148 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



they will be ready to make investments in it, just as the mer- 

 chant makes investments in his business. The merchant is not 

 afraid to make ventures. When he sees an opportunity for 

 profit he is ready to invest his money in order to secure it. 

 It is not so with the farmer. He is afraid to put any money in 

 the business which he understands best, and which he ought 

 to make pay seven per cent. 



Then we want, not only more faith, but more knowledge, in 

 order to make farming more profitable. We want a cheap dif- 

 fusion of agricultural papers and books. It may be said that 

 we have already enough of these — and certainly the increase of 

 agricultural papers has been wonderful during the last ten or 

 fifteen years; and yet I suppose it may be said that not one 

 farmer in ten takes an agricultural paper, or knows anything 

 of what is going on in the agricultural world. The man who 

 takes an agricultural paper knows about the new apples and the 

 new grapes, and the market price of his own products, and it 

 will be difficult to cheat him. He can get the full value of his 

 crops, because he knows what is going on and what they are 

 worth. But, outside of those who take the papers, and are 

 posted, the great mass do not understand these things. They 

 have not the requisite knowledge to dispose of their crops to 

 the best advantage. They do not know how to raise them at 

 a profit. The great mass of our farmers keep no farming 

 accounts, and do not know whether they are farming at a loss 

 or gain at the end of the year. They have not their business 

 in hand as the merchant has. They do not take an account of 

 stock once a year, and they are not able to determine, when 

 the first of January comes, whether their operations have been 

 profitably carried on or carried on at a loss. I say that is the 

 way most farmers live. They do not keep accounts. 



Well, we not only want more knowledge, as diffused through 

 agricultural books and papers, but we want the science of agri- 

 culture taught in agricultural schools and colleges ; and I hail 

 with great satisfaction the establishment of the college on yon- 

 der ridge, — the gem, the beauty, and the glory of this valley, — 

 under the shadow of the college of science, on the hill above us. 

 I have no doubt that it will be a great blessing, not only to this 

 Commonwealth, but to our whole country. The first instance 

 in which an agricultural college is made really successful, is 



