162 
THE CULTIVATOR 
May, 
enough, indeed, to belong to any scientific institution, 
and too many to form a mere subordinate branch of some 
institution with a different object in view. 
3. Because the number of instructors must be so large, 
that they could not conveniently form an adjunct to some 
other institution. 
4. Because the interests of agriculture are large 
enough to demand an institution definitely consecrated 
to their promotion. No other art is so important, and, 
I may add, no other is so difficult to be successfully cul¬ 
tivated; and, therefore, every means possible should be 
employed to render it assistance. 
X. Essentially the same reasons, and of greater force, 
exist for the establishment of Agricultural Schools in 
this country as in Europe. 
1. It is the most ready and effectual mode of making 
farmers understand the principles on which good hus¬ 
bandry is founded. 
Some have an idea that there are no such principles, 
and that the cultivation of the soil is a hap-hazard affair, 
and that guessing is as good a way as any, to secure good 
crops. I am aware that all the principles of managing 
land are not yet w r ell settled, and that different circum¬ 
stances often disappoint those who follow the best rules. 
But if there are no scientific principles on which hus¬ 
bandry is based, then one mode of farming is as good as 
another; a position which I am sure no reasonable man 
will take. And if one mode of tillage is better than 
another, there must be reasons for the difference, and 
those reasons are the very principles we are seeking after. 
Now it will be the leading object of agricultural schools 
to discover these principles, and to apply them in such 
a manner as to satisfy others that they are safe and 
valuable. Another object of such schools is, to detect 
and disprove, both theoretically and practically, any 
false principles and practices that may have been adopt¬ 
ed by the community as true. The sons of farmers, 
who attend these schools, will learn to distinguish the 
true from the false principles, on this subject; and, on 
their return to the paternal roof, will communicate their 
knowledge, and apply it in practice. 
In relation to the course to be pursued here, in refer¬ 
ence to this subject, it is asked:— 
What shall be the character of the Agricultural 
Schools, should any be established in Massachusetts? 
This difficult inquiry I would meet by a few suggestions. 
But after the survey that has now been taken of agricul¬ 
tural education in Europe, it cannot be expected that I 
should recommend, or that the community will be 
satisfied, with schools of an inferior class. Twenty, or 
even ten years ago, it might have answered to propose 
the introduction of agriculture into our primary schools, 
or as a department in our academies, or a professorship 
in our colleges. All this it may be well enough to do 
now, but something more must be done. So Europeans 
judge, and accordingly, as we have seen, they have 
started institutions with as ample a foundation, and as 
numerous a body of instructors, as we find in most of 
our American colleges. Nothing short of this, as it 
seems to me, will be sufficient for our country; nay, I 
fancy that at least one such superior institution is needed 
in each of our states. The work to be done is too great, 
the number of teachers is too many, and the amount of 
various collections too large, to attempt to attach an 
agricultural school to some other institution, and that 
too as only a subordinate branch. Even if agriculture 
is taught in our colleges, academies, and primary schools, 
it needs some one institution devoted entirely to the sub¬ 
ject, to give effect and completeness to the subordinate 
teaching, and to carry it still farther; otherwise the agri¬ 
cultural knowledge will be as the literary would be, if the 
universities and colleges of the land were taken out of 
the way, and only the primary schools and academies 
remained. 
But though our community, as I believe, especially 
the intelligent farmers, are prepared to appreciate the 
importance of such superior institutions, I fear but few 
are ready to devote the amount of funds requisite for 
putting such a seminary at once into full operation. Nay, 
none but those who have had experience know how large 
an amount of money it requires, with the strictest eco¬ 
nomy, to found and carry on successfully a large insti¬ 
tution of learning. My hope is, however, that the go¬ 
vernment and the people will start this enterprise, if they 
do it at all, with a high standard in view, even though 
they cannot, till a considerable period, reach the height 
of their wishes. It seems to me that to aim much lower 
than the plan which follows, will be likely to make 
the whole subject, ere long, contemptible, or at least a 
failure. 
Outlines of a Plan for Agricultural Education 
in Massachusetts. 
I. Let an Agricultural School or College of the su¬ 
perior class be established somewhere in the state, pos¬ 
sessed of all the means (teachers, books, apparatus, spe¬ 
cimens, farm, &c.) necessary to give a finished educa¬ 
tion in the principles and practice of agriculture. Such 
a school, it seems to me, should embrace the following 
particulars, at least;— 
1. A school of instruction, by lectures and recitations, 
in the following branches: 
a. Practical agriculture. 
b. Chemistry, elementary and applied. 
c. Natural history, especially zoology and botany. 
d. Elementary and applied mineralogy and geology. 
e. Anatomy and physiology, human and comparative 
f. Veterinary medicine and surgery. 
2. Collections of the following description:—■ 
a. Models of agricultural instruments. 
b. Of dried seeds. 
c. Of dried grasses, grains, &c., entire. 
d. Specimens planed, of useful kinds of wood. 
e. A pomological collection, or models of the varie¬ 
ties of fruit. 
/. Small collection of simple minerals and rocks for 
elementary instruction in mineralogy and geology. 
g. An economic collection, embracing all the mine¬ 
rals, rocks, fossils, soils, marls, clays, &c., useful in the 
arts, exhibiting them in their various stages of prepara¬ 
tion, with specimens of the finished articles, constituting 
what in Europe is called a museum of economic geology. 
I saw three such collections in Europe; one at the 
School of Mines in Paris; one in London, the fruit of 
the Ordnance Survey; and one in Dublin, having the 
same origin; the two latter not yet opened to the public, 
but very choice and splendid collections. They must be 
very serviceable for all the arts. 
h. Insects injurious to vegetation. 
i. Stuffed specimens and drawings of the species and 
varieties of animals useful in agriculture. 
k. A museum of human and comparative anatomy, 
including a manikin. 
l. Chemical and philosophical apparatus. 
m. A scientific and agricultural library. 
Some of these collections are more important than 
others; but they would all be of service, and tend to 
give permanence to the institution. To procure and ar¬ 
range them would require a long time, but they might 
be begun at once. I saw all of them, larger or smaller, 
in some of the agricultural schools of Europe, though 
nowhere at, the same school. Indeed, many of those 
schools appeared to me to be quite deficient in collections, 
and I thought this one cause why they were in a decay¬ 
ing state. When literary institutions are' called, as they 
often are, in the early part of their course, to pass 
through seasons of storm, good libraries, and ample ap¬ 
paratus, and collections, form one of the best of anchors 
to enable the vessel to outride the tempest. 
3. A model and experimental farm of moderate size, 
and instruction in practical farming. I see no use in a 
large farm, as in general a small one, say of 100 or 200 
acres, will embrace every important variety of soil, and 
can be more easily managed. It seemed tome that some 
of the European schools have fartns so large as to be 
unwieldy. 
4. Provision for instruction in Ancient and Modern 
languages. Such studies should not be required. But 
some might wish to get a little knowledge of Latin and 
Greek, in order to become better naturalists, and under¬ 
stand better the scientific terms in agriculture: and oth- 
