4884 
PRIZE ESSAY —Class I. 
A. C. BARROWS. 
HOW SHALL WE EDUCATE OCR CHILDREN 
AGRICULTURALLY ? 
Object-lessons are the first educators of 
children, and the experiences of life are year¬ 
long object-lessons. Too many farmers pay 
no attention to the comfort of their families. 
They must walk, often through rain, snow or 
slush, to distantoutbuildings, and to the spring 
or well. The front yard is weedy or littered 
with neglected shrubbery. Odorous manure 
heaps are at baud—indeed, often right oppo¬ 
site the door. The rooms ure cold, unless com¬ 
pany is expected, and the whole family hud¬ 
dles over the kitchen tire, which is often sup¬ 
plied with green wood fresh from the snow. 
Thus the best-learned lesson of early life is 
that farming and comfort do not go together. 
I know that these painful economies are often 
necessary, and are therefore to be regretted 
rather than blamed. But when unnecessary, 
when thej r are the results of habits contracted 
during the privations of pioneer life and uu- 
worthily persisted in, they are blameworthy. 
They are unfeeling, and lead the youth of the 
whole neighborhood to think that town is the 
only place for comfort. But a really comfort- 
aide farm home and farm life are, even to the 
children of the poor who must forego many 
conveniences, proofs that tlielr trials and hard - 
ships are not due to country life. 
Useful object lessons can be taughtour chil¬ 
dren by taking them to see the liest, farms, 
barns, orchards, stock and crops within our 
reach. The more one is conscious of his own 
inability to have the best, the more pains ho 
should take to show his children the best else¬ 
where. They will thus form a high ideal of 
farming, and be convinced that it is practi¬ 
cally attainable. It will be a wonderful tonic 
to your children to learn, by actual acquaint¬ 
ance with men who have succeeded, that there 
is an honest living aod much more to bo earned 
on a farm. This is the sort of testimony 
needed by the young to counteract the glitter¬ 
ing pictures of success in town life which our 
newspapers display, extolling and idolizing 
the few millionaires, but forgetting to describe 
the hundreds of thousands of “ the people’’ 
who sink to the bottom in unroported misery. 
For similar reasons our children should not 
only be well-bred at home, but introduced to 
the social life of the more refined families of 
our neighborhood, till it shall be impossible 
for town-folk to sneer at rural manners os if 
the amenities of life were unknown in the 
country. I do not mean to advise any one to 
turn snob, and seek the patronage of local 
aristocrats; but 1 urge that when we have a 
choice of companions for our families, we 
should never forget that a child’s company is 
and must be a most persuasive educator in 
manners, good or had. There are happy, sunny, 
free and cheerful rural homes, whore the boys 
and girls do not think that a farmer’s dinner 
may bo devoured as noisily and hastily as 
pig’s feed, or that to sit iu offensive boots and 
soiled shirt-sleeves is to show respect enough 
for a farmer’s wife or daughter; where the 
couimou forms of politeness, the simple, un¬ 
ostentatious courtesies of good breeding, the 
habits of real young gentlemen and young 
ladies are matters of course. To introduce our 
childreu, so far as we can, to the social life of 
such homes in preference to those where con¬ 
duct is more rude, will surely' tend to save 
them from that too common boorishness which 
gives to the word “rustic” Resting; and from 
that shame of country life which can only 
tend powerfully to its abandonment. 
The last object-lesson which 1 will mention, 
is furnished by horticultui-e and home adorn¬ 
ment. A neat lawn, a wise assortment of 
ornamental trees, a profusion of fruits of all 
kinds, a bountiful supply garden vegeta¬ 
bles, flowers which ourchildreu are permitted 
to pluck und play with, a reasonable outlay 
for books, pictures and papers and, perhaps, a 
little fancy stock to satisfy the child’s desire 
for pets, will enable our young folks to wel¬ 
come their stylish friends without shame, and 
draw them back from trips of business or 
pleasure with unwavering belief in the bene¬ 
fits and delights of rural life. 
The precious, though unconscious, educa¬ 
tional influence of early happiness must, in 
due time, be accompanied and followed by 
systematic home training—of the boys in 
farming, of the girls in working and house¬ 
keeping as arts, art being applied science. 
