THE CULTIVATOR. 
319 
CHEMISTRY IN COMMON SCHOOLS. 
Why not introduce the study of chemistry in all our 
common schools, at least the rudiments of chemistry,and 
especially the meaning of chemical terms ? Why should 
not a boy, a farmer’s boy, be taught the meaning of ox¬ 
ygen and hydrogen, as well as that of the word water ? 
When he is now told by the papers or books he reads, 
that icater, (the meaning of which term he understands 
very well,) is a fluid composed of certain proportions 
each of oxygen and hydrogen, (terms he knows nothing 
about,) he is at a loss. His education has left him with 
the idea that water is a simple element, as the ancients 
thought it was; and he also complains of the use of these 
hard words, when the fact is they are no harder than any 
other words to leam or to speak; but they are new to 
him, and thence he thinks them hard. All farmers should 
understand the rudiments of chemistry at least, and as 
much more as they can command; no one can be a good 
farmer without this knowledge, except by accident. It 
is in vain for writers on the subject, to try to use lan¬ 
guage that can be understood by those who have not 
learned the meaning of chemical terms. The word ox¬ 
ygen, for example, has no common term that would be 
understood more readily by such people, neither has hy¬ 
drogen, nitrogen, carbon, &c. See what a list Webster 
makes in defining these terms. “ Oxygen —in chemistry, 
oxygen or oxygen gas, is an element or substance so na¬ 
med from its property of generating acids; it is the res¬ 
pirable part of air, vital air, or the basis of it; it is call¬ 
ed the acidifying principle, and the principle or support 
of combustion.” “ Hydrogen —in chemistry, a gas which 
constitutes one of the elements of water.” (f Nitrogen — 
me element of nitre; that which produces nitre; that el¬ 
ement or component part of air which is called azote.” 
sc Carbon —pure charcoal; a simple body, black, brittle, 
light and inodorous.” Now, what information will one 
who does not understand the rudiments of chemistry, de¬ 
rive from these definitions ? None whatever. But if 
chemistry made a part of common education, all these 
terms would convey a meaning to the reader of them as 
readily as do those of water, atmospheric air, and char¬ 
coal. It is not supposed that the science at large could 
be taught in common schools; for if it could, there would 
be no necessity for high schools. All that is intended by 
these remarks, is to recommend that the meaning of all 
chemical terms should be there taught. For example, the 
school teacher should teach the scholars the meaning of 
the word water thus: Water, a compound fluid, the ele¬ 
ments of which are by weight, eight parts oxygen, and 
one part hydrogen; by measure, one part oxygen and 
two parts hydrogen. Oxygen and hydrogen are gases; 
they are both colorless, having neither taste nor smell. 
Oxygen gas is heavier than atmospheric air, and it forms 
a portion of the air itself. It is essential to animal life 
and combustion. Hydrogen gas is the lightest of all gas¬ 
es, and hence is used in filling balloons; being about six¬ 
teen times lighter than oxygen. Now if such instruction 
was given in schools, there would be no complaint of the 
use by writers of hard names, hard words, &c.; and far¬ 
mers would know just as well what was meant by the 
words calcareous earth, gypseous earth, &c., as they now 
do of the meaning of marl, plaster of Paris, &c. I can 
see no more reason in restricting the education of boys 
to the common place words of our language, in our com¬ 
mon schools, than I do in confining them in their farm¬ 
ing operations to the old common place routine of prac¬ 
tice. Their education should be such as to fit them for 
the profession they are to follow, let thatbe what it may. 
Chemistry and botany are as essential elements of an ag¬ 
ricultural education, as any others whatever. But how 
few are there amongst us who know even the meaning of 
the most common terms of either science? S. 
Every farmer should supply his table with fresh meat 
from his poultry-yard, instead of the butcher’s shambles. 
