The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1847-09-17
AHllsQlTQaAao.
agricultural Education,

important subject. 1t is an extract
from letter of Mr.. Skinner, editor
Of the Farmers Library, to the ed
itors Of the Richmond Enquirer
In a community like ours, where
farming is thepursuit ofthree- fourths
of the whole population, why should
not scientific agriculture be main
branch taught in oar common
schools
And now, sirs, if you have allow
ed the space so far, will you permit
me to add a respectful solicitation to
on, brethren Of the press, of all par
ties, to aid me in my humble efforts
to awaken the agricultural commu-
nity of the whole Union to the i'm
portancc of taking measurs at once
10 hare the science and siudies can
neied miM agriculture Ianght IN all
our schools, ,ciM cypress reference b
ahisher andm0remtetlectuai mider-
standing and improvement u that
great branch II Rmerican industry?
1t is no longer by the mere collec-
ton and publication ofisolated facts,
nor by costly experiments TO show
what we already know, that album
dant food will produce heavy crops
of either wheat, or grain, or butter,
or vegetables-that agriculture is
hereafter to be generally and mate
rally advanced. That is hereafter
only to be done in this country, as it
has been done during the last 30years
in England, by a better knowledge
of the why, and on 'chdt principles
certain results are to be achieved
We must learn tounderstand the ra-
honale of the case. TOT kmplish
certain results, with g like
certainty and economy, Se must
practice unders'andingiy and this
can only be done on large scale, by
having our young men reared in a
more thorough knowledge of the
nature of the elements at their COM
mand; and how these elements of
their manufacturc-earth, air, wa
ter, manures, implements, machine
ry and animal power-may be most
advantageously combined and APP
piled; and this infusion OF knowledge
must be thrown into the mind while
it is being formed and has a relish
FORT. Why, every Virginian knows
that perfection in his mint julep is to
be had in The making. If you don't
happen to hit it right then, you can't
rectify it afterwards. Not a farmers
son, who is going to be farmer,
should leave school without know
ing the principle, aye, the science =,
upon which depends the right struc-
ture of borrow, or plough-the
banging Of gate, the grade Of a
road and the parts and true conior-
nation of a bullock or horse. He
should be so educated as 10 leave
school with high and proud sense
OF the intellectual character of his
profession above all others and with
a Just estimate of the amusing and
elegant studies that my be made to
beguile and adorn it. For this, the
great desideratum of agriculture
now, we must begin with the mind,
while it is in the gristle. You can't
make out of grown man one Of those
adopts at gymnastics, such as we
saw the other night at the White
Sulphur, who could turn himself in
side out, and walk on his elbows =
You can't get old settled married
men, who have been bred in a vul-
gar contempt for book knowledge,
and all reading, except party poll
tics, to patronize such a work IS tie
Farmers Library. What ask is,
that they should not withhold it from
their boys! They will get fond of it
and become more and more thirsty
for knowledge, inste ad flor alcohol
if their fathers will only throw it il
their way, and they will then as mucl
excel their sires, fifty years hence il
the practice of agriculture, as one o
Ruggle'S and Mason's or Proutey':
plows excels the old straight up an'
down wooden mould board concern
ofility years past. The best Judges
and the most devoted friend of agri
culture, now in England, unanimous
ly admit that it has been by the ap
plication of the mind to agriculture
by bringing science to bear upon il
that almost exclusively the avcrag
crop of wheat has been brought i
that Kingdom, since 1921, from sew
bushels, mp to twenty six t
Macre, being an addition equal ful
ly to the aggregate crop of Virginia
PRAIRIE FARMER.-Thc mass
our readers are so well acquaintc
with this excellent agricultural jour