No, 144.] 271 



practicable system. And he said that this government had been 

 begged from Washington to this day, for such a system to be formed 

 as should embrace the whole country with its powerful arms, and 

 he felt it proper to say, that before long the farmers of this coun- 

 try would thunder at the doors of the Capitol, and demand with 

 irresistible power, that share of the public treasure for the farm- 

 ing interest so long withheld. Why, sir, do they know (no, they 

 do not), that if by force of universal instruction, our soil should 

 be ploughed and well tilled only one inch deeper than it now is, 

 the added product of one year would make the gold of California 

 for the same year, turn pale because of its littleness. My neighbor, 

 Mr. Berckmans, near Plainfield, in New Jersey, is scientifically and 

 practically using his large means for the benefit of the great cause. 

 He has followed the experiments of the justly celebrated Van 

 Mons, in the fruit line. He has now for distribution, eleven hun- 

 dred good, and some very fine pears, and forty thousand seedlings, 

 on the Van Mons plan. He gives away his trees. 



Mr. Meigs said that the French government became quite stimu- 

 lated by the success of Von Thaer, and a few others, to go into 

 the founding of agricultural colleges. She sent an able man, 

 Eoyer (a few years ago), to examine the German colleges, &c. 

 His report forms an octavo volume, published by the government 

 On examination, he reports against the system. Von Thaer's 

 great school was sustained by Von Thaer alone; his personal quali- 

 ties eminently enabled him to maintain a small school. When he 

 died, the spirit of the Mceglin school fled also. No Von Thaer is 

 any where else found in any national institution. I entirely coin- 

 cide with Prof. Mapes, whose views are fully before the public. 

 Every farmer in the land should, to the proper extent, become a 

 scholar; the teaching must be plain, practical, and all the science 

 of it become household words on every farm. 



Subject for next meeting — " Top dressing grass and grain crops." 



The Club then adjourned to Tuesday, August 15th, at noon. 



H. MEIGS, Secretary. 



