36 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Jan. 
Agricultural Education. 
At the last meeting of the Seneca County Agri¬ 
cultural Society, John Delafield, Esq., on ten¬ 
dering his resignation as President—a post which 
he had occupied for three years—made some excel¬ 
lent and appropriate remarks in regard to agricul¬ 
tural education. He has kindly favored us with 
the following extracts, which we recommend to 
the attention of our readers. Eds. 
The age in which we live is so remarkable for im¬ 
portant events, producing changes in modes of life, 
and forcing upon us an activity and enterprise un¬ 
known in former periods, that the best educated 
man among us, feels the power of science pressing 
and urging him to a further accumulation of know¬ 
ledge. It must be evident to every thinking and 
observing man that a better and more general edu¬ 
cation is urgently necessary, to keep pace and posi¬ 
tion with the improvements of our age. 
Heretofore the importance of education and gene¬ 
ral knowledge was felt to be the basis of our liberty, 
its safeguard and sure instructor as to what is right 
and just between man and man. This truth is as 
strong now, and necessary to our liberty and happi¬ 
ness, as at any period of our history; but the zeal 
engendered by our systems has produced such an 
amount of results or products from the improved 
education of our people ; science has advanced with 
strides so rapid and long, that many of our citizens 
look with wonder and astonishment, acknowledging 
the superadded necessity for better instruction for 
the masses—that we may comprehend from day to 
day, and be actively benefitted by the use of every 
improvement which science brings to light. 
That our state has done nobly, all will admit: 
our common schools, and now, our free schools, 
have opened and "will continue to open, the elemen¬ 
tary doors—exerting an influence for good on all 
time to come. A few years back, and we beheld a 
vessel pressing against wind and tide up our mighty 
rivers, by a power unseen; soon after we saw large 
crafts, freighted with the rich products of the farm¬ 
er, floating up and down the rough mountains, and 
across extensive plains, where neither river or rivu¬ 
let had run before. 
Next, we find towns, villages, cities, far distant 
from each other, connected by iron bars, on which 
enormous burdens and masses are impetuously driven 
by the use of a few gallons of water. And more 
recently, we communicate our wishes to friends or 
agents at the distance of a thousand miles, or more, 
in less time than I take to recite the fact. These 
are some of the important changes of our day and 
hour; but there are others specially applicable to 
every branch of trade or art, equally amazing in 
action and result. 
Without adverting to the wonderful advantages 
derived to the mechanic, manufacturer and mer¬ 
chant, let us inquire what progress has been made 
by science for the advantage of the farmer. 
It may be first stated, that since the occupation 
of this continent by Europeans, and until within 
the last twenty years, the system of cultivation was 
a system of deterioration, a system of destruction. 
The earth yielded bountifully—man took all, but 
gave nothing in return. What was the conse¬ 
quence? A steady diminution of products until this 
noble state of New-York was reduced from an ave¬ 
rage production of 30 bushels of wheat per acre, to 
the unprofitable product of only 12 or 13 per acre. 
When the great impulse was given to Education in 
the new as well as in the old world, science was in¬ 
voked on behalf of the farmer. The nature, cha¬ 
racter find elements of manures and fertilizing mat¬ 
ters were examined and ascertained. The discovery 
that potash, soda, magnesia, lime, &c., were in 
fact the oxides of metals, led the way to improve¬ 
ment. The next important discovery was the ele¬ 
ments of plants, showing beyond dispute their simi¬ 
larity with the soils on which they grow; and sub¬ 
sequently the due proportions in which they (these 
elements) exist in plants for their perfect develop¬ 
ment was clearly proved. About this time it was 
established that our plants drew subsistence also 
from the atmosphere, and science has pointed out 
to us those necessary elements. Further investiga¬ 
tion has brought to light the necessity and ac¬ 
tion of vegetable decaying substances in our soils, 
and the agencies thus carried on for our benefit. 
The action of the atmosphere upon the soil, when 
mechanically broken up and turned over, has been 
well explained. In short, science has been as pro¬ 
fuse in her riches to the farmer, as to any class of 
men ; but our class has been deprived of these riches 
intended for it, by an absence of those means for 
their distribution, so largely possessed by every 
other class of mankind : I mean, colleges, acade¬ 
mies and schools devoted to their special advance¬ 
ment. True, the elements and rudiments of a gene¬ 
ral education may be within the reach of every 
young person, but the application of knowledge, of 
art, of science, to agriculture is not to be had in 
any institution in this state; nor can it now be 
grafted on any existing institution, because original 
intent, long continued habit, and settled opinions,, 
have confirmed them in leading the youth committed 
to their care, into pursuits entirely disconnected 
with what I believe to be the best, purest, and hap¬ 
piest vocation of life. 
The other vocations of life have, indeed, their en¬ 
joyments, and are essential to the perfection of the 
agriculturist, as agents, to receive and distribute 
his products, to consume them, to bring to him, in 
return, the comforts and luxuries of other climes, to 
contrive and arrange the fleece and the cotton ball 
in varied forms and texturos for his comfort or plea¬ 
sure, to encourage the fancies and quick imaginings 
of some for the decoration and adornment of our 
dwellings or persons, or for the amusement and 
strengthening of our intellects. Now, all these 
classes have their proper and special schools, aca¬ 
demies and colleges, rightfully and properly estab¬ 
lished, and from them, as I before stated, has ema¬ 
nated the talent which claims our wonder and ad¬ 
miration from day to day, while we, the farmers, 
the producers, the very foundation and means on 
which all other classes are constructed and sup¬ 
ported, are without a single school, academy or 
college, devoted to instruct us, or cause the proper 
applications of science to our important calling. 
For a few years past, we have feebly raised our 
voices, and as feebly pressed our claims on the le¬ 
gislature for an equal participation in the means w r e 
so largely contribute, by an appropriation for a 
college devoted to our agricultural promotion, and 
that the teachings of science might be exhibited tu 
the eye and understanding upon an experimental 
farm attached to a college. Our voices have been 
as feebly heard; for nothing has been done for 
us beyond complimentary reports. Compliments, 
though agreeable, are cheaply procured, and en¬ 
dure in proportion only to their value. We need 
the substantial and momentous element of an agri¬ 
cultural college for the farmer’s son—a college, so 
endowed and conducted, that a certificate from its 
officers shall be a passport to the farmer in every 
