512 On promoting Useful Knowledge. 



It cannot be expected that persons of high rank, whose 

 attention is necessarily directed to other objects, should re- 

 nounce their ordinary pursuits, and devote themselves ex- 

 clusively to the conducting of agricultural experiments : but 

 if one or more experimental farms were established, under a 

 proper system, it would ere long be discovered, what prac- 

 tices ought to be avoided, as well as what ought to be pur- 

 sued. It is important, that the former should be made known 

 as well as the latter ; yet errors in husbandry are seldom 

 communicated to the public, or known beyond the sphere 

 of a confined neighbourhood, because a farmer is in general 

 ashamed of acknowledging his want of success. Unfortu- 

 nately also, when his experiments answer, they are some- 

 times concealed, lest others should avail themselves of the 

 discovery. The object of an experimental farm, however, 

 should be, to ascertain facts, and to publish them / and as 

 much credit would be acquired, by an intelligent conductor 

 of an experimental farm, for his exertions in detecting errors, 

 as in establishing facts likely to be useful (* 3 ). 



It would surely be a highly beneficial measure, for a coun- 

 try possessing such an immense revenue, to lay out any 

 moderate sum that may be necessary, were it only L.5000 

 per annum, for ten or twenty years, to ascertain points of 

 such essential importance, and which might be the means of 

 making very great additions, to the national produce, reve- 

 nue and wealth. 



3. Agricultural Professorships. It is not many years ago, 

 since, at the expense of a private individual, (the late Sir 

 William Pulteney), a professorship was established at Edin- 

 burgh, for reading lectures on the art of agriculture. The 

 utility of such an institution is so evident, that it ought to 

 be extended to all the other universities. By such establish- 

 ments, the attention of young men, would be directed early 

 to this most useful of all the branches of knowledge, which 

 has now become the general subject of conversation, where- 

 ever they go. If they inherit landed property, agriculture is 

 the topic to which their views should be particularly direct- 

 ed. There is scarcely any profession also, which will pre- 

 clude them from spending some part of their time in the 

 country, which some skill in husbandry, would render more 

 agreeable ; and if, after having accumulated a fortune, they 

 become proprietors of land, their having early acquired such 

 knowledge, would be a source of much gratification, and 

 perhaps of profit. For such establishments, no new grant 

 would be necessary, or required from Parliament, but merely 



