•2^6 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 2, mn. 



ADDRESS, 

 liy Alo.vzo Gray, A. M., before the Easei .Igricul- 

 lural Sociely, al Georgetown, Sepl.'iO, 1!:'41. 

 After on appropriate introduction, and an illus- 

 tration of the position tJiat ajrricuHure should be 

 based on scientific principlt-s, Mr Gray says : 



"This leud« me to remark in the second place, 

 that in order to secure constant progress and per 



boar upon the popular mind ; hence what we need 

 is, such an elementary knowledge of mineralogy, 

 botany, chemistry and natural philosophy, with their 



edge of the subject ; but we would propose 

 course to tliose young men who are to become! 

 leading minds in society, (and there are manysg 



application to the arts, that the bcienco of agricul- in every county, in every tow n throughout 



lure may be understood, and such a discipline of 

 the popular intellect that this knowledge may be 

 practically applied. 



"For want of this recipienl power, the press, that 

 great engine of popular instruction, is deprived of 



nianent improvement in Agriculture, its principles | [he greater pirt of its efficacy. Popular lectures, 

 must be made a regular branch of study in an ex- jhe efforts, the discoveries of scientific men, exert 



tended course of an English education. It must 

 be introduced into our system of popular instruc- 

 tion. How else can it become a aciencc, unlesa it 

 is made a. special subject of study ? It must be 

 stadied as every other art is. It must be made a 

 prominent and indispensable part of an education. 

 It will then create a motive for scientific men to 

 turn their attention to it, and to produce in tliis as 

 in all other professions, a union of theory and prac- 

 tice: the theory must be taught in the schools, the 

 practice in the fields. Its principles will then be 

 sought out, its experiments carefully compared and 

 classified ; its apparently discordant facts recon- 

 ciled and wrought into one perfect system of light 

 and truth. 



" It is only in this way that ^er/ccd'on can be at- 

 tained. Why is it that the mec'mnie arts have ar- 

 rived to such a high state of p-:rfe(?ri(>n, while ag- 

 riculture is so manifestly imperfect? It is simply 

 because these arts liave been made the subjects of 

 patient and persevering study. The lights of sci- 

 ence have shone upon them until we are astonish- 

 ed and almost confounded at the magnitude of the 

 resultB, no less than delighted with the b?auty, 

 simplicity and cheapReas which characterize their 

 productions. Every ecicntifie man Ims his tele- 

 scope out, that nothing may pass in heaven or cartli 

 but that it may be known ; but alas for the farmer, 

 very faw but empirics have consulted his interests. 

 He could do well enough without the aid of sci- 

 ence ; so the farmer has said, and so he believed, 

 and settled down it: his self-complacency, repelling 

 all attempts to arouse him from his comfortable, 

 and as he verily believes, consoling position. But 

 scientific men and practicr.1 farmers are turning 

 their attention to this suVoc:.\ New discoveries 

 •are being made, new resoLicsa are being develop, 

 'od ; the iniportance of the subject begins to be 

 .>eeen, and unless I mistake the signs of the times, 

 ^a liecossity felt by many of the best men, that in 

 order to secure perfection in agriculture, it must bo 

 made a branch of an English education. 



"If agriculture is made a science, however, its 

 principles cannot be understood, disseminated and 

 applied, unless it is made a branch of study in our 

 literary institutions. It may be known as n sci- 

 ence by the iiiitialod, but there must be a power 

 to receive and appbj, as well as to conimunicale, be- 

 fore permanent improvement can be secured. 



" It is one of the most glaring defects in our 

 system of popular instruction, that no provision is 

 made for the study of those branches which are in- 

 timately connected with agriculture, and a knowl- 

 edge of which is necessary in order that the sci- 

 ence itself may be understood ; we are therefore 

 met with an obstacle which it is not easy to sur- 

 mount, whenever we attempt to instruct the com- 

 munity into the principles of the art. There is 

 wanting not light on agriculture, but a recipient 

 power in tho general mind to collect the light 

 ivhich actually exists. There is knowledge enough 

 in the world to save it, if it could be brought to 



but a feeble influence. The fostering care of the 

 Legislature, and the indefatigable labors of agri- 

 cultural societies scarcely reach the general mass 

 of farmers. The consequence is that no prepara- 

 tion is considered desirable to become a farmer, 

 as if men were endowed for this employment with 

 an instinct like the bee or beaver, which is perfect 

 in- itself, and could not be improved by education. 

