Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-08-28
tut VIC EH4H'U'
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATIoN-NO. H.


questions OF slavery.
For tic Enquirer.
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATlON-No. H.
In nv fir, number | endcayorcd 10 sho" that
me farmer in Virginia is excluded from lhe DC
| ref, OF that kind ci education Enlch MS GAZING
requires; tina: 10 suili:ieni reason mas been g
s;oned for this exclusion, and presented some
views as 10 The nature q thai education which
he profession Of the agncuuralisl seems TO de-
| mant. .,.
An.ynerimen! is necessary 10 lest The question
! uh,,her il he practicable to all ri such &c cdu-
cain n i; be moi practicable, lncn Will asficni-
! ur, present nauiar and inexplicablc excep.
tion 10 tie laws which govern al! DINER human
.lcdics aud pursuits This consideration alone
is enough 10 justly, TO require the experiment.
Bu there are other reasons Why shohlu Dc hiaur'
| How J ,cs The condition oi agriculture compare
,r;,hIh,, ri olher pursuiis ior which preparatory
education is afforded II II De equally prosper
40. Il !, has adysnCed with equal pace, then II
| ..i,h, h. atmillfd rha, i. has not suffered very
a,caIiy from the want Of j preparatory system ol
! e!ucaiiGn W..
WHAT. ,h.n, is The history Of agriculture IN VIZ
n;n;,7 Or iureta hers found mere, Two centuries
| 400 nriueyal lo,est-a sou lernin9 "i'h me
| ricnrsi prGIauIun, vi nature, apparently ex-
haus;less il lis fertility. From the seaboara 10 The
| Ohio from our Northern - our Southern boun-
Gary, an area lag sefue th-m, IN lis great physi'
| cal advantages hardly SURPASSED II The globe
| a saIubIinus climate 10 Hess them win EealIh,
an e1uberaG. earth 10 multiply The fruits OF their
| NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. show'rs and favorable sea-
| sons-this was The pre-? aG that opened upon our
talbers. And what has BEEN done .cr The garden
spu, they found in the lapse OF :wo hurafei years.
by human kill and human indusrY7 LIT The
question be answered by 'he gals, the suli,s and
The worn out fields lhat every waeie break upon
the | aveIlels eve. The oaa ire has been clled,
the unbru;cn icr,s! has been eappe'i but tic viz
Gin soil which slrroIct Il Is dead. Tue broom
straw and the thistle Eow Struggle Tor piecaricus
subsistence where cncr lowered, in nnnva'led
majesty, the modest oris d The forest. This has
been the nature nj the change wrought IN The
condition Of our beloved Stale by Class OF men
who are supposed 10 require 10 education aEd 10
stand in need oil no assslauce
The agricuurist, are. here, in proportion to
their capial. The least thriving class IN the com
nuny This will not he d.ntd. PropHeioIs
vi magnificent estates in Virginia, without dissl-
naled or cIravaeant hibiIs, become yearly
more and more indebted and involved. Is II Ia
be doubled that bad management and erroneous
calculations have aomc;hiIg 10 TO with this E
and they ever anticipate .afser crops than they
rraiizc. This peculiarly OF Virginia farmers
was tested, some time ago, mes inacn!ousiy aud
very proii ably 10 himself, by an asuic professor
OF mftavhysIca scieace wac related to me me
anccdo:e lie asked friend who owned line
estate and ho like all other farmers, good or bad
pridci himself upon his management. bo~ many
bushels of wheat and how many hcgshcad; Of
tobacco he exrec!e! to MAZE On receiving MS
RELY he offered 10 let him suit ot cin;hes ma
ne would not make 50 much. The wager was
accented and lie professors tailor bill Techcsd-
The ncyi year ami he mex; similar beis were at
tended with lise result. the iIrmef al ias',
tired ct his losses al. suspeciin. the aTIilce, de-
crmin,d 4 To ensnare The professor in hi. own rap
In reply, therefore TO The usual question con
corning the estimated amount Of his future crop,
he stated simply one halt of the produce that ne
really expected from his lands. And oven upon
this bet, which concluded most satisfactorily
The learned professors metaphysical experiment,
The fur bet
10 no other calling Of life are such grossly
erroneous calculations So coaIoni IN nene
other are the average profits so small: and II IS
The only profession Tor which no education Is
given. Agriculture, the most important oil al
pursuits, has, 10 tho rae. of improvement,
been outslripped By all. Tho farmers Of our
State have become eye word and scoh. Our
shrub covered fields, our intcrminabic ihloscts,
our dilspidatcd fences and ...loveny cultivation,
are subjects of r;dicue 10 our Northern brethren,
and should, TO ourselves, he SOURCES Of bitter
self reprosch.
/, is true that agriculture lourisLos 10 some
countries where no schools ore estaoIlshed'-
Othcr influences have been made 10 perform
their functions Causes, no! existing IN VIZ
gi.ia, have, in some measure, supplied their
place In New England, the population is more
dense, tho facility OF internal commlnicaion
greater than with US. In every town and coun-
ly, associations are established and societies
meet, 10 increase and dIfuse agricultural IN
formation, and valuable agricultural journals
Circulate throughout every nook OF the COM
nui,;ly There, in truth, dinusive sensitive
ness neryadcs tho whole farming population,
and, 10 still greater degree, in England and
Germany. No. so here. Our agricultural body.
in al liz carts. is non conducting. The spar c.
ness of our population ch':iucts The circulation
Of agricultural kaowiets- !: Ge"s"ly peorled
state with IS remotcsl POINTS co-e!y con-
-d ~ easy Channels OF internal communication,
is, IN i.seli, great school for the increase and
Illusion Of every species ol knowledge. In
highly cultivated and in q neglected country,
lie same necessity for schools does not exist
In lire former their chief operation would be TO
increase agricultural knowledge, to enlarge
he boundaries 81 the SCIENCE. In such coun-
~, lis own neatly managed farms won'd af9IG,
o is citizens, ocular lessons sutiicisst 10 PFC
). I'VE, il their minds, The skill once acquiieu.-
Il agriculture did aot advance, il would not re-
lo2;ade. The experienced benefits OF past i'm
,rovemer:s wouid mol be Lightly Ihro%a aside
SGT, in Inc agriculture OF Virginia, alas ihetc
S !:i!e CT value 10 be preserved, much to be
earGea am moe 10 be unlearnei. Our farmers
aA,:i w.,b ,hei, worn CT; LANDS. snorance aid
ior concerning The mode Of their management.
\ large portion u them 1--we ard Gle, without
epar;ins mctc than few miles beyond lie
.ur danes OF their pasrnal aces. Their own
lille circle is The world to them. They never