Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-03-12
amirnltnral, &r.
ny NJ Agricultural Editor.
Object Lessons in igriruliure for Common
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by NJ Agricultural Editor.
Object Lessons in Agriculture for Common
Sracsi.
\ certain king in the oldcn time, wher
asked what boys should learn replied, ''thos,
things that they will be required to practic,
when they come to be men The manifest
wisdom of the reply has imm5rtalized its au-
thor; but We do not learn that his disciples
have ever been able to put his axiomatic the
Dry in practice.
Our boys are taught a certain amount Of
reading, because it is the stepring--tone To
some;hing-everything else. Without wait
ing, however, to make them r.cdas. they
are set to learning arithmetic and kept at
that as long as they attend the country d
trict schools aud few terms in the Academy
for the ostensible purpose of discipline Of
mind; for the most earnest apoogisr for the
system does not deny that boy Of twelve
years, whose training has been rational and
consistent, ought to learn all Of arithmetic
that is practically valuable in from one to
four terms ofschool. Other branches Of com
mon school education are taught quite on the
same principle
Of late the =. Object method Of instruction
has become quite popular, and we trust THAI
the expectations Of the friends Of the system
viii be realized after teachers shall have he
come acquainted with its workings and I'M
bued with it, spirit.
We however imagine there IL yet one defect
in the system, and that il. that iuasmUch a-
it appeals directly to the sense. in order that
1t may serve the double purpose of niusua-
ton and discipline, It should be taught as an
applied science or auxiliary to such. As at
present employed there is no real end sought
whereas the system. if valuable fer anything.
Is valuable as a means for accamplshmcuto
some md. 1t Is better. we grant, for our boys
% learn Isolated facts than nothing but !,
would be still better for them q, learn related
facts and the effect, of those relations.
Agriculture is the great business or o1
country and that in which mos, of our bows /
hope, sometime, TO become Interested, either
~ real farmers OF retired cuisines men,
turned farmers his richer in subjects oT |
s. object lessons than all other science. and |
arts combined. Bat practical agriculture"
is mostly founded upon empirici-Ia, is luI o.. ]
contradictions and inconsistencies. and greatly /
wanting in economy. These are recognized
facts. and We witness everywhere an ATTEMPT
to provide for the eya by the e,tadlisbiu. o..
colleges for giving instruction in Scientific
agriculture. We do not Trora-ct3 find riul.
with colleges Of any kind they are all we'll
enough, and if not right Row viii ri3bab,v
set right sometime; bat we shall neycrrhe-
less insist that in our attempts to suuulv the
great and cryin- need Of our boys we have GOT
hold Of the wrong horn of the dilemma: We
have begun at the wrong end of the ladder
" Ojoct Lessons an 4gricutys-' is lust the
thing We wan; taught in all our schools from
the infant school to the college. There VIII
be no need Of sending TO New York for clar-.
to illustrate the subject, for there is am in,y-
haustibe supply Of of specimens ready to the
hand Of every child. and d, more pleasant OPP
profitable employment cas be found for him
than the selection and a-1an-caont ST then.
when once fairly enlisted in the en-arp--.
under the guidance of faithful t~.ia,
But it may be asked where the teachers 10
guide the infant mind into and alon. thi. s.
course Of study are to be found? We have =
no icar on this subject for demand ALWAYS
creates supply. The same is true Of tey--
books our publishers are among our most
enterprisns business men and q simple ,.--
gestlon from some respectable school officer
that he proposes to marguerite such system Z
OF instruction would De very p- inr-rv rs-
'ponded to by the production of books rha.
would ret both teacher and pupil, ., f.ul- 10
iag and the hum drum. treadmiIl urare..o- p
reading questions and recitinr yeii~..a ai.-
'wers which the child has committed rame-.-
ny without the slightest idea of their mean Z.
ng would give place to rational Thought. and
enthusiastic endeavor- to accumulate ifs,.op
he part Of both
The effect Of one such school word y /
throughout an entire town ar ,. 'a'
e necessary to wait for - - Ill 80 ia NOT
!, hen ol 10 , fee change come Owe. Il fac. %.
lii not our
ion Of p purpose TO att emf tie ela5,r-
ayr, .Iy scheme Of inf.truc ,i7a but we
" .verthelcss be permi oted to suggest that
d. formation Of agricultural soils. and then
relations TO the rocks that uuder,ic them
and the comparison Of samples until the
children shall have become familiar with thr
more general characteristics and names ID.
each could he made intensely interesting AID
would serve a ,he first step to more saien-
tifc investigation of the suhiec. at some flu
ture time.
Or. let teacher take single stalk of an
nual spear grass (poa annaa) the most com
mon Of grasses, and having poin;e- cut 10
the children all its pebulilri,ies AMI a, l.r as
consistent taught them the name- Of tie diff
ferent plrts.-as the joint, the Leaf, the
sheath Of the Leaf the ligue, the stem, tie
rachis or central branch the lateral branch.
es, and spikelets, then ask them to bring IN for
the next lesson, say after recess. one nice
specimen apiece of the same grass. Give
them the widest possible range aud in their
desire to get handsome specimens the cAanc-
es are that they viii bring specimens of June
grass. Of the meadow or other spear grasses,
of the different varieties of the bents. or even
Of redtop or orchard grass. After having re
capitulated the former lesson, institute COM
parison between the original and the indiyid-
ual samples furnished by the children. lie,
them see that they have made a mistake here
and there, bat do not attempt TO teach them
what they have got at this time. 0no thing
at time Is quite sufficient. They Will nos
he likely to make the same mistake again. =
The next day or next week take another kind T
examine it, and compare the two-then an a.
other and 70 on. Of course the children
must have text book to fall back on, for
they cannot be expected to carry in their
minds all the poculiarities Of the different
species rnaided. nor would it be desirable if
they could. The lessons on the grasses may
be continued almost without limit, as there
are several hundred varieties within the reach
of every school child. After a very little
drill Of this kind they will be able to distin-
guish between the different grasses with CO.
lerity and certainty--a feat that not one
practical farmer in a thousand can accom-
plish. At this stage they may be taught 81
something Of the economical value Of the DIFF
ferent grasses, though an objection to this
course exists in the necessity for requiring