1851. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
163 
ers would wish to acquire French or German. Such in¬ 
struction would he no cost to the state, as . teachers 
might be found near at hand, most probably, in almost 
any part of the state, and it would render the school 
more attractive and respectable. It has been seen that 
such instruction is provided in some of the schools in 
Europe. It might be well, also, to provide similar in¬ 
struction in the higher mathematics, as is done frequent¬ 
ly in Europe. 
5. Provision on the farm for the board of those students 
who are willing to devote their time to labor daily be¬ 
yond what is required of all. For these extra labors, 
in my opinion, a compensation should be given, such as 
should at least meet the charge for board. This might 
enable many poor but worthy young men, to enjoy the 
benefit of the institution, who would otherwise be depri¬ 
ved of the privilege. 
6. Number of Instructors Necessary. 
1. A professor of horticulture, sylviculture, and rural 
legislation, who should be also chairman of the board of 
instructors, or president of the institution. 
2. A professor of agriculture. 
3. A professor of elementaryand agricultural chemistry. 
4. One of natural history and geology, who should be 
curator of the collections. 
5. One of anatomy, physiology, and veterinary medi¬ 
cine, and surgery. 
6. One of the mathematics of agriculture, such as 
farm accounts, irrigation, draining, surveying, leveling, 
construction of roads, bridges, &c. 
This appears to me the smallest number of professors 
with which an institution could be respectable and use¬ 
ful, even at its commencement. The number is much 
less than it is at nearly all the higher agricultural semi¬ 
naries in Europe. There it ranges from eight to twenty. 
Besides the professors, there should be a superintend¬ 
ent of the farm, and of all practical operations of the es¬ 
tablishment, who might also give some lectures, say on 
practical agriculture. 
If one of the professors should be a clergyman, he 
might act as chaplain of the establishment. 
7. The course of study should embrace two years. 
When creditably finished, the pupil should be entitled to 
an agricultural diploma or degree. 
8. For admission, an examination should be required, 
in English grammar, geography, arithmetic, and Euclid’s 
Elements of Geometry, at least the first five books. 
This may seem a high standard. It is higher than most 
of the schools in Europe. But the young men of Mas¬ 
sachusetts, even the poorest, can easily come up to it, 
and thus make their subsequent course much more pro¬ 
fitable. One great complaint in Europe is, that the pu¬ 
pils are unable, for want of early education, to under¬ 
stand the instruction. 
9. The tuition should be as low as possible, certainly 
not higher than at the existing colleges of the state, and 
that is about $40. As soon as possible the instruction 
should be gratuitous. 
10. Several scholarships, say as mnay as ten to begin 
with, equal at least to the tuition, should be founded by 
the State, to be given to the most diligent and success¬ 
ful pupils. Also, several prizes of a smaller amount 
should be offered. 
This is the almost universal practice in Europe, and its 
operation is excellent. 
11. Provided individuals shall offer ten acres of good 
land, to be improved as a model farm, by some academy, 
let the state give to that academy (not more than to one 
in each county,) at least $200 for instruction, and $50 for a 
library; provided said academy shall agree to cultivate the 
land, and provide for a department of agriculture: the 
aid from the state to be withdrawn, however, when the 
number of students in agriculture shall be less than ten. 
12. Let a manual of agriculture be prepared by some 
competent person, or some existing manual be adopted, 
and introduced into the primary schools, if any children 
wish to study it. It might be well for the state to fur¬ 
nish the books gratis. 
13. One object of these schools of a lower grade should 
be to prepare pupils to enter the central institution, in 
advanced standing, if fitted for it. I 
14. By the addition of a single professorship of tech¬ 
nology to such an institution as has been described, and 
extending the collection of instruments to those of every 
art, this school might become a school of mines, as well 
as of commerce and manufactures, and thus afford an 
education to the son of the mechanic and merchant, as 
well as the farmer. 
I do not, however, recommend that such an addition 
should be made at the outset, lest by aiming at too many 
objects, the whole be lost, as we have seen to have been 
the case sometimes in Europe. 
15. Let the state appoint a Board and Secretary of 
Agriculture, who shall sustain the same relations to that 
interest and the schools connected with it, as the Board 
and Secretary of Education do to primary schools. 
Two other outlines of plans are submitted, varying in 
several respects from the above—the principal object in 
the variation, being to lessen the expense in the outset. 
The second plan proposes that the school be ‘ k located so 
near some existing literary institution, that the pupils 
could have the benefit of its scientific lectures, and study 
its collections in natural history.” This connection is 
only suggested as temporary, or to continue “ until the 
state should be ready to endow a full corps of professors, 
and make the proper collections,” &c. 
The third plan proposes a Board of Agricultnre, as 
provided in the first, this Board to have the following, 
among other powers: 
1. To appoint a secretary, one of whose duties for the 
present should be, to aid in the establishment of agricul¬ 
tural schools, and he should also be expected to give a 
course of lectures in the central school, should such a 
one be established, and his services be required. 
2. To appoint a president of such central school or col¬ 
lege, with a salary of $1,200, who should also be a pro¬ 
fessor in some department of the same ; also to appoint 
a professor of agriculture in the same, with a salary of 
$1,000. Also, a superintendent of the farm, with a sa¬ 
lary from $800 to $1,000. 
3. These four officers, the president, secretary, pro¬ 
fessor of agriculture, and superintendent, should have 
power with the board, to select a site for such college, 
and purchase a farm containing from 100 to 200 acres, 
provided the following conditions could be realised: 
1. If the school can be located near enough to some 
existing literary or scientific institution, for the pupils 
to attend its lectures, and study its collections of natural 
history, it being understood that admittance to those 
lectures and cabinets shall be gratuitous, or nearly so, 
and that the lectures embrace the following subjects: 1. 
Chemistry; 2. Botany; 3. Mineralogy: 4. Geology; 5. 
Zoology; 6. Anatomy, and physiology; 7. Natural 
philosophy. 
2. If the friends of agricultural education in the place 
where the school is to be located, or in other places, shall 
raise a sum for the purchase of a farm, and sustaining the 
school, equal to the sum appropriated by the state, 
which sum shall not * exceed $20,000, nor be less than 
$15,000; that is, the State shall not be called on to pay 
over $20,000 in any case to establish and carry the school 
through the first year. 
Sketch of Putnam County, New-York. 
Editors Cultivator —The county of Putnam in this 
state, is, I believe, but little known out of its own imme¬ 
diate vicinity. There are, perhaps, many reasons for 
this. One is, its size—being small, it does not hold so 
prominent a place among the other counties. It was 
originally a part of Dutchess, and was set off from it. 
By some chance or other, our Dutchess neighbors man¬ 
aged to keep the lion’s share; but, as through their ge¬ 
nerosity, or from other causes, we became a separate lit - 
