114 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
March, 
®l)e JFarmer 0 
Agricultural College. 
The Report of the Commissioners appointed to 
prepare a plan for an Agricultural School and Ex¬ 
perimental Farm, has been submitted to the Legis¬ 
lature by the Governor, who commends the subject 
earnestly to their attention. 
Having, in their preliminary remarks, demonstra¬ 
ted the necessity of some liberal provision for a bet¬ 
ter education of the agricultural class, and for eli¬ 
citing and disseminating information on the subject 
of agriculture, the Commissioners proceed to lay 
down their plan, the substance of which is compri¬ 
sed in the following extracts: 
Impressed with these considerations, and desirous 
of establishing a college for American farmers, the 
Commissioners, in pursuance of the request of the 
Legislature, have made full inquiry into the sub¬ 
jects submitted to them, and they feel sensible that 
an institution founded by the State of New-York, 
should be adequate to the just claims of the farmers, 
as a class, and worthy of the character of the 
State. To combine this with economy, and to make 
it an institution eminent alike for efficiency, science 
and practical skill, has been their aim. With these 
views, they beg leave to recommend that an agricul¬ 
tural college should be established, connected with 
an experimental farm of 600 acres, which would 
probably combine sufficient extent and variety of 
soil for the objects to be accomplished: the farm to 
be cultivated by the labor of the scholars, who are 
to be employed four hours a day in practical agri¬ 
culture, in all its various branches. Among these 
may be enumerated, the laying out the farm and 
garden in various modes, adapted to circumstances; 
the setting out of plants and trees; grafting, bud¬ 
ding, pruning, transplanting and rearing of fruit 
trees; the different modes of fencing grounds, with 
the relative advantages and cost of each; the vari¬ 
ous qualities of forest trees, in reference to fencing 
and building purposes; the best mode of breeding 
and feeding stock; the comparative advantages of 
the various breeds; how r to discover defects, and the 
way to remedy or eradicate them; the proper time 
to sell produce, and how to put it in market; the 
manner of keeping farm accounts; and, in short, a 
full course of instruction as to the management of a 
farm. These scholars to be 16 years of age, to be 
apportioned among different counties—-say two for 
each Assembly district, to be nominated by the 
board of supervisors, and the expenses of their tui¬ 
tion, with board, washing, fuel and lights, to be only 
$100 per annum; as the produce of the farm, under 
proper management, will furnish no small part of 
the supplies of the table. Besides these scholars, 
there may he others admitted, at $25 per annum; 
who will board in the vicinity, at their own expense, 
but who will be required to submit to all the college 
rules, and to labor with the other pupils. 
The applicant for admission into this institution, 
should be well versed in the rudiments of a good 
English education, and should be subjected to a 
strict examination on the following subjects: gram¬ 
mar, geography, and arithmetic as far as propor¬ 
tions. 
In this examination, regard will also be had to 
the ability manifested in the ready and practical use 
of these rudiments, and to the proper mental disci¬ 
pline requisite foi* the successful prosecution of the 
course of studies contemplated in the institution. 
For the proper management of the institution, 
there will be required a President, who must a 
scientific and practical agriculturist. The plan, 
therefore of the Agricultural Committee, would re¬ 
quire the following professors, viz: 
A Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Manipulation. 
“ “ Natural History and Mineralogy. 
tc Mathematics, Engineering & Practical Surveying. 
“ “ Botany and Horticulture. 
“ u History, Law and General Science. 
u “ Veterinary Art and Anatomy. 
There should also be a farmer, having cnarge of 
the farm and stock, a gardener, carpenter, mason, 
and blacksmith, constantly employed, with the view 
of giving some practical knowledge of arts so essen¬ 
tial in the management of a farm. 
Allowing $2,000 salary for the president,.... $2,000 
And 1,250 for each of the professors,. 7,500 
400 each for the farmer, .. 1,600 
1,000 for laborers,.. 1,000 
Contingencies,.. 500 
Stock lor blacksmith, ... 300 
$12,900 
The students at $100 each, would contribute $25,. 
600, leaving a surplus of $12,700, which, with the 
produce of the farm, would go far towards the sup. 
port of the college. 
The Commissioners would, however, recommend 
1 to the Legislature to make an annual allowance for 
the support of the college, of at least $10,000, un¬ 
til it shall have been ascertained by experience that 
it can sustain itself. 
For the purchase of a farm of the extent required, 
and comprehending the proper variety of soil, an es¬ 
timate was made of $24,000, being $40 per awe. 
The buildings required would be one for lectures, 
sufficient for the accomodation of 500 students. 
The college halls, comprehending lecture and recitation 
rooms, library and chemical laboratory, 100 feet long and 
60 feet wide,... $10,000 
The dormitories, comprehending the president’s house, 560 
feet long, 40 feet wide,.... 36,000 
Chemical apparatus and library,.... 10,000 
Farm-house and furniture,... 3,000 
Barns and out-houses, stock and implements, ... 10,000 
A strict account of debit and credit should bo 
kept, under the direction of the President, with eve¬ 
ry department of the institution, and rendered an 
nually to the Legislature, on the first of February, 
so as to show the profit or loss of each department 
The institution should be located at some point con¬ 
veniently accessible from all parts of the State; and 
the pupil should be taught a varied system of farm¬ 
ing, adapted to any market, and also, how to sup¬ 
ply himself with the means of fertilizing land wher¬ 
ever he may he placed. * 
The course of instruction would require an at¬ 
tendance of six terms, one commencing the first of 
February, and continuing to the summer vacation; 
the other commencing about the 20th of August, 
and ending the middle of December. In summer, 
the scholars would ordinarily be required to labor 4 
hours daily, while, in winter., the hours of labor 
would be one hour in the morning and two in the 
afternoon. The residue of the day would be occu¬ 
pied in studies, lectures and recitations. 
With such a course of education, rigorously car¬ 
ried out, our State would reap, in the benefits con¬ 
ferred on this important interest, a thousand fold all 
the expenditure made in such an establishment. 
Careful examinations would be made into all matters 
connected with agriculture; comparisons had of the 
various modes of producing certain results, and re¬ 
cords preserved, showing which is preferable; au¬ 
thentic statements made of agricultural experiments, 
creating order and system, and reducing to science 
the heterogenous and often discordant mass of ma¬ 
terials collected in agricultural journals. The cha- 
