EVERY FARMER'S DUTY. 349 



Farmers, as a body, have not hitherto,. nor do they at the 

 present time, appreciate what has been and is being done for 

 the promotion of information in general, and the diffusion of 

 agricultural knowledge in particular, among the masses of 

 New England farmers. Just mention the subject of the 

 Agricultural College, and, ten to one, you Avill have to defend 

 it, and even labor to prove that such an institution is in any 

 way promotive of the interests of New England farmers. 

 This is wrong. Instead of its being necessary to argue that 

 such an institution tends to promote the true interests of 

 farming in general, and the poorer and smaller ones in par- 

 ticular, the farmer should be thoroughly rooted and well 

 grounded in this faith, and ready to defend his belief and his 

 institution, for it is emphatically his in inception, development 

 and execution, and his in advantages, benefits and blessings. 



It becomes every farmer to consider what has been done 

 for the interests of agriculture. From her public domain the 

 general government has generously donated to every State 

 in the Union, lands, the proceeds of which must be devoted to 

 the advancement of agricultural knowledge. The govern- 

 ment of our own beloved Commonwealth early availed itself 

 of this donation and establislied an Agricultural Colleofe. 

 From time to time she has placed her hand in her treasury, 

 drawn liberally and expended generously, till it is already on 

 the high road to success, having graduated three classes, 

 although the college is yet in its infancy and much remains to 

 be done. 



Besides attending commencement and the examinations of 

 the classes at the close of each term, I have been at the col- 

 lege every few weeks during the year, and seen the professors 

 and the students in the different exercises, and the farm in its 

 different phases at various times and seasons when no prep- 

 aration could have been made for special exhibition. I have 

 seen the stock in the barn in midwinter, in spring and in 

 autumn, and at pasture in summer. I have seen the farm in 

 planting, hoeing, haying and harvest time. I have seen the 

 classes in the conservatory, the philosophical and chemical 

 rooms, analyzing flowers and soils. I have found in my visits 

 the boys at the barns with the stock, in the fields at work like 

 farmers' boys, and also on parade like soldiers. I once found 



