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great benefit of the Commonwealth. If these colleges do not exist ; sup- 

 pose none of the institutions are ever established ; there are duties there 

 which would be profitable, if faithfully performed in my part of the State, 

 and I apprehend elsewhere also. 



" The duty of the Secretary shall be, under the direction of the Board, 

 to give lectures in various parts of the Commonwealth whenever it may be 

 deemed expedient, on the science and practice of agriculture." That sub- 

 ject has been hinted at again and again at agricultural meetings for years. 

 The hint is thrown out in the enthusiasm of the moment, when the people 

 are thoughts be more agriculturally inclined than at any other time, and 

 then is forgotten. 



A wise man going among the people would do undoubtedly a vast deal of 

 good to the farmers and to their sons. I am of the opinion, that the estab- 

 lishment of such a Secretaryship, in efficient hands, would be as effective 

 an instrument as could be established for the improvement of agriculture. 



Sir, our young men want something more than their fathers know how 

 to teach. What is known now by the farmer about farming ? Precisely 

 what was known about it fifty years ago, with very little variation ! I 

 heard an anecdote from one of the Committee to-day which illustrates the 

 position of our young men. They are intelligent, and like to know some- 

 thing as well as to do something. The anecdote is this. A wealthy 

 farmer, with a large farm, died recently in this vicinity. He left five sons, 

 ranging from ten years, upward. He is hardly cold in his grave before 

 they determine to give the farm up. When remonstrated with they say, 

 " We want to know something. We shall know just as much as our fathers 

 did, and we wish to know more." Now it is a fact that our young men 

 want to know more than their fathers. It is desirable that this knowledge 

 shall not be like the Indians' knowledge, traditionary, handed down from 

 generation to generation. But we want the printed page that the farmer 

 can take in his hands as he sits by his fireside, and that his sons can take in 

 their hands in their leisure hours, the printed page, upon which are the 

 results of the practical knowledge of wise men, brought to bear distinctly 

 upon this subject. Now I pray to ask, if you do nothing else here for this 

 vastly neglected branch of industry, how you can do a better thing than to 

 say that you will send out into the community just such a man as is spoken 

 of here. He will not only carry knowledge to the young men, but he will 

 create a thirst for knowledge. I think that the time is ripe for this, and 

 much more. But to confine myself to this matter. I think that the time 

 is ripe for the Commonwealth to take this step, at least, and that the peo- 

 ple will say amen to their action, however liberal, in sending them such 

 knowledge as that. 



Well, sir, that is one thing that the Secretary will do. He will go 

 forth as a scientific and practical farmer, to enlighten the people through- 

 out the Commonwealth. He will carry information and he will gain in- 

 formation. But, then, it is proposed that he shall " receive the returns of 

 the incorporated Agricultural Societies, and make a digest of the same in 



