The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-11-03
Asrifultura, department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN
Our AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

-iuA entrusted their portion Of the fund
g'n""h ny our National Congress to ed.
",a'r our youth to Lecome more enlight.
7r' iarincrs,iS DOT in very healthy con.
-tiou, or that the responsibility ind la.
nor Of distributing agricultural knowledge
~ too much for her constitution.
{ we remember rightly at the time
this grant OF money was made, and the
trust Of educating the youth of Vermont
to become better fitted to practice enlight'
ened agriculture was accepted by the old
Vermont University, many thought and
urged, tbet her constitution was in rather
a shattered condition aud that as she was
about ready to drop into the grave, thi,
grant would only rejuvenate her for O
short time, and wnen the effect Of this ex
ira stimulus should pass away, she would
soon droop, and her old constitutions
weaknesses would again assert their do
mnion over her, and in the eud she wonld
not only receive no permanent benefi
from the grant, but the effect would be tC
still further exhaust her already depleted
strength, and although for awhile she
would apparently be benefited, the gram
would prove mistaken kindness, and the
money lost But the friends of the Col
lege plead hard, it was a matter Of life OIL
death with the old institution, and with
the aid Of some of the ablest lawyers Of
the state, the fund was very securely Sc.
cured as medicine that would rene "
tho old shattered constitution of the Uni.
verify of Vermont, as a matter of course
this could not have been done, except the
good people of Vermont through her Leg.
islature had been promised that the fund
thus absorbed, should bo SO used, that
the agriculture of the state should be ben.
Gifted by the same that the farmers OF
the should become moro enlightened more
influential, as class better fitted every
way. to honor and dignity their calling in
Vermont by the proper use of this fund.
Many thought at the time, it would be
mucn better that this fund should not be
absorbed by any then existing College,
but should be the nucleus around which
suitable appropriations could assist, and
found q school where scientific and prac.
teal agriculture would be intelligently
taught, by men duly qualified for that
duty, rather than by men who had been
and were still cramped and crammed with
classical lore to such an extent that they
we're unfttod to lnstl into the minds Of
our youth love Of the farm, and Of the
labor and calling of farmers life.
And now what is the result? After
waiting goodly number of years for
some fruit, to what feast are Vermont
farmers invited What does the institu.
lion to which the name of Vermont Agri.
cultural College was so easily added bring
forward TO show as return for the large
sum Of money she annually receives from
the agricultural fund to educate men for
the FARM The answer to this question
we find in the Burlington Daily Free
Press and Times Of Tuesday morning
last.
The last Report Of the State Univer.
sity and Agricultural College is one OF
the most interesting thus far made by the
trustees. 1t shows steady growth and
progress of the institution, and it discuss.
es some questions of great practical i'm.
portance to the State and to the general
public. The number Of students in the
academic and scientific departments, last
year was ninety one, and 10 the Medical
College Gtty.one, a total Of one hundred
and forty.two. The present year will
show handsome increase on these fig
ures. Eight young women have been
pursuing the classical course and five the
scientific, and they have proved them
selves the equals of the young men III
scholarship"
We acknowledge that this is "most in
teresting,' but how about Agricultural
students. We 6ud ninety zone academic
and scientific students aud lifty.oue med.
ical students being educated 20 as to I'm.
doubleday, unfit, and dissatisfy them for
farm life, but where are those educated
for the farm, in return for the eight thou.
sand and odd dollars the Vermont Uni.
versity is receiving for that work ? We
trust our readers will have little pa.
tiencc while We give them further extracts
from this report as published 10 the Free
Press and Times.
The report discusses the interesting
subject Of schools of Agriculture, Tn,
der the head Of What our Agricultural
Department might be, it says
ave do not consider that we have more
than begun to develop the capabilities Of
our system We have laid broad foun.
lation we haze secured the most essen.
'ial parts of D.. liberal aud practical edu.
cation :" We have introduced nothing that
could possibly be spared from such an ed
ncation; NC haze wasted no money on
cash experiments. But it is as far rs
possible from our intention to remain sal
.s6ed with our present position. 1t is
part of tho settled policy Ct the trustees
to rspand the institution in all directions
BY ali the means in our power. The next
forward step in the Agricultural Depart.
'neDt will be the appointment of pre-
lessor OF agriculture who shall be able 10
devote his whole time to instruction and
investigation in this department
Really, gentlemen farmers of Vermont,
what do you think Of such an answer as
that? The interesting subject OF "Schools
Of Agriculture" discussed, and we are
srandly told What our Agricultural
Department nigM BE-" and that "thc
next forward step will be" to appoint '.a
professor Of agriculture who shall be able
TO devote his whole time to instruction,
and investigation 10 this department "
And this is the answer that the farmers
Of Vermont get, when they ask what has
been done with the large sum of money
the Vermont University has been receiv.
ing to educate young men TO become
farmers.
The real naked truth is. the University
OF Vermont has not expended dollar OF
this sum to educate or improve farmer or
to add to the stock of agricultural knowl-
NJ