AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 93 



An important part of a system of agricultural education, has 

 been, as it seems to me, already established. I speak of our na- 

 tional, state, county and town associations for the promotion of 

 agriculture. The first tliree may educate the people tlirougli their 

 annual fairs, by tlieir publications, and by the collection and dis- 

 tribution of rare seeds, plants and animals that are not usually 

 within reach of individual farmers. By such means, and otliers 

 less noticeable, these agencies can exert a powerful influence 

 upon the farmers of the country ; but their tliorough, systematic 

 education must be carried on at home. And for local and 

 domestic education, I think we must rely upon our public 

 schools, upon town clubs or associations of farmers, and upon 

 scientific men who may be appointed by the government to visit 

 the towns, confer with the people, and receive and communicate ,' 

 information upon the agricultural resources and defects of the ;' 

 various localities. It will be observed that in this outline of a/ 

 plan of education I omit the agricultural college. This omis- 

 sion is intentional and I will state my reasons for it. I speak, 

 however, of tlie present ; the time may come when sucli an 

 institution will be needed. In Massachusetts, Mr. Benjamin 

 Buzzey has made provision for a college at Roxbury, and Mr. 

 Oliver Smitli has made similar provision for a college at North- 

 ampton ; but these bequests will not be available for many 

 years. In England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Prus- 

 sia, Russia, Austria and the, smaller states of Europe, agricul- 

 tural schools and colleges have been established, and tliey appear 

 to be the most numerous where the ignorance of the people is 

 the greatest. England has five colleges and schools, Ireland 

 sixty-three, while Scotland has only a professorship in each of 

 her colleges at Aberdeen and Edinburgh. In France, there are 

 seventy-five agricultural schools ; but in seventy of them, — 

 called inferior schools, — the instruction is a compound of that 

 given in our public schools and the discipline of a good farmer 

 upon his land, with some special attention to agricultural reading 

 and farm accounts. Such schools are not desired, and w^ould 

 not be patronized among iis. When an agricultural school 

 is established, it must be of a higher grade, — it must take rank 

 with the colleges of the country. President Hitchcock, in his 

 report, published in 1851, states that six professors would be 

 required, that the first outlay would be sixty-seven thousand 