The common belief that our improved ma¬ 
chinery can be substituted for personal knowl¬ 
edge and skill, is a gross and costly error. It 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
is, indeed, true that farming and house-keep¬ 
ing, too, have been revolutionized by our 
inventors. When my son came in from the 
oat-field the past Summer, I showed him how, 
from the selecting of the seed, to the grinding 
of the crop into oat meal, every item of labor 
connected with the oat crop had changed 
since I w as a boy, excepting only pitching 
and loading the bundles. Every one of the 
chaugos is an improvement, and yet a farmer 
will fall behind now just as certainly aud 
ruinously as then, if he trusts the machine 
and neglects himself. I believe that to-day, 
more than ever before, we need a cultivated 
judgment; an eye quick to detect errors 
leaks and chances to improve; a knowledge 
of the reason of things; that dextrous and 
sure use of our faculties which can come only 
from discipline; a mastery of manifold appli¬ 
ances; an exact and ready acquaintance with 
adaptations, ami thoroughness in detail from 
beginning to end. Your son, if his personal 
training in the business of farming is neglect¬ 
ed, will flounder through each season and 
tumble in the ditch at last, no mutter what 
quantity and quality of laud, stock and tools 
you give him—unless indeed be is a genius at 
farming, which ho is no more likely to be, 
than your horses to be racers without train¬ 
ing. 
The demands of successful farmiug are iu- 
creasiug; it will take a whole man to meet 
them. Mind, judgment, power to accurately 
observe and safely reason must, be cultivated 
along with skill. We want our sons to be fit 
to superintend as well os to execute. Yearly, 
therefore, they should he called to a regular 
“council of war,” be required to say how they 
would distribute the crops among the fields, 
and why; how each Held should be plowed, 
and why; what varieties of seed to provide, 
and how much (this last item to bo exactly 
computed), etc., et*. Whatever manual skill 
we possess we should stiive to impart; what¬ 
ever we know or can learn, we should be will¬ 
ing to teach. Within certain safe limits it 
will he well at times t,o let our sons form their 
own plans and have their own way, even if it 
be against our judgment. They should bo also 
taught to keep books in such a way that the 
profit or loss of each lot and crop will be full 
and apparent. 
In the same way our daughters should bo 
instructed and disciplined iu that most useful 
of all arts, cookery, and in the various branch¬ 
es of housekeeping. They also should at times 
be allowed to get up a dinner or arrange a 
room to suit themselves. In the division of 
labor we should treat our boys and girls con¬ 
siderately, and not turn over to them only the 
disagreeable tasks, such as turning the grind¬ 
stone or washing the pots. Thus shall we 
equip them for health, happiness, and success 
iu the labors of the farm; and give them such 
a consciousness of ability and readiness to 
meet the farmer's many responsibilities, that 
they cun look forward to the lot of a fanner, 
or farmer’s wife, with pleasure. 
The farm affords the best opportunity to 
teach our children many of the grumler laws 
of natural science, those laws of which it is 
pre-eminently true that knowledge is power. 
To teach those lessons will cost time and 
patience, but it can be done. A great deal of 
zoology and animal physiology can be taught 
iu connection with the care of stock. Much 
botany can bo mixed with sowing, plauting, 
harvesting, testing seed, grafting, budding, 
etc. Some of the general la ws of geology muy 
be studied each year in the effects of rain, 
floods and frost. We can encourage inquiry 
and experiment, and by showing an interest 
iu natural science can often take them so far 
as to surprise ourselves. Indeed, by encour- 
aging them to become original observers, wo 
can often go farther with them than we have 
ever been before. This is the easier nowa¬ 
days, inasmuch as our agricultural papers are 
ready to answer all earnest questions, often 
sending these questions to scientific men, aud 
thus printing the answers of experts. With 
the aid of only a few books, and a cheap 
microscope and a good farm paper, many 
(at least of those who will read this essuy) 
can guide their children to a thorough ele¬ 
mentary acquaintance with natural science— 
that part of science which it is at once most 
profitable and pleasant to know—the pro¬ 
cesses aud methods of nature’s work; i%d 
any one of these may at any moment become 
the key to success. 
Progressive farmers will, of course, avail 
themselves of the educational help of farmer’s 
institutes, elute, horticultural societies, etc. 
There are also many excellent practical agri¬ 
cultural books that can be profitably studied 
at Lome. Our children should be taught to 
study (more than read) these books, and form 
the habit of consulting them. But the far¬ 
mer’s library should nut be limited to his pro¬ 
fession. The very isolation of his home should 
suggest to him the necessity of bringing the 
great world to bis family by bringing in the 
world’s choicest books. A few dollars will . 
command a large assortment of the most use¬ 
ful, delightful aud healthful of these. 
