VoL. III. 
AUGUSTA, GA., AUGUST, 1845. No. 8. 
ff.EC'rURU OF FSSOF. J^OMNSTO.X. 
We e.x’tract, .say.s the Tennessee Agriculturist, 
the tblluwing Lecture delivered by Prolessor 
Johnston, hetore the Parish Schoohnasters of 
Scotian I, from the Lfinbur^h (Scotland) Wit- 
ness, ot Septe nber -Joth. detailing many valua- 
ble improvemenis that ouaht to be of the first 
moment in tae old country. We hope to see 
the day speedily arrive when Agriculture in 
Schools, will be taught in every quarter of our 
land, and the generations that are to follow, 
beriefi'ted and improved. 
AGRICULTUR.AL INSTRUCTIO.N IN SCHOOLS. 
At the request ot a number ot parochial 
schoolmasters. Professor Johnston gave a lec- 
ture on Priday afternoon, in the High School 
Hall, on the introduction of agricuUural instruc- 
tion into elementary schools in ."icotlanil. There 
was a very full atten lance of schoolmasters and 
others interested in the matter, Mr. Gunn of 
the High School having been called to the 
chair, 
Professor Johnston rose and said, that he 
should not have presumed to have appeared be- 
lore them (the parish schoolmasters,) in refer- 
ence to so important a subject as agricultural 
education had he not been requested to do so by 
various partie.s---by members ot their own holy 
and others. He had communications from va- 
rious qtiarters on the subject, and had also had 
transmitted to him a memorial addressed to the 
Lord Justice-General from a parish school- 
master, e.icpressing a desire on the partofhim- 
seli and others of the body, to introduce, among 
the various branches ot education taught in 
'heir schools, some instruction in the principles 
and ^ ''vriculture. Besides, he had 
been eneouragcu.. . ■ bring the matter before 
them, because ol the result of a meeting lately 
held in Glasgow for the purpose of considering 
whether it was possible to introduce into ele- 
mentary schools instruction in the elements of 
chemistry as applied to agriculture, and that 
without interfering with the ordinary course of 
study in these schools. He had previously had 
some doubts on the subject; but after hearing 
some boys, from the Iri^h National Schools, 
who were brought to Glasgow lor the purpose, 
examined, all his scruples had been removed; 
and being himself satisfied, he now appeared 
before the present meeting lor the purpose ol 
stating his views of the matter. He was en- 
couraged also, from what he had since observed 
in various parts of the country; for he lound 
that there was a general desire on the oart of the 
agricultuiists that their chil Iren should receive 
that sort ol education of v^ hieh they themselves 
were deficient, in order that they might improve 
their con lition in life by cuUivating the land to 
more advantage than had hitherto been done. 
In what lie shriuld take the liberiy of saying, he 
begged to be distinctly understood, that he stroke 
only his own views— he committed no other 
parties to anv points in which they might think 
proper to differ from him. He did not appear 
before them as representing the Agricultural 
Chemistry Association, hut sim,oly as an indi- 
vidual, and in co.mpliance with their own re- 
quest — a request he had been most willing to 
meet. It was important that such instruction 
as he alluded to should be given, because the 
population of the country was ahead ol the pre- 
sent productive powers ofthe land — because the 
land did not now produce enough of corn for the 
people — and because the land ofthe count: y 
could easily be made to maintain a much larger 
population, and, in doing so, give more profit to 
the farmer, Scotland was as much c.dvanced 
in the science of agriculture as any other coun- 
try; but in every other country it had been de- 
irionsirated that the best cultivated districts^ 
might be improved by the application of chem- 
istry to the Ian 1. The general persuasion of its 
impoj'tan;;-e was such, that Agriculturaf Chem- 
istry Colleges had been established at Peters- 
burj, at .Moscow, in the We.sl Indies, in Eng- 
land, and also in Ireland. In fact, agricultural 
schools were springing up every where, in a way 
adapted to the circumstances of each country. 
