158 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



April 



we shall teach the scholars, as he took it for 

 granted that a boy or girl could as soon learn the 

 names of things as the abbreviations ; it was easier 

 to learn the component parts of a handful of 

 soil than it was to analyze a sentence in Milton. 

 And if teachers were so disposed, they would find 

 it much easier and more profitable to teach their 

 pupils the names of the birds flying over the school 

 house than to teach them to enumerate billions. 



The speaker said that the question was, what 

 can be done practically ? The Commonwealth are 

 sustaining some 40 scholarships ; put these boys 

 in the scientific school, and in three years they can 

 get into our high schools and teach our boys and 

 girls; and this course the speaker said would be 

 a much quicker method of teaching agriculture 

 than our Legislature would take, he was sure. Then 

 take our Normal schools, to the success of which 

 he alluded in high terms, and instead of devoting 

 so much time to the higher branches of mathe- 

 metics, teach the pupils chemistry and botany in 

 the fields. This can be done and should be done. 



Alluding to ladies studying experiments in ag- 

 riculture, he said that no lady need be ashamed to 

 say she has tried such experiments, and it should 

 be a matter of pride to her to say that she has done 

 so. He closed by saying that it would be better, 

 -in our high schools, if, instead of spending so 

 much time in the study of the higher branches, the 

 scholars should learn the rudiments of farming. 



Dr. George B. Loring, of Salem, said he was 

 not certain that our farmers did not themselves 

 possess the elements of agricultural education. He 

 had thought, when listening to an argument be- 

 fore the Agricultural Committee a few days ago, 

 that we should engraft into the minds of our chil- 

 dren a respect for the profession of their fathers, 

 and a love for farming. We don't, said he, want 

 Boston to draw away the life-blood of the State, 

 but we want to render farming, by education, so 

 pleasant, as to mduce Boston boys to engage in it. 



Mr. Loring suggested the basis of a manual of 

 agricultiore for our schools, to state Avhat agricul- 

 ture is — ^how respectable, and important and use- 

 ful — how to plant, to plow, and further, how to ap- 

 ply the science of agriculture in the district to he 

 -farmed; showing the differeat breeds of .cattle, 

 pasturage and other matters of practical use. 



He said that he had found from conversation 

 with farmers in different parts of the country, 

 that they knew more about what they could pro- 

 duce than could be told them, and what was prof- 

 itable in one place, was not so in another. He con- 

 cluded by saying that he granted we wanted an 

 agricultural college, and he had no objection to a 

 county school, but he wanted the people to come 

 and ask for these, before they were established. 



It was announced that the discussion of the same 

 subject would be continued at the next meeting. 



.,; ■ ••: •• ^FoT fhe NetD England -Farmer.- 



THOITGHTS SUGGESTED BY JANUARY 

 IsTUMBER OF N. E. FARMEK. 



Page 9 — Calendar for January.— The example 

 of the mtrchant and the man of business, who at 

 this seastm of the year take an annual res^-iew df 

 their transactions, take stock, foot up their books, 

 and ascertain the results of the labors and specu- 

 lations of the year, is in this article very appropri- 

 ately placed before the farmer for his imitation. 

 And it would surely be a satisfaction if farmers 

 should more generally be at the pains to keep 

 such debtor and creditor accounts with their sev- 

 eral fields and crops as to be able to determine 

 which of their crops, products and modes of man- 

 agement were yielding them the most remunera- 

 tive returns. Then, too, besides the satisfaction 

 there would be a positive and pecuniary advan- 

 tage, for they would thus be able to decide what 

 departments of their business yielded the largest 

 returns, and thus obtain the best possible guid- 

 ance for their future proceedings. 



Farmers might, also, make a reti-ospect of the 

 year from another point of view, contributing at 

 once to their own advantage and to that of others. 

 They might take a review of the year for the sake 

 of deriving from it all the lessons and hints it 

 might be capable of furnishing. Every farmer of 

 an observing and reflecting turn of mind could 

 derive lessons of value either to himself or others 

 from the events of every year, for whether his la- 

 bors and modes of management have resulted in 

 failure or success, a valuable lesson for future 

 guidance might be derived from these results, of 

 Avhichever kind they might be. Those hints and 

 lessons which might seem of little use to any but 

 himself he might note down in a "Book of the 

 Farm" for his own private use ; while those which 

 seemed likely to prove serviceable to some of his 

 brethren, he might Avrite out and give to the pub- 

 lic thi'ough the columns of some agricultural pa- 

 per. . . ^ 



Page 12— Is Farming Projitable ^—Althongh 

 Mr. Pihkham seems disposed to exaggerate some- 

 what in his pleadings on one side of this question, 

 and thus to injure his argument, still it seems 

 highly probable that the discussion of this ques- 

 tion will eventuate in considerable good. One 

 of the good results likely to come out of tlois dis- 

 cussion will consist in spreading abroad more 

 generally a knowledge of the fact, Avhich some 

 merchants and consumers of farm products seem 

 resolved to ignore or deny, that farming is not 

 quite so profitable as many suppose, and that it 

 yields smaller returns than most other kinds of 

 business in which an equal amount of capital and 

 labor is employed. Another good result may come 

 of this discu,ssion, if it should make more mani- 

 fest to all concerned what are the chief j;easons 

 why farming proves profitable to some and not to 

 to others. 



Page 13 — John Chinaman as an Agrictdhirisi. 

 — The practices adopted by our brethren in China 

 furnish hints which many might avail themselves 

 of with not a little advantage. For example, the 

 soaking of seeds in some kind of fertilizing liquid, 

 before sowing or planting, is not as common in this 

 country as it might be. It secures usually an early 

 start and a vigorovis growth in the early stages of 

 vegetatiojx. Our favorite st^ps a?e pi-epared fey 