But the most important item under this head 
is the agricultural paper. The value of these 
papers is not measured merely by the worth 
of the facts they contain, the truths they tell, 
the errors they correct and the advice they 
give; they are also of great worth in stimu¬ 
lating thought and effort, in cheering and 
encouraging, and in keeping the farmer und 
his family in the world, even while his home 
is far away from its bustle, in the quiet coun¬ 
try. The freshly-arrived paper is like the 
visit of a personal friend. We read os if we 
were hearing and seeing our wise visitor. 
We judge, or perhaps take part in the discus¬ 
sions, as if it were our debating society. By 
all moans, therefore, teach your children to 
read and use the agricultural paper. Each 
week it will stimulate, refine and elevate your 
thoughts and lives, making them more hu¬ 
mane, rich and worthy, even aside from the 
pecuniary value of its instructions. But wlmt 
the papers say often leads to success. I know 
a man who constantly failed with celery; but 
two years ago he followed exactly the direc¬ 
tions of his agricultural paper and made a per¬ 
fect crop of over 8,000 plants. Another told 
me that his Rural had been worth to him 
more then $50 last season. I wish, therefore, 
to emphasize the remark that the Rural 
New-Yorker, with its Farmers’ Club and 
Youths’ Department, is of inestimable value 
to the children, and we should teach them how 
to so use it as to get the most benefit therefrom. 
I believe in a full, liberal education for far 
ruers. Though so few college men nre prac¬ 
tically engaged in the business, yet they fur¬ 
nish a very large per cent, of the short list of 
eminently successful farmers. Aud experi¬ 
ence has proved that no other profession has 
more use for complete education i. r. educa¬ 
tion designed to give one the command of all 
his powers. I also believe in agricultural 
schools and colleges, and regret that, hitherto 
they have been so little agricultural, so much 
like other literary or scientific schools. The 
evils which now weaken or pervert them can 
be readily corrected bv us farmers, as soon as 
we send our youths to thorn in numbers large 
enough to create a school sentiment favora¬ 
ble to farm life and pursuits. We can force 
the right supply by an overwhelming demand. 
We should demand thorough education and 
such a training as shall fit them to bo pros¬ 
perous farmers, many-sided, fertile in re¬ 
sources, able to learn rapidly, to plan, to fore¬ 
see and compute results, and patiently to work 
out their plans to the end. Such a class of 
farmers will aid very rapidly in rendering 
farming not only pleasant aud profitable, bub 
fashionable as well. 
3 nirua tr l S oc'utics . 
MEETING OF THE MICHIGAN HORTI¬ 
CULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The Summer mooting of the Michigan Hor¬ 
ticultural Society was held at Bay City, June 
20th and 2Lst. Bay City is located iu the Sagi¬ 
naw Valley, the greatest lumbering center in 
the country, and but little attention has as yet 
been given to fruit growing. Though the 
land is level and sometimes wet, all fruits do 
well, with the exception of peaches, and, in 
exceptional Falls, grapes; and fruit growing 
is rapidly extending. The soil is line sand and 
vegetable mold,and is perfectly adapted to veg¬ 
etable growing, and r never saw finer straw¬ 
berries than were in the market of Bay City. 
The display of strawberries from all parts of 
the State was excellent; the weather waa very 
warm, which severely tried their shipping 
qualities. There was certainly no berry that 
remained in better condition than the Wil¬ 
son, though Manchester, Captain Jack, and a 
few others, kept well. 
Reports from various parts of the State 
showed a good prospect for apples and 
most small fruits. There will be very few 
peaches, except in the immediate vicinity of 
Lake Michigan, The lute Spring frosts did 
considerable damage bo grapes and early vege* 
tables in the eastern part of the State, aud in 
some places injured apples which were in 
blossom. On the subject of strawberry cul* 
turn and improvement. President Lyon said 
that the constitution and all the qualities of a 
new variety depend, not only on its parents, 
but very largely on the cultivation, climate, 
and soil it has while young. The unusual suc¬ 
cess of Mr. Downer, of Kentucky, with now 
varieties, was largely due to the favorable 
climate. Mr. Hathaway, of Michigan, has 
produced several valuable varieties by cross¬ 
ing on the Scarlet, an old Virginia variety of 
vigorous growth and fixed character. Mr. 
Hathaway is the originator of the Bid well. 
The young seedlings should be protected from 
the direct rays of the sun. Mr. Stearns pre- I 
ferred for market, the Wilson; for near mar¬ 
ket, the Crescent; for home use, the Charles * 
453 
Downing. The Woodruff No. 1 is very popu¬ 
lar near Ann Arbor, where it originated. 
