Agricultural Schools—Donations, 
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loss to this fine section of country, of millions 
annually. If all other guards failed of pro¬ 
tecting sheep, we would recommend sending to 
Spain for some Alpine mastiffs, such as are 
used there to guard the flocks against wolves. 
Three of these large animals would be suffi¬ 
cient to protect a thousand sheep, and woe to 
the dog, however powerful he might be, that 
came near them. a. 
AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS 
Should at once be established throughout every 
State in the Union. We know of no appropriation 
that can be made by our Legislatures, that would 
render greater benefit to the country at large. And 
by schools we would mean to be understood in the 
most comprehensive sense of that term. These 
should be large and commodious buildings, either 
erected by the State or permanently hired, at conve¬ 
nient points, where not only Natural Philosophy and 
Mechanics, Chemistry and Geology should be taught, 
with their application to buildings, implements, ma¬ 
nures, and vegetables; but where also, all varieties 
of soils, and the best farming tools of every kind 
should be collected, their principles thoroughly ex¬ 
plained to the students, and practical lessons taught 
to every inmate. What an army of agricultural re¬ 
formers we should soon have scattered over the land ! 
What a tumbling there would be of the rickety im¬ 
plements and no less rickety systems, or rather want 
of all systems, in many that call themselves farmers 
now-a-days! 
Let not our sober minded readers apprehend that 
we are running wild on this subject, or conceive there 
is any patent way of producing crops or raising cattle 
without toil and attention. But what we claim is, 
that by using a plough made on a right principle, we 
can do twice as much work in a day, as with another 
made on no principle. That by using certain kinds 
of manures on certain kinds of soils, twice as great 
crops may be obtained as by their misapplication, from 
an ignorance of chemical and geological science. 
That by the adaptation of proper seeds and a proper 
inode of cultivation, twice as much may be procured 
from the land when prepared for a crop, as by culti¬ 
vating improper seeds; and finally, by feeding the 
crops to the right kind of animals, twice as much 
meat may be made, as from being fed to Pharoah’s lean 
kine. If we multiply all these two’s together, we 
have eight; and this ratio, of eight to one , is just about 
the difference we see in the progress towards wealth 
made by the skilful and ignorant farmer. 
^ Will our Legislators do something for the commu¬ 
nity”, themselves, and posterity, in this important 
matter 1 r 
Donations to Agricultural Schools, and other 
benevolent objects .—We have noticed with thesincerest 
pleasure, a bequest recently made by the late Benja¬ 
min Bussey, Esq. of Boston, of nearly $200,000, his 
late valuable residence in Roxbury, for the purpose of 
founding an agricultural school, and imparting infor¬ 
mation on agricultural subjects generally. 
Here, then, we have the first practical, efficient 
movement towards establishing an agricultural school 
in the United States. It has been left to a private in¬ 
dividual to take the first step in this important work 
that should have been taken by our State Legislatures 
years ago. But in the absence of public munificence 
for this object, which from all appearances, is likely 
jo continue, it becomes a matter of private charity, 
and as such, is as equally deserving private regard, 
as most of the charities of the present day. Whei 
shall we have an opportunity of recording a similar 
appropriation from some of our New-York million 
aires 'l 
We must here be allowed a remark, not for the pur¬ 
pose of indulging in invidious or disparaging compa¬ 
rison towards others, but for the sole purpose of ren¬ 
dering justice where it is due. We have often re¬ 
garded with admiration, the continued and large do¬ 
nations and bequests of citizens of the old Bay state, 
the ever glorious Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
for the promotion of science, and literature, and re¬ 
ligion ; and all the varied objects of charity, and the 
alleviation of the thousand ills that flesh is heir to. This 
is not fhe place to specify them, nor should we have 
room if inclined to, for their name is Legion; but we 
should be gratified to see a list of these, with names, 
dates, objects, and amounts; which, if furnished in 
detail, would exhibit the noblest array of philanthro¬ 
py and munificence, the world has ever shown. We 
remember to have seen some years since, a statement 
made ex cathedra, that the total of appropriations for 
the above objects made by citizens oi Boston alone, 
exceeded $1,000,000 annually. 
Individuals who make these appropriations, are 
generally speaking, the best fitted to superintend and 
carry out the general plan of their benefactions; and 
to illustrate our meaning let us cite two or three ex¬ 
amples. The late Stephen Girard, of Philadelphia 
left millions to endow an Orphan Asylum, for the sup¬ 
port and education of the friendless and destitute. 
From the moment of his death, which occurred six 
or seven years since, more than $2000 a week or 
$100,000 a year, in actual cash, was accruing on this 
fund, yet up to the present moment, what has been 
the result 'l The amount of income rigidly and eco¬ 
nomically applied to the object, would have given 
ample support to one thousand individuals from the 
moment of his decease for all time to come. Will 
any of our Philadelphia friends tell us how many, up 
to the present time, have received the benefit of this 
more than princely endowment 'l Our impression is, 
that few, if any, have thus far, of the poor and destitute, 
been the recipients of this bounty. We know that a 
board of a building committee was promptly orrgamzed, 
which, with directors and other managers, have con¬ 
sumed some $20,000 to $30,000 a year for the mere 
headwork for the construction of the Orphan's House l 
How much of this vast expenditure would have been 
saved to these little sufferers, had Girard himself, 
with all his practical good sense and efficient action, 
directed this object! He failed to perceive, that in 
his mode of giving, he endowed the scheming and the 
affluent, perhaps , more liberally than the friendless and 
destitute. 
In connexion with this example, let us mention two 
others, the first of which is in strong contrast with the 
one just cited. Some years since, a lady, single han¬ 
ded and alone, and without any pecuniary means of 
her own to assist her philanthropy and strong practi¬ 
cal good sense, procured subscriptions from benevo¬ 
lent individuals, to erect a plain, but substantial brick 
building, about 80 feet long, 50 feet wide, and six sto¬ 
ries high, in South Hadley, Mass., the object of 
which was to furnish instruction to young ladies of 
moderate circumstances, who wished to become fitted 
for teachers. The total expenses of their education 
consisted in the first cost of the provisions, which they 
cooked themselves; fuel, their necessary books, and 
a trifling sum for tuition in the higher studies; all the 
lower branches being alternately taught by the more 
advanced; the total sum required per week, but little 
exceeding one dollar each. When passing there last 
season we noticed with astonishment the enlargement 
of the building, by the addition to one end, and two 
