Proceedtxgs of the Far2iees^ Club. 737 



of the pupils in sncli a manner as to make tlie establishment self-sup- 

 porting. This idea has been approved in ditferent institutions in 

 England and France, but especially in Germany by Mr. Edward 

 Lucas, who, establishing an extensive nursery on about forty acres of 

 land adjoining the college, tried to give a practical as well as a gene- 

 ral theoretical instruction in horticulture. The nursery is entirely 

 worked by the pupils of the school. Fruit trees of all kinds, small 

 fruits and vegetables are cultivated, and there are green-houses. The 

 theoretical instruction includes pomology, botany, geology, agricul- 

 ture, chemistry, landscape gardening, mathematics, bookkeeping, 

 drawing. The course is formed from two difterent classes. The 

 time of instruction to secure a diploma for the iirst class is one year, 

 for the second class three years. My proposed horticultural school 

 shall be founded on similar principles of business combined with 

 instruction. But I wish to take in some higher aims with my insti- 

 tution — the education for family lite and for co-operation in work. 

 I intend to do this by introducing a warm and happy home life, a 

 life full of work and duties, but also full of pleasures. Balls, parties, 

 and theatres are not all the year round at hand in farmer's life, and 

 they wont make our life happy. What is needed is to fill our own 

 little rooms — and sometimes the smaller the better — with the bright 

 sunshine, reflected from our own happy heart and spirit. We enjoy 

 life and work, because we understand it and have pleasure in doing 

 it. We have to educate our daughters, and sons, too, not only to be 

 happy, we have to educate them to make home happy, and that 

 w^ants instruction. The education in co-operation of work is also a 

 Avant of our time. Co-operation signifies working together by estab- 

 lished principles. Our life in family, in mamage, in state, is nothing 

 but co-operation. Co-operation, in its true meaning, demands the 

 most republican, and most ideal self-denial. The most prominent 

 offer has been made by Mr. Eobert W. Pearsall, on Oakland farm, 

 Brentwood Station, Long Island, who intends not only to make a- 

 present of fifteen or twenty acres of land to the proposed horticultural 

 school, but also of more than $2,000 of the improvements he put on 

 a place near his own. This place contains a small, but very pleasant 

 cottage, a second house for the gardner, and a barn, four acres of 

 land in good cultivation, with bearing fniit trees, quite near the. 

 railroad, and its cost is $3,300. May not the Farmers' Club, as a 

 branch of the American Institute, or the horticultural department 

 of the same institution, be able to furnish the §3,300 which are 

 [Inst.] 47 



