San Andreas independent., 1857-10-10


gree efficient Inventive genius is thereby
stimulated and rewarded, and every product OF
the elements, or of human effort, adapted to
benifcent use.
In all the various departments of human
industry. Agriculture is the noblest and takes
the highest rank. It is a science and the
/ knowledge of it as a science, should be part
| of the education of the people; the mind of the
farmer should be as well cultivated as his field.
He should not only be worker, but reading
thinking, selEreliant man. | hope, therefore
not to be considered as presuming too much.
in commencing to you at this time the estab-
lishment of Peoples agricultural College
In many of the old countries of Europe. they
have Agricultural Schools, which have been
attended with the happiest results. The State
OF Michigan has the high honor of first open
ing a College for the instruction of her youth
IN the science and practice of Agriculture
1t has domain of seven hundred acres. with
an endowment of $50 600, per annum, for two
years, granted by the State. Wisconsin has
followed her example, and has also established
an Agricultural College, which / believe is
literally endowed California should follow in
her wake. There is tenfold greater necessity
for an Agricultural School here than in the
States, although Agriculture has been sue
cessfully pursued here for the last four or five
years; yet farming has hitherto been mat
ter of experiment, and must continue so for
many years to come. We have different
climate, a different soil and different modes of
culture must be adopted, from what we have
| hitherto been accustomed to. The farmer has
/ every thing to learn. The books treating of
| Agriculture, written in the older States or
England, are to him of but little account and
Notwithstanding all the knowledge and expe-
rience acquired by him elsewhere, he finds him
self but novice here, it is true the great
principles which overe this science are the
same everywhere, yet in California the details
are essentially different In this mild climate,
there is sort of blending of the temperate
and tropical regions, and we can cultivate
many trees, plants, and vegetables which can
not be raised in the other States. We want,
then an Agricultural College, and can have
| it, If the people set about it IN downright
earnest. The United States government
should make US donation of land for that
purpose; our great land holders in every
part of California could well afford to part
with some OF their broad acres and patronize
In liberal manner, from such an Institution,
| from which in the course of few years they
would reap ncalculable benefits. The State
of California has her swamp-lands, part of
which, if donated to this object, would assist
IN placing it on secure and firm basis. No
| Constitutional objections, it appears to me,
could be raised. either by the State or Fede-
raj Government, to the making donations for
! the establishment of an Agricultural College
! (although in these days it is much the fashion
to raise Constitutional objections to acts oil
Congress, and the State leg slature) for if it is
| Constitutional for the United States govern
ment to found a school for the instruction OF
our youth in the art of war, it certainly
would be Constitutional to donate land OF
money to establish school to instruct them
in the arts of peace; and in the opinion oil
many, the one is Of as great national impor-
tance as the other. Although obtaining aid
from the Federal and State governments, il
should be Peoples College and managed by
the people, for if it is State Institution, there
is too much danger that it would be a sort o
Hospital, or house of refuge for dilapdated
and decayed politicians; neither should it be
located within an hundred miles of the seat o
government, so that students attending il
would be out of the reach of any corruptne
influences.
1t must be evident to the most superficial OBJ
server, that to secure the utmost success in ag
| rcuture knowledge of it as a science is es
sentially necessary. 1t is important that the
! farmer should understand geology that science
which treats of the compound minerals, and
aggregate substances which compose the earth
and the relations which they bear to each. He
should be acquainted with botany, or the ma.
ture and uses of the various trees, plants, and
shrubs which are found in the country it is
all important that he should understand chem
istry. by knowledge of which the farmer can
analyze his soil, and supply what is necessary
to induce the greatest fertility. Many other
sciences, such as zoology, meteorology and
physiology, and in fact almost all the sciences
which have ology for their termination, min-
ister either directly or indirectly to agricul-
ture. In an Agricultural College all nforma.
tlon in relation to everything bearing upon
the subject of agriculture, would be collected
and through the students attending it. dissem
| mated to every part of the State A College
in which manual labor and intellectual culture
were combined, would make not merely theoret
! ical, but practical farmers-the race of mer
we want in California, where the field of labor
is almost boundless one botanical gar
den connected with the college, where every
tree and plant, either useful or ornamental was
cultivated, would serve two-fold purpose-it
would give practical illustrations in the science
of botany, Ia pleasing as well as useful study, ,
and might be the means of introducing some
new plant, some new tree or vegetable, of TO-
finite value to the people of California. The
Botanical Society of Paris, in France, about
fifteen years ago; sent an agent to the northern
part of Iowa, for the sole purpose of procuring
an esculent used by the Indians of that coun
try, and which it was supposed could be sue
cessfully cultivated in France; and within 6
few years it is said that new species OF wheat
the product of few grains found in an Egyp-
tian mummy, has been grown, and which it is
supposed will add one-eighth to the annua
product of wheat raised in France And were
Professorshp of mineralogy added, our great
mining interest lin which SO large proportion
of the productive industry of the State is EN-
ployed) would be advanced. There are hun
dreds Of young men now toiling in our noun
tains, who feel the want of scientific knowledge
of the business in which they are engaged, and
who would gladly rest from their labors short
time, and spend it in acquiring information il
mineralogy, how to analyze mineral ores and