1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



35 



In our climate, this arrangement would not an- 

 swer. The severity of the winters demand more 

 protection from a low temperature than the 

 strongest walls would alone aft'ord. Where a dry 

 gravelly bank is at command, a room could be 

 constructed, part beneath the surf\\ce, and part 

 above — the exposed part covered with the earth 

 thrown out from below ; which would make a 

 fruit-room to perfection. 



After all, the keeping of fruit on a large scale 

 is not within the wants of most of our readers, who 

 have but a few bushels, and in whose eyes a spe- 

 cial fruit-house would not be warranted by the 

 small quantity to be kept. There is then no al- 

 ternative, but to make the best use of the facilities 

 cellars, rooms, or out-buildings afford ; and for 

 this, barrels, boxes, cupboards and enclosed cases 

 must be called into requisition ; being careful to 

 ensure a temperature of about 40° to 50°, not too 

 damp or dry, and if somewhat dark, the better. — 

 Oardener^s Monthly. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 AGRICULTURE IN COMMON SCHOOLS. 



Mr. Editor : — I propose to ofl'er a few more 

 reasons, to show that practical and scientific agri- 

 culture cannot be successfully taught in our com- 

 mon schools. Perhaps this has been made suf- 

 ficiently evident already, without any additional 

 reasons. But I propose to pursue the subject a 

 little further, and roll the car of reason along the 

 plain atid smooth track of common sense, in order 

 to make "More Anon," who manifests a disposi- 

 tion to tread on the sore toes of others, "Clear the 

 track when the bell rings." 



But to the point at issue : It is a sufficient an- 

 swer to all that liaa been said, and to all that can 

 be said, in favor of introducing the study of agri- 

 culture into our schools, to say, that our common 

 school-teachers are not qualified to teach it. They 

 have not the requisite knowledge. And it is no 

 disgrace or dishonor to them to acknowledge the 

 fact, because it would be unreasonable to require 

 them to teach what they do not understand, and 

 what ought never to be taught in our common 

 schools. They ought not to be required to teach 

 agriculture, because it would be requiring them to 

 teach more than they know, and more than they 

 have ever had the means of knowing, and M-hat is 

 foreign to the particular -purposes of common 

 school education. Not one in a thousand is com- 

 petent to teach it, and all who attempt it, will 

 utterly fail in the attempt. The fact is, the sci- 

 ence of agriculcure is not understood by school- 

 teachers, and consequently they cannot teach it. 

 It has a length, and breadth, and depth, beyond 

 their utmost capacities. It requires a master's 

 skill — a professor's knowledge — to fathom and un- 

 ravel its mysteries, and teach it practically and 

 scientifically. But it should be remembered, that 

 a large proportion of teachers, both in summer 

 and winter, are young and delicate females, who 

 would make sorry work in teaching the science 

 and practice of agriculture. Their instruction 

 would be very much like that of the jabbering 

 monkey in the cheese-room, who undertook to 

 teach by example the best method of curing 

 cheeses and keeping them from moulding ; and 

 probablv they would nut bo any more successful 

 or entertaining in their uistruciiou than the mon- 



key was. It is in vain to tell me, that scientific 

 and practical agriculture can be successfully taught 

 by young and delicate females. It cannot be 

 done, and it ought not to be required of them. 

 The employment is inconsistent with the dignity 

 and simplicity of the female character, and with 

 the modesty and delicacy of the sex. 



Again, it is a sufficient atiswer to all that hax 

 been said, and to all that can Ix; said, in favor of 

 introducing the study of agriculture into our com- 

 mon schools, to say, that the children are quite 

 too small, too yoimg and too ignorant to uniler- 

 stand it. And yet "More Anon" would like to 

 have all the teachers stand with the great pitcher 

 of agricultural knowledge in hand, and endeavor 

 to pour it into the infant minds of these little chil- 

 dren, who have not the capacity to receive it. He 

 will not wait to have their capacities developed, 

 and their minds prepared for it by previous study. 

 No ; he would have this knowledge poured into 

 the minds of these children, while they are yet in 

 the common schools. Whether they be males or 

 females ; whether they understand the full force 

 and meaning of language, or not ; no matter how 

 deficient they may be in any of the common 

 branches of a common school education ; and no 

 matter what is to be their future occupation or 

 pursuit ; they must all study agriculture, in order 

 to please "More Anon." Now, as it is always 

 best for scholars to learn their A, B, c's, before 

 they attempt to learn to read, so it is always best 

 to learn those preparatory studies which are es- 

 sential to the understanding of any particular 

 branch of science, before entering upon that study. 

 The opposite course would be reversing the order 

 of nature, and "putting the cart before the horse." 



In fine, it is a sufficient answer to all that has 

 been said, and to all that can be said, in favor of 

 introducing the study of agriculture into our com- 

 mon schools, to say, that the people of New Eng- 

 land will never permit it to be .done. They have 

 a vote and a voice in this matter, and they will be 

 heard ; and their influence will be felt. They are 

 too wise and enlightened, and understand their 

 own interests and the interests of their children too 

 well, to allow of their being cheated out of their 

 common school education. They understand the 

 nature, design and operation of common schools 

 too well to suff"er them to be perverted to other 

 purposes than those for which they were original- 

 ly established — the education of all children alike 

 in the common branches of common school in- 

 struction. No man nor body of men will ever be 

 able to persuade, or to drive them from this posi- 

 tion which they have taken from clear convictions 

 of truth and duty. In their minds, truth and 

 falsehood are so well defined, and the cliaracter of 

 each so plainly traced, and so well understood, as 

 to be beyond the power of any man to confound 

 or obliterate. John Golusbury. 



Warwick, Mass., 1862. 



Grub in the Head of Sheep. — Dr. Dadd, in 

 a communication to the Prairie Farmer, says the 

 only way to prevent grub in the head of sheep, is 

 to put plenty of wholesome "grub" into the stom- 

 ach of the animal — and that it is a well known 

 fact, that sheep properly attended to, well fed and 

 housed, are never troubled with the parasite 

 known as the grub. 



