244 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



AUG. 



But to the question of when to cut the grass. 

 It must be, I think, quite evident to the unbiased 

 mind, that, when the plant has hardened up into 

 a woody state, it cannot be as nutritious as 

 when in a succulent or growing condiiion. All 

 its juices are changed. A large amouuiof silex 

 is added, and it partakes more nearly oi' the prop- 

 erties of straw that has foymed grain. It is a well 

 established fact, with many graziers, that they can 

 make beef from early cut grass as well as from 

 ))?&tr.ragc. This I regard as an important tcsti- 

 moiiy bearing upon this question. But the loss 

 to the farmer who cuts his grass late is not confined 

 to the fact of the hay not being as %'aluable for 

 milk and flesh exclusively — but his meadows suf- 

 fer, and are greatly injured by so doing. The ef- 

 fects upon the SM'ard are very serious. The plant 

 has put forth such exhaustive efforts in forming, 

 maturing and supporting the seed, that but little 

 vitality remains for recuperating its exhausted en- 

 ergies. Should dry weather set in, the farmer 

 will look in vain for aftermath. His fields are in 

 a condition to feel the full evil of his unwise course. 

 They are not very unlike the famishing mother, 

 who keeps her babe at the breast, knowing that 

 it is taking from her her vital existence. In the 

 coarse of a few years, this process must result in 

 diminishing very greatly the ([uantity of hay, and 

 render re-seeding absolutely necessary. 



These few hints, I trust, will lead the readers 

 of the J^'arHicr to try experiments suiiicient to fully 

 satisfy themselves of the wisdom or folly of the 

 suggestions made. K. o, 



June 15, 1863. 



For the New En stand Farmer. 

 KETROSPECTIVE NOTES. 



Agriculture in Common Schools. — In the 

 January number of this journal we find five arti- 

 cles on this subject, of which four may be found 

 by consulting the Table of Contents on the last 

 page, and the fifth, on page 39, without any cap- 

 tion, but headed with the maxim of Solomon, — 

 "Train up a child in the way he should go," &c. 

 Beside these five articles there have been several 

 others on the same subject in the late issues of 

 the weekly edition of this journal, some of which, 

 as those especially of N. T. TnuE, in the issues of 

 Nov. 22 and Dec. 27, would probably have found 

 a place in the monthly edition, but for the want of 

 space, and the claims of other communications 

 and other subjects. May we not infer from the 

 frequency with which this proposed innovation in 

 education has been handled or discussed for some 

 months past, that the questions connected with it 

 as to the best employment of our children's time 

 in school, the studies most likely to be useful in 

 after life, and other questions of a similar tenor, 

 are beginning to be felt to be of more importance 

 than has heretofore been attached to them ? Such 

 a])pears, certainly, to be one of the inferences 

 which may be legitimately drawn from the fre- 

 quency with wliich communications have a]5peared 

 upon the subject, in the columns of this journal, 

 during the past year. And we deem this increase 

 of iiiterest in questions relating to the education of 

 our children, and their preparation for the better 

 discharge of the duties of adult life, to be a change 

 in the public mind which promises to produce 

 some needful and beneficial improvements, and 

 which, therefore, is most gratifying to intelligent 



parents, patriots, and philanthropists. 



In common with many other parents and per- 

 sons interested in the education of the young and 

 rising generation, we have long felt that the time 

 spent by our children in the common schools was 

 not usually employed as well, and as much for 

 their advantage in after life, as seemed desirable, 

 and also practicable, if only the public at large 

 could be aroused to the discussion of existing im- 

 perfections and possible improvements. We have 

 long felt as if the course of studies in schools 

 might be much improved, if some of those which 

 are of little use in after life, as algebra, geometry, 

 rhetoric, the dead languages, and some others, 

 should be set aside, and more attention given to 

 those natural sciences which would be found of use 

 in all after life, either in explaining the phenome- 

 na of nature, or the processes and products of the 

 useful ar^s, which are of every -day occurrerice, 

 or in giving such knowledge of the occupations 

 and pursuits of common life as would throw light 

 upon the reasons and principles of these occupa- 

 tions, or lay a foundation for making improve- 

 ments therein. We have long felt that it is highly 

 desirable, because it would be greatly advanta- 

 geous, that the time of our children in their school 

 years should be occupied, more than it usually has 

 been heretofore, in studies that could be made di- 

 rectly or indirectly useful in the business of adult 

 life, and in ways that v/ould be more in accordance 

 with the important truth, so pithily expressed by 

 Milton, when he wrote, 



"To know- 

 That which before us lies in daily life, 

 Is the ijrime wisdom." 



With such persuasions in regard to existing im- 

 perfections and desirable improvements in the ed- 

 ucation of youth, we could not fail to be much in- 

 terested in the proposals and preparations lately 

 made for introducing into schools a study which 

 would give children an opportunity of becoming 

 acquainted with all those portions of the sciences 

 of botany, chemistry, climatology, meteorology, 

 physiology, geology, natural history, natural phil- 

 osophy, and other sciences, which have any bear- 

 ing upon the pursuits of rural life, — pursuits which 

 are likely to form the business, to a greater or 

 less extent, of a half or perhaps a majority of the 

 children in common schools, after completing 

 their school education. There are no pursuits or 

 occupations in life upon which, and upon the im- 

 provement of which, as much light can be thrown 

 from as many branches of science, as upon the 

 pursuits of agricultural life. Therefore it seemed 

 highly desirable that as much of the sciences re- 

 ferred to as could be made to be of service in the 

 business which is likely to be the main one of 

 more than a half of the pupils in common schools, 

 should be introduced as a study in these schools, 

 and that thus a foundation should be laid for 

 bringing m.ore intelligence and more knowledge 

 into the service of the farming fraternity, as also 

 for the introduction of all possible improvements, 

 and for elevating that largest class of society to a 

 higher rank, reputation and influence. 



Had there been within our knowledge a text- 

 book which might have been used in schools to 

 give children a knowledge of such portions of the 

 natural sciences as could be brought to bear upon 

 the explanation or improvements of the processes, 

 phenomena, and pursuits of common life general- 



