ATTENTION TO SPECIALTIES. 233 



so on the farm. There we meet with obstacles that no other 

 artisans encounter. The consequence is, that to make skilful 

 agricultural artisans we want, in the first place, better timber to 

 work on, and we want the men better educated than any other 

 class of artisans, if we would have them equally good, because 

 we require more of them. This seems to be a palpable and 

 good reason. 



Now how shall this difficulty be overcome ? Let us make a 

 practical thing of it. The trouble is, we require too much of 

 our farmers. We require that they shall know too much to be 

 thoroughly skilled ; we require them to do too much and too 

 many different things to expect that they shall be skilled in them 

 all. The only remedy I can conceive of is this : that we resort 

 more to special farming. How is it to-day ? My friend Moore, 

 for aught I know, raises grapes and asparagus and apples and 

 cherries and grain, and has Jersey cows, and carries on almost 

 every sort of farmiug operation upon a territory of sixty acres. 

 Another man gives his attention exclusively to the raising of as- 

 paragus, and uses one set of tools and one lot of land. Now 

 if my friend wants to be as successful in every department that 

 he pursues, as the other man is in his special department, he 

 must be ten times a better man ; and I hardly believe, although 

 he is a very good man, he can be that good. So you see, if we 

 would acquire eminent skill as artisans in the various manipu- 

 lations of the farm, the handling of the tools, &c., we can do it 

 better if we would turn our attention more to special farming 

 — take up one special branch and pursue that. But I must 

 hasten on. 



Now, if what I have laid down in this casual manner is true, 

 then bear me out in this : that no education for the farmer can 

 be a complete and thorough education which leaves out of the 

 calculation the art of agriculture — the art of manipulating the 

 land, handling the tools, and knowing the how, the when, the 

 where, and all about it. No agricultural education can be 

 thoroughly effectual and efficient which leaves that out. 



Now I know that the time was when we were told that the 

 school of agriculture should be simply a department in some 

 college, where the bare science of agriculture should be taught. 

 That was what was told us. We did not want any farm, it was 

 said ; we did not want any land with the agricultural school ; 

 30 



