Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-01-26
The Connecticut Symposium.


The Connecticut Symposium.
From the reports of the New England
late something of the spirit of the recent
meeting of the Connecticut Board of Agri-
culture for the discussion of the subject of
agricultural education. This is subject
which all our readers know is extremely in
teresting to us, and we believe it is so to
many of them. 1t is well to know what
some of the leading minds think about it,
Professor Atwater, speaking of young men
and women leaving the farm, said "Evi-
IDENTIFY we need something which will better
satisfy the aspirations of farm boys and
girls. The old treadmill course does not
satisfy them. We need schools, county
schools, high schools, that will i'll, and not
unfit, their pupils for the pleasures and du-
ties of farm life. Natural laws need to be
studied and Investigations made, whereby
the farmer may know how to attain the best
results with the means used and the capital
invested. Farming should exercise the in
tellect as well as the hands.
Secretary Gold spoke upon farmers clubs,
and gave some account of several in that
state. The one at West Cornwall meets at
farm houses, all, both men and women, at
tending. The former discuss the question
of the evening, while the ladies have a So
cial time in another room. (Ths wouldn't
suit Vermont-our farmers wives are inter-
ested in agriculture). At nine p. NJ. the
whole unite in eating apples and nuts, moth
ing else being allowed, a-d .l.-. .ho no,n-
pany adjourn to the next time and place.
This club has been in successful operation
for more than a generation. The Wood
stock club has hall, library, cabinet, mi
croscope, and has been grand success. Mr..
Gold thought no organization accomplished
so much so cheaply as farmers clubs.
Professor Beal of the Michigan agricul-
tural college said that in that institution the
distinctive idea was that in the pursuit of
natural science nature should be studied,
and text books made secondary. The bo-
tanical class studies trees, grasses and
fruits from nature. Thus the differences
and similarities of various species were
learned from actual observation. the
Scotch pine being compared with the Aus
trian nine the butterput with the black wal
mt. the black spruce with the Norway
spruce, and so on through all the various
trees and plants with which farmers are con.
cerned. All the students work on the farm
and receive paw for what they do. (This
work takes the place of boat rowing, base
ball, hazing and the other athletic sports
popular in literary colleges, and though per
hans less elevatinp and ennoblinp in its ten
denotes. il answers the purpose quite salts.
factorilv. While. of course. it cannot make
"eentlemap." it makes farmers.) In the
literary colleges from one to three per cent
become farmers. OF the two hundred and
eiphty-six are already farmers and thirteen
are teachers in agricultural colleges. OF
the thirteen hundred students who have
taken partial courses the majority are
farmers. The professors of the college at
tend farmers institutes through the state
make addresses and answer questions, SC
as to be of use to those unable to attend the
college. Professor Beal said the education
of farmers was advanced by farmers clubs
but among the Michigan farmers the oranges
have done far more Farmers clubs ar,
few, the oranges are counted by hundreds
DIR. Sturtevant wanted a good practica
scientific education for the farmer, and, lik,
Professor Beal, he favored object teachin.
from nature. The prime object of the far
mer, as farmer, should be to make money
and he wants the kind of education that will
helm him to DO il.
Professor johnson of the Scientific Scboo
and Commercial Agricultural College sale
that the education received by American
farmers lacks system. Foreign countries, il
some respects, are ahead of us in the educs
ton of farmers. We have really no mett
ods that ensure to every bow who will be
come farmer An education suited TO hi
future needs, and when the attempt is mad
to give our bows an education. we have II
assurance that wa will have the bovs to et
ucate. The Connecticut Agricultural Co
lepe (which ia an apnendage IN Yale Co
lege) has seldom had MANY pupils-ofte