NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



101 



journey to visit his mistress. In these marketinp; 

 expeditions I started from home in such season as 

 to arrive at old Faneuil about sunrise, frequently 

 being on the road nearly all night, long enough 

 now^ to go a journey to Kennebec river. 



The single horse wagon, if known then, was 

 not in use. All my brother marketmen filled their 

 wallets, saddle-bags, and panniers, and with their 

 own weight made out a commendable load for the 

 beast of burden. On arriving at the bridge the bur- 

 den was shifted from the beast to his rider, and 

 away he hied to market to dispose of his load; this 

 was the custom of the times in my neighborhood. 

 There was but one marketman in my native town 

 who rode in a carriage, and that was constructed 

 of an old chaise, the top being removed and a wood- 

 en box substituted. The change which has taken 

 place since 1790 in improvements and inventions 

 calculated to ameliorate labor and facilitate practi- 

 cal operations would tax the credulity of almost any 

 one born the present century. 



At the close of the revolutionary war, money was 

 scarce, produce was low and people were poor. 

 The chief object then was to devise means to keep 

 soul and body in the same neighborhood ; that be- 

 ing the case, but little interest was felt in making 

 any improvements but what related to the necessi- 

 ties of present physical wants. But as the times 

 grew better and men had more leisure, people be- 

 gan to think more and discover a readier and better 

 way to do almost every thing. As wealth has in- 

 creased, extravagance, desire and discontent have 

 increased in equal ratio, and whether people are 

 happier now than then is problematical in the ex- 

 treme. The community have certainly improved 

 in outward appearances; a man might travel from 

 Vermont to Boston and would seldom see a painted 

 house a half-century ago ; now, neat, elegant and 

 convenient dwellings line the streets of almost ev- 

 ery town. Then the wells of water were made at 

 such distances from the houses that females were 

 under no inducement to practice gymnastic exer- 

 cises to invigorate their muscular systems. What 

 changes may lake place in the coming half-century 

 is seen "as through a glass darkly ;" but if extrav- 

 agance, political strife, intriguing for office, and 

 disregard of moral rectitude should keep pace with 

 other improvements of the age as heretofore, all 

 philanthropists will have cause to dread coming 

 events as portentous to posterity. 



Wilmington, Feb. 1, 1851. Silas Brown. 



For the New England Farmer. 



STATE AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS. 



The eubject of legislative aid to agricultural 

 schools is one that has been discussed by agricul- 

 tural writers and speakers, for many years. Of 

 cattle-show addresses this subject often forms the 

 chief material. And so far as I have seen, the ar- 

 guments are based upon the presumption that the 

 legislature can afford such aid constitutionally and 

 rightfully. Now, I have some doubts of the cor- 

 rectness of this assumption. Most advocates of 

 the measure propose, I believe, something like the 

 following; — The State to turn farmer, purchase 

 a tract of land, erect model buildings, procure 

 model implements, employ scientific and practical 

 instructors, and from the many thousands of farm- 

 ers' sons in the State, collect a few dozen, who are 

 to go through a prescribed course of instruction 



and training, to graduate model farmers. Now, I 

 ask, if the right to do all this is conceded to the 

 State, whore is the legislature to stop? Will it 

 grant special aid to the farmer, and deny it to the 

 carpenter, the printer, the machinist, the timner? 

 or, will it be more consistent, and establish model 

 breweries, tan-yards, printing offices, founderies, 

 and a thousand and one other State shops ? To 

 my mind this proposition of State Agricultural 

 education, is just as absurd — because it involves 

 the same principle — as the demand of the French 

 people, that government shall furnish them employ- 

 ment. 



The State provides for the education of the sons 

 of farmers, in common with those of all other 

 professions, not only in the rudiments of knowl- 

 edge, but in those higher branches of science 

 which are supposed to be so essential to success in 

 farming. If an acquaintance with chemistry, ge- 

 ology, botany, or even the dead languages, is im- 

 portant to the agriculturist, has not the State 

 done all it can do, to open the door to him for its 

 attainments ? Must our democratic idea of edu- 

 cation be abandoned, and the old European system 

 be adopted, — the "class," "grade," or "rank," 

 theory? instead of oui inestimable "common" 

 schools, and equally common colleges, are we to 

 have one school lor farmers, another for mechan- 

 ics, a third for the professions — one for Protestants, 

 another for Catholic children? 



I am aware that to this, for a reply, it may be 

 said, the State has patronized schools of Law, 

 Medicine, Theology, and Fight. But is not all 

 such class legislation going out of fashion ? 

 These four professions once claimed privileges, 

 that are boldly denied them in these our days. 

 Other professions — even the once vulg-ar laborers — 

 come forward and claim the notice of law-makers. 

 And I must repeat the question, — If agriculture is 

 to be placed among the favored professions, by 

 granting it peculiar favor, when is the legislature 

 to stop? If one of my boys adopts the "ancient 

 and honorable" business of farming, will the 

 State furnish him the means of "scientific" knowl- 

 edge of his profession, and leave the other, who 

 prefers to exercise his skill as a mechanic, un- 

 taught? 



I happen, Mr. Editor, to be both farmer and me- 

 chanic. My days are spent in a shop, in the city; 

 my nights and holidays on my farm, in the country. 

 I may be set down as a dull farmer, — far behind 

 the age — but I venture the assertion, that, science 

 is needed in the shop, and money on the farm. 

 Hoping the legislature will govern themselves ac- 

 cordingly, I shall lemain for the present, 



A Mechanic and Farmer. 



Winchester and Boston, Feb., 1851. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CUSTARD SQUASH. 



Mr. Cole : — The kind of squash which Mr. Ray- 

 nolds raised, is an old acquaintance. I raised them 

 fifteen years ago. The seeds came from Palermo, 

 and it is, without exception, the richest flavored 

 squash grown in New P^ngland. They are hard 

 shelled, and when cooked should be boiled in the 

 shell; when sufficiently cooked, the flesh will read- 

 ily and cleanly separate from the shell. In plant- 

 ing them, the bed should be made very rich with 

 fresh as well as well rotted manure. The plants 



