MEANS OF IMPROVING OUR HUSBANDRY. 71 



cipality ; and " it is amazing," adds our author, who 

 wrrte some years afterward, "to observe the differ- 

 ent irradiations of genius in this and the adjacent 

 circles." The effect was alike beneficial in the im- 

 provement of the soil and the mind. And the exam- 

 ple of Saxe Gotha probably led to the excellent sys- 

 tem of school instruction in agriculture which has 

 since been introduced by Prussia and most of the 

 German states. 



It has been stated, as an objection to the establish- 

 ment of agricultural schools, that they would be only 

 accessible to the rich. This objection, even if well 

 founded, would not go to lessen their value to the 

 state : for if we could convert a few hundred drones, 

 as the sons of rich men may generally be termed, 

 into working bees, the public, as well as the young 

 men themselves, would certainly be gainers by the 

 transformation. The complaint is, that we have too 

 many consumers and too few producers. This 

 would tend to restore an equilibrium : for the exam- 

 ples of the rich, be they good or bad, have an impo- 

 sing influence on the middling and lower classes ; and 

 thus to improve the habits and morals of the rich, 

 would be the surest way to improve the condition of 

 society generally. Hence, therefore, if agricultural 

 schools can be made instrumental in annually con- 

 verting a few hundred of the idle and dissipated sons 

 of wealth (or, rather, in preserving them from vicious 

 and wrong habits) into wholesome, industrious farm- 

 ers, agricultural pursuits will become more respecta- 

 ble and be more followed ; and we venture to pre- 

 dict, that then we shall not long continue to do, what 

 we have done import potatoes from Ireland and 

 Germany, hay and oats from S4^tland, eggs from 

 France, and breadstuff's from all the countries of 

 Europe, including the dominions of the autocrat of 

 Russia and of the Grand Turk. 



But it is not exactly true that the rich alone would 

 find access into agricultural schools, were such es- 



