Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-04-12
agricultural.
Agricultural Education-Wo

That the book worm will make poor
farmer as general rule every body knows.
However, he has certainly little wisdom
who discards book-gained knowledge. To
be successful farmer the boy must be ear
ly trained to Independent observation and
Judgment, to reliance upon himself, and
to see that success or failure results from
causes, which, if he knows enough, he may
regulate. This can never come satisfacto-
rily without a thorough knowledge of work.
Every farmer will agree with us in this,
and we have rarely known one who did not
put the ,pork theory into practlce-and Of
ten with most indiscreet energy. boys are
ambitious and delight in praise. They be-
gin tough and hearty they scorn the
light work very soon they aspire to do
"the work of man" to be worth more to
their fathers than any men they can hire !;
they learn quickly how to do every kind of
work. They hoe, and rake, and bind, and
swing the ak, and fodder the stock, and look
after the hired men they save the farmers
breath. or never say So They do harder
work, and aspire to do the hardest. At Is,
they take their places with the mo wers at
II, they are expert Graders, and pitchers,
and do every kind of work so well that
their praise is on every body's lips, and the
horney handed men look on in astOnishment
TO see the feats of strength and endurance
which they show The result is in ma
jOrlty of cases that the boys break down
they strain themselves and grow out OF
shape, have fits of fainting in the field head
ache, giddiness, blindness grow thin and
pale, and take to their books, perhaps to
novel reading lose interest in the farm,
and so after all their brilliant promise, go
into some other business, or make very poor
farmers. We can name score Of very
much such cases.
There is a remedy-and it is simple
one namely more brain-lUOrk and less hand
acork.
This is easier stated than carried out, for
the ambition of a good boy to work is con-
stantly excited on the farm, by the res ults
of what work does, continually before his
eyes, and by the presence of laborers who
will inevitably encourage the greatest out
lays of energy and strength on his part.
He has no such indictments to study on the
farm, and in fact, much work and much
study are Incompatible. The weary body
demands rest, in which the mind must par
ticipate Nevertheless, the evil of over
working boys is so great that we must,
even again and again. caution parents,
and the boys themselves, against it, as one
notable cause of SO many inferior farmers.
But very few farmers can afford to give
their sons anything more than what is called
"a Common School Education"--t is as
regards book learning Almost none, how
ever, are so Strengthened in means that they
can not have good books and papers. They
can throw upon their sons the responsibility
Of learning what other people think and
say about this or that crop, or practice, or
way of treating crops, or about the insects
which may annoy them, and about thous-
and-and-One things which may be made the
subject of investigation upon the farm.
Besides, farmer needs a knowledge Of
many other kinds Of work-not straightfor-
ward farming-and the young farmers win
ters can hardly be spent to better advan-
tage than in acquiring familiarity with one
or more trades. The writer we'll remembers
the months spent in the cabinet makers
shop in learning the use of tools. He was
not Of much use to the cabinet maker, but
the knowledge gained has been worth a
great deal to him ever since. We advise
any young farmer who can get such place
10 give two or even six months labor graf,
uitously to the blacksmith in his shop, or to
the carpenter, or to the saddler, or to the
Uheelwright, and to do so every winter un-
till good insight is gained of these trades
IN stony country, where wall layingis an
important accomplishment, time should be
taken to learn this, and there is some OPP
portunity almost every season. to learn
practically the principles of framing hous-
cs, OF joiner work The use of this prac-
,ical education in different kinds of work
does not make q farmer "Jack-of-alI-
trades" but it makes him at least better
Judge Of other mems work and a much bet
Ter and handler" farmer