20 



versity was about to be established on the farms in the 

 little park of Versailles, and a hundred and twenty-two ag- 

 ricultural societies, and three hundred minor institutions, 

 had participated in the funds voted for the encouragement 

 of Agriculture. 



Though it is unquestionable that a country may attain a 

 high rank in agriculture without the aid of formal agricul- 

 tural schools — provided, as in Scotland, other early mental 

 training is placed within the easy reach of the rural popu- 

 lation — and that in spite of numerous schools, if other 

 obstacles intervene, the cultivators of a country may lag 

 far behind ; — yet both common sense and experience show 

 that of two nations of the same blood, placed otherwise in 

 the same circumstances, the one which teaches the princi- 

 ples of agriculture in its schools, will exhibit the most 

 productive harvests on its fields ; and that, as in England 

 and Scotland now, a time will come in the agricultural 

 history of every country, when old means and methods 

 will fail to maintain the rural community in a flourishing 

 condition, and when every new means of fertiUty which 

 advancing knowledge can supply, must be made generally 

 known, and become generally employed. Such are the 

 simplest and most common sense arguments in favor of 

 agricultural teaching — the inutility of which might be 

 argued with some show of reason, from the comparatively 

 small progress yet visible among the fields and farmers of 

 France and Bavaria. 



The agricultural statistics of France, which the govern- 

 ment has collected and published in great detail, would 

 supply many interesting subjects of reflection, were I at 

 liberty to dwell longer on this part of Europe. I may only 

 mention — as pregnant with thought and instruction in 

 regard to the condition, the food, and the general mode of 

 living of the rural classes of France — the fact, that the 



