1846. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
75 
a scheme for conducting his own department of super¬ 
vision. These schemes were successively called for, 
read and discussed; and here it was, I felt the real great¬ 
ness of M. F. He elicited the warm but honest discus¬ 
sion of all the little points to be considered in these 
schemes, and found means to introduce a plain, easily 
to be comprehended, but deep and sound lecture upon 
the political economy, if I may so call it, of an agricul¬ 
tural community. 
The first scheme was that of the leader in all work. 
It was well drawn up for a lad. Each article was read 
and discussed, or assented to without inquiry, as it 
seemed to impress the infant council. One topic I 
recollect particularly. “ Should each member of a par¬ 
ty engaged in tbe same labor, judge of the excellence 
of the mode employed? and should he express his judg¬ 
ment? and if so, before the work was commenced, 
while going forward, or when concluded?” At first 
there was a little reserve; then came a variety of opin¬ 
ions. All thought that each should exercise his facul¬ 
ties to discover the best mode. Some thought that if a 
different mode would be better it should be made known 
before the work was commenced, as after its conclusion 
the discovery would be of little service. Others, again, 
that after its commencement, one would be better able 
to judge of the relative excellence of the employed and 
proposed plans, and that the time for expressing an 
opinion would be in the progress of the labor. Others 
still had different views, all of which showed that they 
have learned to think. The various opinions gave M. 
F. an opportunity to present the prominent features of 
a republican government—the necessity of obedience to 
some head, and confidence therein—the duty of investi¬ 
gation, and the proper time, as men and as gentle¬ 
men, for the expression of differing opinions when 
deliberately formed. His extempore alternate inquiry, 
reply, and dissertation, was one of the finest exhibitions 
of what a teacher may attain, I have ever known. 
Each officer in the republic holds his place fourteen 
days, and each has the strong stimulus of M. Fellen- 
berg’s approbation, of personal review, and of the con¬ 
sciousness that he will be succeeded by one whose high¬ 
est wish will be to excel his predecessor, to make him 
perform his service faithfully. 
At the close of this exercise, which continued about 
an hour and a half, a storm had set in, and the labor out 
of doors could not be resumed. The study was con¬ 
tinued. A book of agricultural problems was taken 
down, and several estimates for the consumption of 
fodder, fattening of cattle, &c., made. At length a 
problem to determine the number of cows they should 
be able to winter, feeding them so many pounds of roots, 
so much hay, and so much clover, per day. Last of all, 
how much land they would be obliged to devote for the 
whole coming year, in order to the requisite supply of 
grass, hay, potatoes, beets, &c., necessary to the main¬ 
tenance of the stock, i. e., keeping in their present 
flesh, and how much more to furnish them with all 
they can eat—allowing each cow to weigh eight hun¬ 
dred poundsj so much hay, clover, and roots being giv¬ 
en, according to established data, and so much produce 
from an acre—being taken as the result of experiment. 
All went to work, and in about fifteen minutes the 
problem was solved. M. F. was with them, seeing 
that the operations were correctly performed, and 
taking all measurable interest in their work. There 
was certainly nothing very profound in the question 
as a mathematical task, but it was eminently prac¬ 
tical, and has moreover one of the essentials to progress 
and success in agriculture, viz., quantity. 
The rain continuing, the whole party went to another 
room, and remained two hours in cutting and coring 
apples to be dried. During this time, I visited the 
sleeping rooms where each has a bed for himself—as 
is the case every where, so far as I have observed, on 
the continent—the room for drying seeds, the work¬ 
shops, and a variety of other rooms, and finally termi¬ 
nating in the apartment where all the scholars, v/ith 
M. F., were seated on benches, working at the apples. 
He had employed the time in such conversation as 
was adapted to fit them for the duties of men, dis*- 
cussing the little points of what I have called political 
economy of agriculture, for want of a better name. 
For this he is eminently fitted, for, as one of the early 
poets says of his hero, “he has seen much of cities and 
of men.” In a few moments we left. 
While awaiting the solution of the fodder problem, I 
copied the following study plan for the summer term: 
5—6, breakfast; 6—11, work; 11—12, study, (che¬ 
mistry, mathematics, botany, and book-keeping alter¬ 
nating with each other;) 12—1, dinner; 1—2, free 
hour, drawing, &c.; 2—5, work; 5—6, chars; 6—7, 
supper; 7—8, singing and garden work, alternately; 
8—9, writing out notes and day-book; 9 gathering in 
assembly-room, and retiring. 
Sunday—5—6, breakfast; 6—10, free-time; drawing, 
sketching, and models; 10—1, church at Ilofwyl; 2—6, 
excursion visit to peasant farmers, recreation. 
The whole labor, and each and every kind of labor, 
is gone through with by the scholars. M. F. quoted Na¬ 
poleon’s maxim—that every soldier had a marechal’s 
commission in his pocket. So, I suppose, as they 
needed but the necessary experience and effort to win 
the epaulettes and command, each one of the pupils 
may attain to the most profitable farm direction, if he 
comes through the course of plowing, hoeing, har¬ 
vesting, and all the toil of his calling to this position. 
The grounds are plowed, the seed sown and har¬ 
rowed in, the harvest gathered, and threshed with their 
own hands. Their day-books show how much horse- 
labor, man-labor, seed, and manure, have been given to 
each crop. They also show how much grain has been 
harvested, and sold, and a rainy day will enable them, 
yet to bring the several quantities in the relations of 
investment, income, and profit or loss. 
Tbe milking of the cow is performed by the scholars 
in succession, each serving fourteen days. All the 
charge of the stock is entirely given up to them, and 
M. F. assured me there is awakened that regard for the 
domestic animals which is so essential to their good 
preservation, and which, while it makes the scholars 
feel that they are confided in, relieves the day-laborer 
from an important responsibility. There is indeed on 
this beautiful and highly cultivated farm of more than 
two hundred acres, only a director, and at times a few 
day-laborers, the labor being nearly all performed by 
the pupils. 
The agricultural employment—in other words, the 
labor—is made delightful, partly, I think, by there 
being just enough of it, but chiefly by the botany, 
physics, chemistry, mathematics, and drawing, with 
which it is all made in a measure scientific. 
On our return, M. F. expressed his intention to teach, 
or have so much of chemistry taught, as would enable 
his pupils to analyze soils, manures,, and ashes. This 
he will have done in winter, when the nnmber of study 
hours will, in proportion, be greatly increased, and 
when all the pupils will return to Hofwyl. He would 
have them, hereafter, occupy the leisure of their win¬ 
ters with little laboratory investigations. He seems to 
think the result not of difficult attainment. 
Parting with my noble acquaintance, at the higher 
school-house, I received two volumes on Agricultural 
Education, one by himself, directed to the Landswirth- 
schaftverein of Prussia, and the other by a pupil of his 
father, now at the head, M. F. assures me, of the best 
school of this kind in his acquaintance, situated in can¬ 
ton Appenzill. I gave him three numbers of the Culti¬ 
vator, and we parted to meet to-morrow morning. 
Note.—T he succeeding day was given to studying 
the school for the poor children, and to learning some¬ 
thing of the farm and its management. Persuadedaslam 
that a plain account of what I there saw and heard, ivill be 
not without its interest, I will, after translating a portion 
of the prospectus for the Kutti school, resume my notes. 
Prospectus of the Farm School upon the Fellenberg 
estate , Kutti , near Hofwyl. 
A— INSTRUCTION. 
Practice is the principal object. It is divided into 
1. Field-work'. The pupils will execute farm-work. 
Beside this, they will have as lighter work, the forest cul¬ 
ture, and designing, and ornamenting pleasure grounds. 
