The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-02-19
at a.4eI WbE W9ts
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES.

The Appropriation by Congress TO Es-
tabIish One I'm Each extraordinarily
in Rendering such institutions USE
fuI---SOme Suggestions that may be
of service TO us In West Virginia. !.
In Ohio they are discussing, as we are
here in West Virginia, how to make
the appropriation by Congress on be-
half,of anIagriculturat college in each
State really seryiceable to the cause of
agriculture. The following article is
an extract from communication in the
Cincinnati Gazette, written by General
Mansfield: :gC,.. e.-a75 M 7rro NV yer
The fact is that the people who asked
Congress to make an agricultural grant
didn't know what they wanted; that
Congress didn't know what they grant
ed; and the States who have got the
grant don't know what to do with 1t!
They have got an elephant, and how to
feed him, and how. to make him useful,
is thetproblem. Thattthis is the fact we
need no proof but the universal trouble
of the State Legislature as to Whht to
do with it. There is no oiuse in conceal
ing the fact that the idea of an Agricul=
turaI College is n failure. 1fthe gentle
men at Columbus succeed in making
an Agricultural College there, they Will
VIII SuGGHpu III L1e
or tortieth college in Ohio, four-hfths OF
which are totally y3uselesss and the best
of which, do not rise above the level of
the Cincinnati High Schools, we have
wasted an immense a. splendid Ipatrl-
mony in Ohio, devoted TO education, IN
fifty different attempts. TO found col
leges, some Of which hayei come 70 g @ de-
respectabi bilitYI but none Of which
have had very decided success unless
common academy be deemedsa col
leEe. We say this in sadness. 1t is a
shame that in the great and enlightered
Stoteiof Ohio this should be tho case.
But so IL is, and if any body wants a
bill of particulars we will give it to
them. I. Are we opposed to the, improve
ment and acknowledgements of agricul-
ture9o BY no means. We, are farmers
ourselves. We raise wheat at five dol
| lars a bushel, corn at three dollars and
cabbage at a dollar a head That is
| justaa6out the result which the pupils
of the Central Agricultural College at
| Columbus will arrive atif such col
lege should be made. We well know
that Germany and France. have under
! taken to make agricultural colleges, but
we do not know that they have accom-
plished anything worth initiating. We
don't know that France and Germany
are the best cultivated countries by any
means. We. recently saw the pro-
gramme Of one of these colleges, and it
read something like this: t.ra 4,f,F
| Monday-Geometry = III " Lfl1
| Tuesday--Lecture on Manures. .y
Neutrality-suspicious. Chemis-
Thursday-Lecture on Farriery and
Blood Horses.
Mechanical Philosophy.
Saturday-Ge General view of Agricul-
ture in the time Of Abraham, Isaac and
jacob. ~ tii5.EF HGt
This isfrom memory and not exactly
| accurate; but it represents. the sub
stance of what these people attempt to
do.'J alif = ltTfltIalI'1g D ssssl.- =. Ltl d
To say that it is out and ont hhmbug,
is to speak very mildly. The onlyre-
deeming, feature in them is the attempt
to teach mathematics, architecture and
chemistryin, the midst of their grave
| deliberations on Durham bulls and
Spanish Jacks. There is not a farmer
or the Scioto Valley of Ohio who does
not know more about crossing breeds,
fatting stock and, faisihg horses, than
| any pupil of an Agricultural Gallsge
will learn in the next ten years. n1s not
intelligence necessary to. tarmerf-
Certainly the more he hns of it the bet
ter. No man is q worse FARMER Tor be-
ing educated No<mantini any trade,
calling or profession is worse fordbeing
educated. But what sort of an educa-
tion is this2 II is simply to waste half
his time in trying to get crude ideas
about earths, manures, b! asses and
bulls, while Professor Noodle and
Doodle discourse onthe subject.
Life is too short and too pre-
cious for such idle experiments
Young men,, in this fast age of the
world, should make the most of their
ltime.9hAll that we have gained of real
I.agricultural knowledge since the days
fs,tfN 1dtf.
has introduced some OF the most yalu1
able vegetables and grains to- Europe
and other parts of the world.dlIiW gii.sa
| But the iRomans Cultivated what they
had as. Well we do. The great arts of
lmanures, rotation, crossing breeds and
soil, were just, as well known then as
now. Liebig, inghi works on agr1cul-
tural chemistry has expressed about
all that modern Europe has acquired
on this subject. Now, how many pro-
fessorships In any of our colleges would
be required to teach everything on agri-
culture which can be taught in a coll
| leSe? !? At the outside not over two,
Then why not attach two such profess
sorships to- some existing college, and
aid it in becoming a real University?
This is the plan recommended by the
majority. of the Commissio ioners on this
subject, and tits far the most practical.
Whyigetup another abortion /? Yale
/
ed agricultural professor sorships TO them,
and it hns served very useful purpose.
1t will be several years before the agri-
cultural grant will be available for
more than one or two professors. Why
not unite this fund with that of one of
the State colleges, and thus make them
both an ninstitutionluse and thonora-
BILE EfAs to practical me echapicsS how
are you going TO teach casting oiron,
blaming iron, rifling cannon or making
cloth, in a college2 As to the mi lary
part of it, any body who wants to study
the military artywfl never go to apro-
fessor who y lectures on sheep and
rnta baga. we must stick to agri-
culture if We want to get Is along
with the new University-iiesTh The
Commissioners, in fact, hit upon the
only plan which Will make the agricul
tural grant at all aYailab Bile. 1t Is to
unite this sfdnd with the Miami Univer-
sity, on condition of raising certain
amount for buildings. The agricultural
fund may thus be made to furnish, just
us much agricultural and mechanical
instruction as it will support, and that.
will probably be as much as can be
taught: We shppld add one other pro-
yiso, that the degree of Bachelor OF.
Arts should be conferred on those
who studied the whole scientific
course with the agricultural course,
Syithoutr the necessity of taking the clas-
Seal sthdiesi (Thoselwho are called IN
the lingo of the day t'men of business
(as iEnobody else had any businessl,
do Iiotineed the classics, exception gen.
.eral literature; while men of the learn
ed profesSions--law,i Z dicine and the
ology-cannot do without them The
former, after .sstudy lying geometry and
chemistry, Will naturally go TO the pro-
fession OF bu1lSiand goats, while the lat