He was clearly of opinion, that it was of espe- 
cial importance to introduce agricultural in- 
struction into our parish and other elemenlarv 
.schools. Some farmers who were possessed of 
wealth were enabled to send their sons to other 
than the parish schools to receive their educa- 
tion; but it was otherwise with the small farm- 
ers in many di-tricts, especially in Ayrshire, 
whose sons ha. I no other education than they 
received at these schools. He need not tell 
them how diificult it was lor the farmer to ac 
quire new and additional information when en- 
gaged in the cultiv-athm of his larm; therelore 
it was ot great importance, il the land was to be 
made more product! ve, that that kind of know- 
ledge which would conduce to acco nplish soiie- 
sirable an end, should be acquired while at 
school, by those who were to. succeed Iheix 
(athe.'-s in the cultivation of the soil. Besides 
the farmers’ sons, there were the son.sof tdie la- 
boring class, from whence the grieves all rose; 
and when they considered bow much the pros- 
perity ol the country depended on the knowledge 
ol the laborers, the meeting would see how im- 
portant it was that the sons of the laboring class- 
es should acquire that knowledge- betore they 
lelt school, thereby giving them the means ol 
rai.sing and bettering their future condition in 
life. His audience were probably aware, that 
an idea prevailed, that by giving to the laboring 
class a portion of land to cultivate, their moral 
condition as well as their animal comfort.s 
would be greatly increa.sed; tnerelore they 
would see how important it was that those 
classes should be properly educated, not only to 
promote the improvement of, the country gene- 
rally, but that they might be prepared for the 
cultivation ol allotments, should they obtain 
►hem, and be fitted to become more usetui mem- 
bers of §ociety than they iiad hitherto been. He 
came now to ihe consideration ol what should 
be taught. Agriculture divided itself strictly 
into three branches, — 1st, the culture and im- 
provement of the soil; 2.1, the rearing and iin- 
provement ot stock; and 3d, the use and iin- 
provenvent of agricultural implements. The 
force of agricultural societies had been mainly 
directed to ibe .■second branch, con>equenily the 
impi'ovement of stock h.ad gone ahead ol the 
improvement ot the land; and this in face of 
the fact, ihatdhe land vvas the more impoitani 
of the two, as being the ieeder not only of the 
stock, but of the people also. Indeed, he held 
in his hand a letter from a most intelligent far- 
mer, who stated that the stock was too good for 
the land. And as the cultivation of the land 
was ofthe greatest importance, the other two 
branches being subsidiary to it, the force ot the 
schoolmasters would be most usefully, as it 
would be most easily, directed to teaching in r-^- 
gard to the culture and improvement of the soil. 
Now, their teaching might be of two kinds — 
theoretical, or practical, or both. He would 
come to the consideration of both. He thought 
that in elementary schools they might easily in- 
culcate and impress on the minds ol the youth 
under their care, the principles upon which the 
culture of the soil ought to be based. Oi' the 
sciences on which these principles depend, 
chemistry was the most important; and it was 
necessary, therefore, before they could teach the 
young mind, that they should give a knowledge 
'of so much elementary chemistry as to make 
him understand the words used hy the chemists. 
It was not enough that he should know such 
names as soda and potasjj, — he should also 
know the difference betweep-lhem. The}' must 
not teach ant'SV-n'e science -for its own sake, but 
as an important branch of’fiational induslry. — 
They must not be led away by their attachment 
to one branch, such as chemistry, so as to give 
t ()0 much of it, but only so much as was neces- 
sary to explain the principles upon which that 
branch of industry was based, in order that the 
pupil might understand and comprehend the 
new 'words which they were obliged to make 
use of. They were to make their pupils, not 
chemists, not botanists, but scientific farmers ; 
for in that the public were interested and would 
support them. [Here Professor Johnston refer- 
led his audience to a catechism which he had 
drawn up at the request of the schoolmasters of 
A^'i'shire.] As lo the experiments they would 
find il necessary to make, they were few and 
very simple. F^or instance, here wasWie carbo- 
nate ot soda in one glass vessel, and the carbo- 
nate of lime in another. Take and pour spirits 
ol salt on them, and they would ob-serve carbo- 
nic acid gas arise, which extinguished a lighted 
taper when put into the vessel. They would 
also perceive that the smoke of the extinguish- 
ed taper floated on the top ot the gas, thereby 
showing how' much was in the vessel. This 
gas, they w ere aware, perfor.'ned most important 
functions; but it was not necessary to give the 
boy more information than was requisite to fi.x 
in his mind the name and property ofthe gas. 
Then as to phosphoric acid — here was a piece 
ot phosphorus, which they would observe, when 
he burned it under a glass, sent up white flames ; 
all they had to do, therefore, was to tell the boy 
that those white flames were phosphoric acid ; 
that the same was in his bones and in the food 
which he eats — and he would then easilv re- 
member w'bat phosphoric acid was. It the}' 
did not happen to have phosphorus by them, 
they might use lucifer matches, which are easi- 
ly procured, w'hieh on friction being applied to 
them send up the same sort ol white vapor as 
did the phospiiorus which they had just seen 
burned. They could also connect carbonic acid 
with the daily life ol the pupil, by telling him 
that what w’as produced when charcoal was 
burned wms w'hat he breathed. He would then 
go and tell his father that this same substance 
which he throw’s off from his lungs was what 
the leaves of plants sucked in ; that plants took 
it from starch, and that animals eat the starch to 
form it. After making an experiment to show 
that liquid manure was an important substance 
if applied to plants, as it greatly promoted their 
growth, the Professor then went on to say that 
the more simple the teacher could make his ex- 
periments the better—lhey should leach no more 
