162 



NEW ENGLAND FARMF^Tl. 



May 



AN" AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



The attention of the reader is called to an arti- 

 cle on another page, upon the subject of found- 

 ing an agricultural college in this State, under cer- 

 tain conditions imposed by Congress. These con- 

 ditions are in an act "donating public lands to the 

 several States and territories which may provide 

 colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the 

 mechanic art-i.'^ The common opinion entertained 

 is, that this grant contemplates only to benefit 

 agricultural pursuits, — but the following extract 

 from the act, Section 4, will show that this idea 

 is entirely erroneous. The land granted is to be 

 sold at the expoise of the State, the receipts to be 

 invested in stocks yielding not less than five per 

 centum upon their par value, and they must con- 

 stitute a perpetual fund, the capital of which shall 

 remain forever undiminished, "and the inierest of 

 which shall be inviolably appropriated to the en- 

 dowment, support and maintenance of at least 

 one college where the leading object shall be, 

 without excluding other scientific and classical 

 studies, and includmg military tactics, to teach 

 such branches of learning as are related to agri- 

 culture and the mechanic arts." This, the reader 

 will observe, is not in consonance with the com- 

 mon opinion in regard to the matter. 



Another point to be considered is, that no por- 

 tion of the money received from the sale of the 

 lands can be paid for the construction of build- 

 ings ; whatever ihet/ may cost must be furnished 

 by the State or by individuals. Any State avail- 

 ing itself of the benefit of the act inust provide 

 not less than one college within Jive years, or the 

 grant will cease, and the State is bound to pay the 

 United States the amount received for any lands 

 that may have been sold. 



This whole subject has been before the Legisla- 

 ture. 



In the report of the Committee, to whom the 

 matter was referred, they state that Massachusetts 

 has twelve Senators and Representatives, which 

 entitles the State to land scrip for 360,000 acres 

 of land. The course which they recommend to 

 be pursued we regard as the safest one, and if 

 adopted, and energetic measures are at once insti- 

 tuted to sell the land, will be quite likely to re- 

 move something of the prejudice now entertained 

 against the whole scheme. They recommend "to 

 receive the land scrip, and dispose of it as rapidly 

 as possible on good terras, and ascertain precisely 

 what the fund will amount to, before any large 

 expenditures are authorized. And even when it 

 shall have been all collected and funded, it should 

 be so employed as, like the school fund, to induce 

 the liberal expenditure of money from other 

 sources, so as by combination with that, to pro- 

 duce the greatest possible benefit." The report 

 goes on to say : 



The object is not, as many seem to imagine, solely 

 to promote agriculture. "Agriculture," tliough men- 

 tioned first, lias no pre-eminence in the law over "the 

 mechanic arts." The terms "agriculture and the me- 

 cluuiic arts," were evidently chosen to represent all 

 forms of i)ulustry, which, by handicraft and the use 

 of machinery, contribute to the sustenance and com- 

 fort of man. And the primary design of thi.s dona- 

 tion was not directly to promote even these forms of 

 industry. It was to aid the States to sustain collcc/es 

 or schools, in which that science should be taught' on 

 which all the industrial arts depends, withoat exclud- 

 ing any science because its immediate practical Ijene- 

 tit might not be seen, and not neglecting military tac- 

 tics. 



Whatever agencies may be established that will 

 judiciously aid in instructing our people, of every 

 class, we shall hail with real satisfaction, and shall 

 improve every opportunity to co-operate with such 

 agency, and contribute whatever we can to its suc- 

 cess. We are free to confess that, upon a more 

 carefid perusal of the act, the reading of the re- 

 port of the Legislative committee, and that of a 



committee of merchants of Boston interested in 



* 

 the scheme, we look upon it with favor, and wish 



it distinguished success. It will require, however, 



on the part of the State authorities, great energy, 



discernment and precision — to secure the objects 



sought without embarrassment and loss to the 



State. The report continues : 



There can but one serious impediment in the way 

 of making a true professional agricultural school in 

 this State prosper, and that is a'want of intere>t in it 

 among the agricultural population. An experimental 

 farm may be obtained, model buildings can be erect- 

 ed, accomplished professors and lecturers can be em- 

 ployed, all that is known about the science of this 

 branch of industry, which, though no more essential 

 than many other occupations, yet docs support all 

 other industrj', can be explained and illustratated; 

 and the young man who intends to be a farmer can 

 be enabled to learn, in a few months, fiir more than 

 he could obtain by a whole lifetime of laljor and 

 thought, if dependent alone on himself. The re-our- 

 ces of thought of all ages and countries can be poured 

 at his feet. That any can ridicule, or oppose, or un- 

 dervalue such an institution, is one of the strongest 

 reasons why it should be established. They are not 

 yet sufficiently enlightened to know their own wants. 



The last sentence of this quotation is signifi- 

 cant. "They [the farmers] are not yet sufficiently 

 enlightened to know their ovm wants. How they 

 shall obtain this light, is the great question in 

 issue. If the college were thoroughly estab- 

 lished, to-day, so far as farmers are concerned, it 

 would be of comparatively little advantage. Few 

 qualified to enter it could be found. It would be 

 too high up, beyond their reach. They must be- 

 gin lower, and ascend in the natural way. That 

 way, to our mind, is clear, available, and certain 

 in its results. We have seen it demonstrated. 

 It can be again and again, at little cost, and will 

 arouse that want of interes' which, the commit- 

 tee's report says, is the "one serious impediment 

 in the way of making a true professional agricul- 

 tural school prosper in this State." 



Let us see. The Legislature appropriates some 

 $25,000 or $30,000, annually, to the various 

 county societies to aid in promoting the interests 