 " While some degree of preparation is deemed 

 necessary to practice the riulcst trade, that of a 

 cobbler or common ptdtnr, the most difficult and 

 important of all trades may be carried on, it is 

 supposed, without any prcpnratory or professional 

 knowledge. What should we think of the wisJom 

 or the sense of that community which should en 



Statt,) we would make thein scientific farmers, ai 

 scattered as they would be among tho farm 

 community, their e.xaniple and influence Wi 

 soon give character and permanency to Ibo pi 

 sion, and bring all under the power of it* bi 

 cial effect 



" There is not, to my knowledge, a single i\ 

 tution in the country where agriculture is act\ 

 taus;hl in any of its departments. There are i 

 tulions where men may be instructed in almost e< 

 ry other art but this. There should be at leaiy 

 one ;i/ace where the subject may receive that W|| 

 tcntion which its importance demands : one ray«| 

 light to show, if nothing more, the darkness whici 

 really e.xists. It is impossible for me to undi 

 stand the reason why farmers have not ere this 

 tablishod schools for the study of scientific ngri 

 ture. They have given their money to educati 

 ministers, lawyers, physicians, merchants, mcchta: 

 ics, and sailois. They have, as it wore, gone 

 of their appropriate fields to cultivate those of tl 

 neighbors ; they have been ready to aid every 



inc. I 

 d«J|... 



ilie 



courage all its physicians, lawyers, ministers, mer- ; er profession but their own; they have sent 

 chanta and politicians to engage in their respective ' sons to learn to he gentlemen, and to pass well 

 professions without any professioHal knowledge the world ; but have not made provision for tei 

 whatever? And yet there is as much propriety ing them that profession in which they are tos] 

 for a young man to engage in the profession of law, | their life and gain their support 

 medicine, or theology, without professional knowl- j " Attempts have been made in several plai 

 edge, as in that of farming, without a knowledge introduce agriculture as a branch of study, 

 of its fundamental principles. True, he might do ■ have generally failed, either because it was i 

 more injury to society in the former case, but he to raise up a sinking institution that had no 

 would have an equal title to the character of a dation to it, or because the institution was ( 

 quack in both; and quackery in farming has many lished for the mere sttidy of agriculture, as if 

 striking analogies to quackery in medicine, and ' preparatory course were required, no disciplini 

 were it not .^o common, would meet with similar ri- j mind requisite, to obtain a scientific knowledgi 

 diculo and rebuke by all intelligent men. the subject. Efforts are now in progress to inta j 



" But how can this rcripien/ poinr be supplied, { duce the subject into tho Teachers' Seminary*! , 

 and how can this professional knowledge be ac- ' Andover ; lectures are given upon tlie subject tk : 

 quired, unless agriculture be made a subject of present term, and it remains to be seen wheth* , 

 study ? As our common school system excludes the farming community will sustain the effort, a»| 

 those kindred branches of natural science which make it a thorough and permanent means of ■■ 

 are necessary to a professionni knowledge of agri- ! vancing the art, or whether they will permit iiPl 

 culture, tho commencement of improvement must add another unsuccessful attempt to raise tho OBn 

 be made in our academies and higher seminaries, ploymrnt to the dignity of a profession, and resell 

 Our colleges have a different object: their course ' it from merited contempt. 



of study has become too rigidly fixed to be altered, ' "A better day, I trust, is dawning up^n ut 

 and it is doubtful whether any success could crown ' The public mind is awakening to tho eulijecl 

 tho effort if tried. But this is not the case with Si;ientific men aro turning their attention to 

 our academies, and scientific agriculture may ho : The friends of education are anxiously inqui 

 introduced into some of them and taught success- [ for something to remedy the defects which 

 fully to those who are to be the future cultivators I in this respect in our system of popular instructioB 

 of the soil. With an institution liberiilly endow- [ and it is now for the /nrmer* themselves to |* ' 

 ed, with proper aids, text books, lectures, apparatus, forth their efforts, and we shall soon have ini 

 and experiments conducted in tho field, the young tions of. a high cliaracter, where young men 

 farmer, after having received a tliorough discipline obtain a thorough and practical English educatii 

 in a preparatory course, may finish his education • where they may study agriculture as a science, tit 

 by obtaining a scientific knowledge of ayg'ricultiire become qualified to take their proper stands anioBf 

 previous to entering upon the great business of the learned of other professions. If the fannM, ' 

 life. mechanics, and merchants willed it, we should aoN 





We would not establish institutions for the mere I'ave seminaries sustaining the same relation to tiH ^ 

 study of agriculture, but would connect it with an I various departments of business, that our collegW 



extended course of English education. Wc are ] 

 no advocates of a superficial course of training. 

 Wo would discountenance tho idea that a com- 

 petent knowledge of this subject, sufficient to 

 answer the ends designed, can be obtained in ii 

 •ingle term, or a single year ; nor do wo believe 

 that every young man, whoso duty it may bo to till 

 the soil, is capable of gaining a scientific know). 



I 



"1 am now able to slato that arran|;emciitii hava !>••» 

 ciinifileled fur instruction in scientific ngnculture, inl t 

 that in addition an oxienaive garden will be laid outio - 

 the spring, and all the branches of liorticuliuro atiendtd , 

 Id by a practical and Hcienlific horticulturist. OniOi 

 the principal objects will be to oultivate fruit trcea twl ' 

 fruit: of course all the processes of cultivaling fruit $si : 

 vegetables may lie studied practically by ihoto who mtj 

 wish to patronize the efl'urt. 



ii 



