VOL. xvni. NO. 4. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER, 



33 



From ihe Cleveland Herald. 

 EDUCATION OF FARMERS.— No. VI. 



MEANS AND MEASURES. 



Mil Harris — I have already more than once ad- 

 'I'rted to some of the means to be used and nieas- 

 ires to bo adopted, to pidiiiote the education and to 

 irotcct the rights of farmeis. I will close these 

 liort essays by throwi.i^ out a few hints, and mak. 

 ng a few sugg^estions of a more definite character 

 n the same subject. 



I wr.uld first sujrirest the propriety of farmers 

 aking their own education and their own legisla- 

 ion into their own hands. The means of educa- 

 lon within their own reach are too ample to be un- 

 er the necessity of resorting to colleges or high 

 chools for procuring either an education or in- 

 tructors for their children. If their means of edu- 

 ation were not ample, if they were entirely insuf- 

 cient, colleges and high schools conld not help 

 leni. They have spoiled ten farmers where they 

 ave made one. 



Nor can they depend upon books, though every 

 inner ought to be, as he certainly may be, a man 

 r residing, and of extensive reading. But all his 

 ;adirg should be put to the test of hu own expe- 

 encr and observation. He ought to adopt no 

 an's opinion, either in religion, politics or busi- 

 5ss, without putti.-.g it to the test of his own judg- 

 ent, and judgment founded on experience and ob- 

 ■rvation. With his own judgment at the helm, he 

 in hardly read too much; without that, he can 

 irdly read too little. For maturing a judgment 

 unded on large experience, no school and no op- 

 )rtunities can be better than those afforded by his 

 rm, his business operations, and his intercourse 

 ith society. 



For a. ding his experiments and directing his op- 

 ations, every farmer oughtto be familiar with all 

 e fundamental principles of natural science. This 

 the more important, as those principles are com- 

 ratively few and exceedingly simple ; so much 

 as to be, to a great extent, within the compre- 

 :nsion, and the highest delight of children, long 

 fore they can comprehend anything from books, 

 lese simple, elementary principles of science, 

 lich all children are so eager to acquire, are of 

 e utmost importance for aiding them to under- 

 ind and to relish the contents of books, even the 

 ry first looks put into their hands. 

 Under these views, one important step to be ta- 

 n by farmers for the education of their children, 

 d the improvement of themselves, is to procure 

 to aid and encourage their children in procuring 



paring specimens of scientific exchanges, by which 

 their own collections will bo greatly increased, and 

 greatly increased interest given to their meetings. 

 Such meetings and such exercises are particularly 

 interesting to the females and the younger mem- 

 bers of families. 



For the special benefit of the business of farm- 

 ers, they have often formed social lyceums, confin- 

 ed to themselves, which are particularly appropriate 

 for the winter. Connected with these meetings, a 

 regular system of experiments has been instituted, 

 by which each can have the benefit of the experi- 

 ments of the wliole, and of experiments carefully 

 tried under the direction of science. 



These social meetings ard the regular series of 

 experiments instituted by farmers, furnish some of 

 the most valuable materials for farmers' journals, 

 and the strongest inducements as well as means 

 for sustaining them, both liy materials and monev. 

 A farmer could hardly take and peruse a ' Monthly 

 Farmer' or any periodical conducted by and for 

 farmers, without being more than remunerated for 

 his expense in a single fact or hint, which he might 

 find in the work. The least possible reading which 

 any firmer ought to reduce himself to, is consult- 

 ing his bible daily and his 'Monthly Farmer,' 'Cul- 

 tivator,' 'Visitor' or some other periodicals, as often 

 as once a week. 



Both interest and duty would lead every farmer 

 to pursue a much more general course of readino-. 

 Works on Natural Science, Political Economy, 

 History, Biography, and other works, to aid him in 

 understanding and sustaining his rights and duties 

 as a republican and christian, may be read and 

 studied by every farmer, who wishes to realize their 

 benefits. 



More favorable opportunities could hardly be 

 provided for improvement by reading and social in- 

 tercourse than are furnished in farmers' winter 

 evenings. By reading, examining specimens, per- 

 forming experiments, and by meetings for improv- 

 ing each other, every farmer besides becoming 

 highly intelligent and successful in his own busi- 

 ness, may be sufficiently enlightened in the rela- 

 tions he sustains in society, and in the relati'ins ex- 

 isting between the various classes and departments 

 of society, to enable him to fulfil not only the duties 

 of a private citizen, but of such public offices as 

 his fellow citizens may call him to perform. 



Reading, social intercourse, cabinets of nature, 

 chemical and philosophical experiments, scientific 

 exchanges, and especially couimon schools, must be 

 greatly aided by well qualified lecturers on the dif- 

 ferent subjects of school education, physical scien 



nilv cabinets, or collections of minerals plants r^®^' P"''*'''^^' ^'^""°'"y' ^"'l numerous subjects of 



^11„ ; 1.. J : ... .'. ' . 'riaefiil L-,i^»,lo^„„ . 1 ... _.-,!.. : 



touching it. With the hints already given, as few 

 and as brief as they are, 1 must dismiss the subject, 

 with the kind regards and high esteem of 

 Your friend, 



J. HOLBROOK. 



Hen Coops. — Hens are useful— valuable, anj 

 as profitable as any stock on the farm; but like oth- 

 er stock, they should have an enclosure by them- 

 selves at certain seasons of the year, especially in 

 the spring when the sowing and planting begina. 

 A very cheap and convenient yard may" be made 

 for them by taking common boards, a suitable num- 

 ber of posts— nail the boards so nigh together that 

 the hens cannot get through between them. This 

 frame need not be more than four or five foethin-h. 

 Then at the top nail on shingles cut so as to make 

 sharp points, and nail them up say two inches apart 



Laths cut and nailed on are better or narrovir 



sticks split and made sharp, and nailed on, will an- 

 swer the purpose. A door of convenient size may 

 he made to go in at. The hens may then be put 

 in and there will be little dangerof their attempting 

 to scale the walls. The sharp points sticking up 

 all round, look too formidable. '] he philosophy of 

 the thing is this. The hen is not very good for 

 flight, and when she attempts to fly over anything 

 she almost invariably lights upon it, and then jumps 

 off. As they cannot light and rest upon these 

 sharp points, they cannot get over very convenient- 

 ly, and should any succeed in flying over at a sin- 

 gle leap, their wings may be clipped. When put 

 into one of ihese coons, food should be kept by 

 tiiem constantly, and also water — a little ashes for 

 them to shake up among their feathers in a sunny 

 day, some gravel to grind their food with, and some 

 lime to manufacture into egg shells. When thus 

 supplied, they ^il! lay as well and do as well here 

 as when out ranging about. We keep our hena 

 and turkeys in such a yard, and find that they do 

 extremely well Maine Farmer. 



Gigantic Cloveh. — A late number of the Loiv- 

 don Globe, contains the following account of a new 

 species of clover, the seed of which has just been 

 brought into that country from Asia : 



"A gentleman has just arrived from Georgia who 

 has brought with him a new colossal and prolifie 

 clover seed from Bukhara, which he is going to 

 submit to Mr Loudon. According to the accounts 

 of the most celebrated travellers who have visited 

 that distant and important country, which is equal 

 in climate to Great Britain, all grains, herbs and 

 vegetables distinguish th^nselves by their gigantic 

 growth. The clover seed just imported, grows to 

 the enormous height of twelve or fifteen feet, and 