Professor Beal said that cultivation and 
change of soil might not improve u wild plant, 
but that seeds from such plants would bo like¬ 
ly to give improved varieties. The prevalent 
method of crossing a pistillate variety with a 
bisexual, though convenient, has a tendency 
to the production of pistillate sorts. To avoid 
this, remove the stamens and fertilize by hand, 
coveriug the fertilized (lower with a muslin 
sack to exclude insects. Many good varieties 
have come from chance seedlings, but euough 
has been doue to show that better results can 
bo obtained by careful selections aud judicious 
crossing. By these means it is possible to 
bring about almost any desired change; but, 
as we approach perfection, it becomes more 
and more difficult to make further improve¬ 
ment. The comparative influence of the pa¬ 
rents on the cross has been the subject of much 
discussion. A celebrated grower of geraniums 
sums Up the case a-s follows; “Home take after 
the male, some after the female, some after 
both, aud some after neither.” Avoid cross¬ 
ing varieties in which a marked detect exists 
in both. 
C. M. Weed, a student of the Agricul¬ 
tural College, “on the food of young birds,” 
has been examining the stomachs of a number 
of kinds, aud finds tho contents almost exclu¬ 
sively insects, mostly injurious; cut-worms 
were very common. Whatever the old birds 
feed upon, the young seem to require animal 
food, and tho amount, they consume is enor¬ 
mous. 
Prof. Cook described a new insect enemy 
which had made its appearance in the Saginaw 
V alley. It was found to be Agrotis formica, a 
species of cut-worm novel* before so numerous 
as to be injurious. The pests come in such 
numbers, eating nearly everything, as to have 
received tho name “blank army worm.” Like 
other cut-worms, they feed only at night, and 
are so numerous that poisoning is out of the 
question. It is probable that they will not be 
troublesome more than a year or two. 
In a discussion on sweet corn, Prof. W. W. 
Tracy, of Detroit, said the best conditions for 
the growth of sweet corn are exactly the same 
as those required for the production of tho 
sugar beet, and are the opposite of those re¬ 
quired for field corn. It requires a colder 
climate and a soil less rich in vegetable mat¬ 
ter. Potash fertilizers should not be used, but 
phosphutes instead. Barnyard manure, if used 
at all, should be well rotted. Secure a rapid 
growth by phosphates and thorough cultiva¬ 
tion. Sweet corn is the most important of all 
garden vegetables, and takes a similar place 
with us to that of peas in England. There is 
no vegetable more affected by a change of 
climate; tho cultivation for two or three gen¬ 
erations a few hundred miles either north or 
south, produces changes equal to a new varie¬ 
ty; u change of soil affects greatly, of course, 
the individual plant,, but it does not seem to 
affect tho tendency of the variety. Peas, on 
tho other hand, are easily modified by soil aud 
not by climate. 
No other corn crosses so readily, but varie¬ 
ties so produced are very hard to fix. Such a 
variety comes time the next succeeding gene¬ 
ration, hut thou it breaks up into a number of 
different forms, and it. is almost impossible to 
keep it tnm. The “Old Colony” Corn occa¬ 
sionally shows the trace of a cross of dent it 
received 20 years ago. Prof. Beal mentioned 
that the strawberries at the college produced 
a few plants with white fruit- undoubtedly 
from au early cross of the White Alpine varie¬ 
ty. The sweet corn. Potter’s Excelsior, origina¬ 
ted by Mr. Potter, R. I., is a cross of the Early 
Minnesota on the “Old Asylum.” The two 
varieties were planted in alternate rows, the 
product was planted the next year and then 
sent out under the above name. This is the 
reason it is so very uncertain. 
There often occurs, in a variety some pecu¬ 
liarity with certain new qualities. Thus the 
Red Narragansett is kuowu to be the same as 
the Early Minnesota, the latter being a selec¬ 
tion from the lighter-colored ears or the for¬ 
mer. He planted six or eight ears of tho Red 
Narragansett in tho order of their color, and 
found that they ripened in the same order, the 
lightest-colored first. This is an excellent va- 
riety, but it is not in favor with nimkec gar¬ 
deners, as, when a little too old, it shows its 
color. Varieties with a red cob may be cooked 
without discoloration by being placed directly 
in boiling water to which a little salt has been 
added, cooked as rapidly as possible, then re¬ 
moved from tho water. 
H. W. Davis, a grower and evaporator of 
sweet corn for market, said that sweet corn is 
more difficult, to germinate then field corn, and 
that more seed should be used iu plauting. If 
it comes up poorly, one stalk in a hill will pro¬ 
duce several ears, if well cultivated. The tall 
varieties, like the Egyptian, Mammoth and 
Evergreen, which are the best, should be 
planted not less than four feet apart each way. 
Corn should be picked as short a time before 
