52 THE i-'akmek's education. 



grains, as they are grown throughout the world, the special 

 uses to which each is adapted, their relative value in the 

 market, and whatever else may be found helpful to the grain 

 farmer. In the same way desired special information is given 

 in all branches of the farming industry. In most cases I 

 think that the students in shorter courses are expected to 

 reduce by specific study tlieir general knowledge of the nature 

 and properties of soils to some exactness, and especially to 

 learn definitely how water acts in tlie soil, and how plants are 

 constructed and grow, but in general the object of tlje shorter 

 course is to give to the student sucli knowledge as he can at 

 once put to evidently profitable use, as, for instance, the care 

 and management of dairy machinery, the testing of milk aud- 

 its manipulation so as to save as nearly as possible all the 

 butter fat, the principles of feeding, and simple methods of 

 testing its results, the nursing of sick animals, and the like. 



To many students perha})S the best thing which the shorter 

 courses gives him is something which he did not come for, 

 and that is some notion of the immensity of what he does not 

 know. When once a young man has perfectly acquired this 

 notion, he is in a way to get on, for he is then likely to begin 

 to learn from everything he sees. 



The other special schools directly connected with the 

 College of Agriculture are those in which practical instruction 

 is given by practical men to students of special branches of 

 agriculture. Of these the dairy school is tiie most common, 

 and, indeed, almost the only one of this class of scliools as yet 

 established. In the dairy school it is possible to reproduce the 

 exact conditions of farm life. Tlie school dairy is exactly like 

 any other good dairy, and students who themselves feed and 

 care for the animals by what are said to be approved methods, 

 can see whether or not tliese methods actually produce tlie 

 better results which are assumed for tliem. Outside milk is 

 delivered just as it is to other creameries, which the students 

 themselves can test, and by reference to the books can see 

 whether and how well good milk and good methods pay. 

 Tiiey can learn to judge very exactly of the value of cows for 

 the dairy. Tiiey can learn the most economical methods of 



