Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-07-27

ments There IL no reason why agriculture
should not endow its own schools. The United
States government laid a generous foundation;
the state assisted year after year, until II was ap
parent that 80 long as the state annually suosl-
died the agricultural college OF Massacbuset,s,
so long would the farmers OF Massachusetts, lie
on their backs and see the state do IL. Now we
have passed that period. The state has stopped
giving. Let the farmers give, let them send their
sons and pay their tuition, as they would II they
were sending them to Harvard, let the endow.
ments be increased, the alumni be enlisted, ana
the college given that vitality and power OF en-
largement and growth, which never fail to spring
from liberal school OF learning But 1t may be
said that the farmers cannot give, they are not
able That is moonshine. They can give ana
they will give. the minute they think 1t VIII pay
There are as, 600 farms in Massachusetts,, worth
In 1875 over S4 900 upon an average, ana Oh
which only about 900 were worked by persons
other than the owners. They produced S3iVU,-
900 worth Of products in that year, gold value
We can't believe that an interest which Is turn.
ing off S37, 100000 Of produce every year cannot
endow college and pay the tuition OF It's boys,
Again, we observe that the milk product rose
from less than 3,000,0O0 gallons in lSlo 70
20, 900 gallons in 1915, alone worth nearly
SO, 900, 600; that Of mutton 81 ,OOOOOO worth Was
raised in 1865 and only $4,000 in 1915 and oI
beef SS, 600, 600 in 1865 and only Sl,OOOOOO III
1875. These startling changes suggest gtea.
problems, questions OF pasturage, fodder, now
to keep up our grazing and feeding 80 that We
may preserve the advantage OF our nearness W
markets. They are questions demanding tne
broadly cultivated farmers men who know now
other nations have met these questions. lhey
demonstrate at once the importance OF farm eou- |
cation, the ability to get it and the need oil It,
The Boston Herald in discussing the
same question, expresses the opinion that
the course of study at the Massachusetts,
Agricultural College is very i'll adapted to
the nominal purpose of educating its stu
dents to become practical farmers. Tht
HerdlFs indictment reads thus
In 1878 the state appropriated S17 506 90 to keep
| the institution alive. In 1879 the appropriation
was S32 600 Last year there was no appropra-
ton, but the college received the income Of the
| fund before alluded To, amounting to 80 2l9S6
and what is the result? The annual report Of the
trustees tells the story There were ten acres in
corn, three in beets, four in potatoes, twenty
in oats and twelve in rye. We are told that the
| apple crop was abundant, but, being of small
market value, 1t was mostly fed TO Stock and
| then we have the additional statement, which ap-
pears quite superfluous, that, "as purely money
making and business affair, the years operations
have not been success, though an analysis OF
| the treasurer's report shows only deficiency OF
| about from $500 to 5000" And this is " the beg
carly account of empty boxes" which we have
of an institution after seventeen years OF trial.
The result, every farmer knows, is no better
than could have been achieved by two or three
skilful farm laborers, with pair Of horses, upon
any decent farm in Massachusetts,, with capital
| of $500. And why is this? Let us look at the
curriculum, course Of study prescribed for the
young men who are expected to be trained as
"captains of industry" in the institution; and,
after graduating, carry the knowledge of scen-
tifc agriculture into every community where
they should locate We copy yerbdtim from the
record. In the first term of the freshman year
they were to devote three hours each week to
chemistry, two hours to agriculture, one hour to
defamation, four hours to military drill and six
hours to manual labor. In the second term there
were prescribed three hours to inorganic chem
isry, three hours to botany, three hours TO agri-
culture, one hour to elocution and three hours to
military drill. In the third term there was Of
systematic botany four hours, French five hours,
English one hour, mili ry drill four hours, agri-
culture two hours and manual labor six hours.
In the sophomore, junior and senior years, the
programme of study and work is very much the
same, except that the study Of German Is added,
to the extent of four hours a week, veterinary
science two hours a week, and military science
two hours week. In the third term OF the senior
year, military drill has four hours, and all sub
jects relating to agriculture are narrowed down
to almost nothing, il except that half an hour
"A day is devoted 70 botany, and the same amount
OF time to landscape gardening. In view OF these
facts, can any one wonder that with our boasted
facilities for the promotion OF scientific agricul
ture, Massachusetts has fallen behind some O
her sister states, and that the farmers OF Massa
chusetts, who for the past fifteen years have beer
waiting for something good to come out OF that
Nazareth in the western part OF the state, art
large endowment of one-third of q million o
dollars transferred in such way as to be mad
/, TO subserve some useful purpose-if not for them
selves, that at least it shall not be wasted in such
frivolous pretences OF being used in the develop
v ment of scientific agriculture as have been il
vogue at the state house for the last tan years
That the Massachusetts college has no
a lived up to its opportunities or its privilege
is very evident, but it has done much bette
than any of its neighbors, and has graduate.
more students than the agricultural college
of all the other New England states take
>, together. The farmers have taken no pal
ticular interest in any of them. This
:, partly from lack of belief in the feasibilit
=. of special education for the farm, but NOR
:. because the organization of the colleges ha
not been such as to inspire confidence. Pa
:, men into them that have the confidence c
the farmers, know how to go out anon
them and fraternize with them, and abov
all how to produce results the value of whic
~ cannot be gainsayed, and they would soon
O. filled with students. But if, as the coleg
y men demand, crowds of students and larg
= donations of money must come first, the
- these colleges will die or remain as they ar
~ ~ The business of teaching is like every othe
- business. Men engaged in it must sho
~ that they can do something worth Will
:" even with small resources, before they ca
y command the patronage and support OF IL
~ public on large scale.
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