A butcher’s bill presented once or twice a year, to be 
paid in cash, is a very annoying affair. With proper care 
it may be avoided as above. Some farmers dispose of 
their calves and lambs to the neighboring butcher, and 
thus square off his bill; but this is not a good plan.— Far¬ 
mer’s Cabinet. 
STUDY ON THE FARM. 
Messrs. Editors —More exercises of the mind, in ob¬ 
serving and reflecting upon the course of nature and the 
processes of cultivation, would be of vast benefit to most 
farmers and to their sons. Some few among them do 
pass over their grounds and along the roads with their 
eyes open. They notice the adaptation of different crops 
to the different soils; they observe the effects of the dif¬ 
ferent processes of cultivation. Such farmers find work 
for the mind as well as the body; they thus keep them¬ 
selves bright and contented. The tediousness of hard la¬ 
bor is lessened by the activity of the mind. Nor is the 
good result confined to themselves alone. Their sons 
and their laborers catch the same spirit of observation 
and reflection, and thus they become intelligent and more 
efficient laborers. The sons are more contented with 
home and the farm. Where the various crops in the 
field are made matters of study, they possess an interest 
and a value distinct from the amount of money they may 
bring in. They become one’s teachers; they give him 
lessons to be treasured up, and to be used. And it is 
those only who seek to learn and to profit by these les¬ 
sons, which are furnished by the growing corn and fruits 
of various kinds, who really are intelligent and exempla¬ 
ry farmers. A few, by dint of unwearied toil from year 
to year, and by soul pinching parsimony, may get mo¬ 
ney, and this too, without observing any lessons, except¬ 
ing a few brief ones, which were inculcated by others 
while they were young. But those who stick to the old 
way in every thing through thick and thin, and for no 
other reason than because it is the old way, are not good 
farmers; they are little more than brute laborers; who 
by dint of perseverance get some money, but get little 
else that is worth having. I am not ridiculing old ways, 
but only say they should be compared with new ones, be¬ 
fore one can with any propriety maintain that they cer¬ 
tainly must be the best. That the old are, in very many 
cases, the best, is undoubtedly true—that new ways are 
sometimes better than old, is also as undoubtedly true. 
And it is only by comparison that we can satisfy our¬ 
selves fairly and properly, whicli path will lead us most 
directly to the desired object. The matters upon which 
farmers, and good farmers, differ, are so numerous that 
no one can expect to settle them all for himself in one 
year, or even in one life. This to me is a matter of re¬ 
joicing, for every farmer may be assured that he can ne¬ 
ver exhaust his opportunities for learning something 
new. The pleasure of acquiring knowledge—and this is 
one of our highest pleasures—is always to be possible 
with the tiller of the soil. Books and papers upon agri¬ 
culture are valuable; they give many correct general 
principles, and many useful hints, but they were not 
written with especial reference to the soil and subsoil of 
your own farm; and their teachings need modifications 
which your own experience and observations must point 
out. Thus, some of my brethren object to what they 
call ee book learning;” therefore take no agricultural pub¬ 
lication. But if we will use our experience and common 
sense in connexion with books and papers, we shall find 
them valuable aids. 
I come to the point from which I ought to have start 
ed—that the farm, your own farm, is a place for study and 
observation, and that in order to learn with correctness 
and satisfaction, keep something like a regular journal in 
which your <c book learning,” and observations, should 
be noted down; then you can bring them to bear upon 
your future practice. Doubleyou. 
Shoreham, Vt., July 26, 1844. 
Rearing Peach Trees —Mr. Allen W. Dodge, says 
in the Mass. Ploughman, that he prefers the following 
mode of planting peach stones :— et Deposit the stones, af¬ 
ter being taken from the peach, in sand or dirt; put them 
in the ground, slightly covered, in the fall. As for the 
cotton bag in which to keep them under ground, I have 
never tried it, or any other covering but the ground it¬ 
self. Take up the stones early in the spring, crack them, 
and plant immediately the meats or pits. In a week or 
ten days they will all be up, without fail, just as certain 
as so many peas or kernels of corn.” 
