JS3. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



167 



ties is first becoming'an important one, and unless 

 there are proper guards and restraints thrown 

 around it, we shall, quite likely, by-and-by, have a 

 similar state of things among us here. There are 

 frauds practised within our own personal know- 

 ledge, which lead us to this opinion. The book 

 may be sent by mail to any part of the country for 

 a trifling postage. The New York Courier says 

 Mr. MuLLALLY has given a fair, foithful and impar- 

 tial view of the whole milk trade in that city ; — 



"He exposes the horrible system of distillery 

 milk manufacturers — the process of making sweet 

 ■cream out of distillery milk, hogs or calves brains, 

 molasses and chalk — and sketches with a vivid and 

 powerful pen the multitude of evils that arise from 

 the infamous traffic. He gives us a description of 

 a ewill milk establishment and its internal econo- 

 my, as well as the disgusting practises and brutal- 

 ity of those employed in them — a description al- 

 most enough to make the reader forswear the use 

 of milk in the city forever.' The exposes of the 

 work are positively shocking. We knew that abom- 

 inable, disgusting frauds were practiced by the 

 milk dealers of the city, but really, we were not 

 ■prepared for such an exhibition of human deprav- 

 ity and cupiditv as is here bared to our view." 



For the New England Farmer. 



FARMERS' LIBRARIES. 



Mr. Editor : — In a former number of the Far 

 mer I made some remarks on the benefits of Ag- 

 ricultural lectures in lyceums. This was done un- 

 der the impression that such institutions were in 

 operation in all, or nearly every toAvn and hamlet 

 wherever the remarks might be so fortunate as to 

 be read. I suppose such institutions are, through 

 the winter months, in existence almost everywhere. 

 But a new question comes up with regard to them. 

 Are they established on the principle of firmness, 

 and conducted with the systematic order that such 

 associations should be ^ I refer now to lyceums 

 in agricultural communities, where the intellectu- 

 al wants are more for agricultural information, and 

 prosperity arises more from agricultural success 

 than from any other natural cause. 



Now I have a beau ideal of what such a lyceum 

 should be. In the first place, it should be an ag- 

 ricuhural lyceum, embracing in its phalanx those 

 who design to cultivate the earth as a profession, 

 and who have enough respect for that profession 

 to give their influence and hearty goodwill to ele- 

 vate it to the position where nature and nature's 

 God designed it should rank. I am very well 

 aware this picture, which should every-where be 

 visible, is a bold one, and implies many things. 

 In the first place, I suppose it clearly shows, that 

 to be a farmer does not imply "a mere clop-hop- 

 per," an animated mass of clay whose noblest at- 

 tribute is physical energy, excited by the idea of 

 adding field to field, and increasing the swelling 

 numbers of herds and flocks. 



No, the position I take elevates him above all 

 this, and defines him as an intellectual being, sent 

 into the world to pluck out the thorns and thistles 

 that man's perverseness sowed, and plant roses and 

 myrtles in their place. It is for him to make the 

 desert smile in verdure, and waste places to yield 

 bountiful harvests. He is, through all coming 



time, to give bread to the millions of earth, and 

 when he draws its rich treasure from her teeming 

 bosom, he must do it in so kind and restoring a 

 manner as not to exhaust her resources. Mind 

 must guide in these operations, and to do it sue- 

 ces.sfully, mind must be enlightened by science as 

 well as aided by experience, or too often its no- 

 blest efforts will prove abortive. 



Now, how is tins farmers' lyceum to aid him in 

 this intellectual culture which is so very essential 

 to the cultivation of the earth ? We have spoken 

 of lectures as one means, a very important one, 

 too, on many accounts. But these are incidental, 

 ■periodical, coming, it may be, once a month, 

 though I should hope oftener. At any rate, there 

 must be a gap between them, and these gaps in 

 the progress of mind, like the rent in a garment, 

 unless fitted up and closed, will be very apt to be- 

 come larger, until the whole is rent. I say, then, 

 to fill up this empty chasm as it will too often 

 prove, that in connection with, and as a part of 

 these lyceums, the library should form an impor- 

 tant feature. 



Agricultural libraries among farmers are not an 

 unknown feature of the age; all, however, do not 

 seem disposed to possess them. But get up such 

 libraries in connection with the lyceum, and for 

 ought we know, all would read. At least, we 

 may fairly suppose that many will. Now how tri- 

 fling would be the expense for the members of an 

 agr?cultural lyceum to take all the first-class agri- 

 cultural publications. And with an equal sum 

 thereto added, what rich collections would be made 

 each year in scientific works on matters relating 

 to the farmer's well being. By these, young far- 

 mers would be taught the principles and progress 

 of science, and by the former, he could learn the 

 result of these principles when reduced to practice, 

 their failures and successes. 



! what a beautiful ormament such an institu- 

 tion, endowed with a well selected library, adapt- 

 ed to its progress, would be to any town in our 

 good old State. Yet how many such can our State 

 boast? Have we one? Where is the goodly land 

 where it may be found? We would gladly go 

 there in the expectation of seeing unusual thrift, 

 countenances beaming with happiness and content- 

 ment, bought by the rich gift of intelligence, oper- 

 ating like a main-spring to regulate all movements. 

 How many farmers have we in Massachusetts, 

 who will pledge themselves to become even sitting 

 and hearing members of such an association? If 

 there is a town where ten, nay five, can be found, 

 who will meet once a week to hear and talk about 

 farming,— 7-(SoZrerf that noble effects shall grow 

 out of it, the agricultural destiny of that town can 

 be saved. A lyceum, like the one I would have in 

 every town, would soon be established, the intel- 

 lio-ence of the inhabitants would brighten under 

 its influence, — a purer stream of thought breaking 

 out, and fed from fountains of truth , would purify 

 all parts ; the earth w^ould smile under more varied 

 and richer harvests. Here it would be found that 

 competence and wealth could be drawn from the 

 earth, not by "servile labor," but by well-direct- 

 ed, careful industry, such as men in every sphere 

 must practice in order to succeed — in short, hap- 

 piness as pure, intelligence as high, refinement as 

 chaste, as earth can afford, would here be found. 

 Taste would aid economy in rearing buildmgs, 

 planting trees, dividing of fields— indeed, in every- 



