114 
a farmer’s education. 
nate as to procure a faithful man, his work will 
be better done, answer the ends he has in view, 
and he will b*e well rewarded for his outlay of 
capital. 
Cornelius Baker. 
Rahway , New Jersey , Jan. 3 d, 1844. 
We can add our testimony to that of Mr. Baker 
in favor of this system of brush draining; for seven 
years ago this month, (April,) we drained a field 
nearly in the manner that he recommends. The 
land lay nearly level, and being a stiff clay, retain¬ 
ed the surface water so long upon it, as to make 
it nearly valueless. Our drains draw well to this 
day, and we think will last full 20 years. Of part 
of this land, we made a very fine garden, which 
produces well all sorts of vegetables, fruits, and 
vines, usually grown. 
A FARMER’S EDUCATION. 
We bespeak an attentive perusal for the admi¬ 
rable article which follows. It treats upon a sub¬ 
ject of vital importance to the republic, and one 
which, to our disgrace, has hitherto been almost 
entirely neglected. Other nations are now taking 
effective measures for the scientific agricultural 
education of their people, and shall we look on 
supine and inert? By the introduction of a supe¬ 
rior system of agriculture, England calculates 
within ten years of becoming an exporter of wheat! 
We must advance in an equal step with the na¬ 
tions abroad, or we shall soon become, notwith¬ 
standing our boasted independence, their mere 
hewers of wood and drawers of water; for their 
superior enlightened minds, directing matter, 
would soon outrival and finally overwhelm us. 
Mount Vernon , Jan. 31 st, 1844. 
“ Practical farmers require the simplest and 
most elementary statements .” This is an extract 
from the preface of Productive Farming, a work 
lately compiled by Joseph A. Smith, with praise¬ 
worthy motives, and designed “ to present the sci¬ 
entific and technical writings of the principal agri¬ 
cultural writers of the present day, to the industri¬ 
ous farmer in a form less repulsive, because less 
learned, and consequently more generally intelli¬ 
gible.” Such is the avowed object of the work, 
and mortifying as is the fact, nevertheless, “ ’tis 
true, and pity ’tis, ’tis true.” 
That men, born and educated on this continent, 
men of mature judgment, and, taken as a class, 
of greater intelligence than the like class in any 
other country, and enjoying more political rights 
than any similar class in the world, should, in lit¬ 
erature solely applicable to their own particular 
calling , be thus placed on a footing with children , 
and be compelled to admit the justice of so placing 
them, indicates most conclusively the existence of 
error in some part of our social organization re¬ 
quiring a remedy. These reflections have frequent¬ 
ly pressed themselves on my mind, and while I 
must admit the truth of Mr. Smith’s assertion, and 
would most unwillingly impute any other object 
to him than that avowed in his compilation, I am 
clearly of opinion that he has not adopted the right 
method of serving the farmers, and of curing the 
acknowledged evil. 
The scientific works of learned men must not 
be abridged and brought down to the intellect of 
the industrious farmer ; but the intellect of the in¬ 
dustrious farmer must be elevated and brought up 
to the easy comprehension of scientific works. A 
work on agriculture, because containing scientific 
terms, must not be as repulsive to a farmer as a 
spider, a caterpillar, or other insect, to a delicate 
lady. I trust Mr. Smith will be fully compensa¬ 
ted for his labor by the sale of his work, for he 
deserves it; but with all due deference to his bet¬ 
ter judgment, and without disparagement to the 
work or its author, I maintain that he has mista¬ 
ken the remedy, and the only one proper to be 
adopted in this country. Both the cause and the 
remedy are clearly pointed out in the first sentence 
of your article, page 2 of current volume. “ The 
present system of educating the rural population 
of the country is not what it ought to be .” To 
this point must the public attention be directed— 
a reformation in the kind of instruction given in 
the district schools throughout the state is abso¬ 
lutely necessary. Let the primary acquirements 
and learning received through those schools be of 
the proper kind, and we shall soon see that the 
intellect of the “ industrious farmer” is as capable 
of high cultivation and improvement as the noble 
farms and the most fertile soils of our country. 
Let them acquire in their childhood what will be 
serviceable in manhood. 
Through the district schools the farmers are 
furnished with the sure and easy means of correct¬ 
ing this ignorance—now ripened into a proverb, 
and in doing so, will re-establish the dignity of 
their occupation. In place of inspectors and com¬ 
missioners of common schools, there is now chosen 
in each town, a town superintendent, who has the 
entire control over all the teachers to be employed, 
and of all the books to be used in those schools. 
The farmers have the choosing of all those town 
superintendents. Let them bear this in mind. 
They are the electors , and can make their own 
selection of efficient officers, and let not politics or 
party feelings pollute those selections; let them 
be sanctified by the righteous and single purpose 
of selecting such men, and such only, as will with 
cheerfulness and ability attend to those duties. 
Duties full as responsible and important, when 
justly appreciated, as those discharged by the gov¬ 
ernor, chancellor, judges, or other officers admin¬ 
istering the various duties of civil government. 
The youthful mind is committed to their charge. 
The future usefulness of our young and growing 
population throughout the country depend on them 
to be formed and moulded as those superintendents 
may direct. 
A want of proper knowledge on the subject mat¬ 
ters of their avocation, is in reality the cause ofi 
the seeming want of respectability in a farmer’s 
