7 
enlarged upon, and a very comjilete system of imparting infonnation has l)een 
indicated piecemeal by the several writers, to finisli with a University training 
for young men who are to become scientific agriculturists. But the first consideration 
ought plainly to be how best to l)ring home to the people at large a practical 
acquaintance with such of the minor industries as can be commenced without 
the outlay of much money, and are calculated to increase their comfort, or in 
time to add materially to their income. While the children are becoming gradually 
acquainted with these at the schools, the parents should be induced to read about them 
in the tracts and pamphlets whicli we have, from the commencement of our inquiry, 
declared to be so much needed. The parents and children will thus be enabled to 
aid each other in the pursuit of knowledge, and the family discussions will end in 
experiment, if the means, in the form of seeds and plants, be rendered easily 
accessible. ^ The last stage of the process will be to create emulation, by the 
local societies offering ])rizes for such products as are adapted to the peculiar circum- 
stances of their several districts. 
16. hor the introduction of the more important new ci'ops, and improvement 
in the treatment of such as are not generally understood yet, informatioji of an 
. advanced kind must be imparted by means of sjiecially prepared treatises or judiciouslv 
conceiv'ed lectures. Ihe proposal of some of our agricultural correspondents, that 
theie should oe lecturei’s ti’avelling about among them, jminting out the peculiarities 
of soil, or suggesting clumges of crop or system, ought not to be overlooked. The 
uunieis as a class ^\aut leading*, and even one ([ualified person might effect a vast 
deal of good, travelling from district to district, mixing freely among them, now 
lecturing to a few collected together and encouraging discussion, or walking ov^er 
their grounds with individual farmers, and taking notes for future publication. A 
description of any district written in a conciliatory spirit would be read bv every 
resident within it, as well as by the farmers elsewhere, and might be made the means 
of conveying many useful suggestions. Besides, a well-qualified lecturer, acquainted, 
as he ought to be, with at least the first principles of geology, would be able to point 
to spots where mineral manures would prol)ably be found - and these are becomin«- 
urgejitly required under our present exhaustive mode of farming. Lastly, the 
biinging of the farmers together and they av’ow themselves ready to attend lectures 
freely — would materially aici in the formation of Fanners’ Clubs; and we need scarcely 
repeat the statement, that, if the farmers wish to make anv' real progress, they must 
meet more fiequentlv, and discuss the merits of new crops, new manure.s, new 
sj stems, and nevv industries, and impart to their neighbors the results of any e.xjreri- 
inents they may be induced to try. In making these suggestions, we do not overlook 
the fact that much valuable information is diffused through the countrv by means of 
newspapers devoting a portion of their space to agricultural and ruraf sulnects, but 
these can never entir-ely supply the special information needed. 
17. Example farms and gardens have been suggested as efficient means fori 
practical teaching. The word “example” is used in preference to “model,” because the 
object here is not to lay down any particular plan, either in farming or gardenino-, for 
imitation, but to prov’^e on a sufficiently large scale whether each new plant or tree is 
likely to lead to a profit or loss on its culture. Carefullv prepared annual returns would 
show the cost of sowing an acre of flax or hemp, or'of jilanting an acre of olives ov 
muloerries, with the yield year by year ; and persons interested in such things could 
learn the mode of treatment by oliservation, and see them at every stao-e of o-rowth. 
Ihen from these farms and gardens might be obtained large quantities of sudi seeds 
and cuttings as itvvould be_ advisable to distrilmte widely. Great benefit has lieen 
derived in Americii from raising and testing new plants in this way at first, and then 
giving to the jiractical farmers the seeds of all such as apiiear to be adaiited to the 
comitry Ami we have the. testimony of several residents in this colonv that the\- 
Wi ghidly aid m experiments of the sort, by carefully tending any new seeds or plants 
vvuth which tiiey may lie sujiplied. 
-1 1 1 I'egard to the second abject of the Commission, the inquiry as to how i 
the labor of persons at the disposal of the State may be most advantaa-eousl > used 
in piomoting^ tie intioductiou of novel industries, the opinions expressed arc verv 
decided. It is shown that there is prison lalior whidi may be emploved in a much 
more varied way than at present ; and many of the children at ‘the Industrial 
yhoqls, young as they are, might lie beneficially engaged for a portion of their 
time in the lighter work, such as tending young plants, weeding, or gatherino- 
I'he more im- 
portant crops 
and industries. 
ixample farms 
and gardens. 
abor at tin- 
disposal of the 
state. 
