tried in that 

 school. 



"The insufficiency of our funds has prevent- 

 ed the em|)loyment of more than one instruc- 

 ter till wilhin a few months, when the in- 

 creasing labours and necessities of the insti- 

 tution, rendered another indispensihle. 



" The present term has commenced under 



thfi mill ediicdtiin. a>^ for lawyers and physi- 

 ciaiii. Such ".ii , t'uration would not only lay a 

 foundation lor rbeir i^nccess, but raise Ihe char- 

 acter of their employments, from mere mechan- 

 ic;il laiionr to scientific pursuits, and give them 

 Ibn) credit which (heir usefulness merits. — Ag- 

 ri 'ultural schools have fur some time been estab- 

 li'hed in continental Europe, and, in some of the 

 larger cities in Great Britain, Mechanical Insti- 

 tutes have been established. In these Institutes, 

 instruction has been given only bj- lectures. 

 This mode alone, although useful, cannot give 

 the mechanic the accurate knowledge he may 

 ac(|iiire by other means. A demonstration ia 

 mechanics cannot be understood at a lecture, 

 especially by one who has no acquaintance with 

 mathematics, neither can such an one read the 

 most valuable books. For this reason the di- 

 rectors of the institution at Edinburgh, are 

 connecting recitations in the mechanics, &c. 

 with their lectures, and so far as we have 

 learned are adopting a course similar to the one 

 we pursue. To come to our own country, we 



favourable au=[iices. In the number of the class see, in several of the larger states a dispasition 



recciilly entered, our most sanguine expecta- 

 tions have been surpassed. But wilh the increase 

 ol numbers, our labours increase, and when in 

 atblilion to the three classes at present in the 

 institution, four winter classes shall be admitted 

 and Ihe chemical lectures commenced, a third 



to provide means for the education of farmers 

 and mechanics. The subject has interested 

 many gentlemen of the first character, and Ihe 

 increasing intelligence of our country, with the 

 growing importance of our agriculture and our 

 manufactures, will soon make the necessities 



instructor will be obviously necessary. The i of such an education apparent to every one." 

 Trustees have been so fortunate as to secure ' 



Ihe services of a gentleman, who is already dis- 

 tinguished for his attainments in Natural History 

 and is uncommonly well qualified to be an in- 

 structer in Agriculture, and the branches of 

 science connected vvith it. It is their hope, 

 if they can obtain the means, to make him a 

 permanent inslrucler, and to place under his 

 charge the course of instruction in Agriculture, 



Machine for Parino Aitles. We have been 

 requested to insert a paragraph in our paper 

 requesting information whether any of Ihe 

 machines for paring apples, adverted to by a 

 correspondent in a communication published in 

 our last, page 122, can be obtained in iioston or 

 its vicinity. We would thank any genlleman 

 who will leave information at this office, slating 



which has been already menlioned, and to de- where and of whom they may be obtained. 



