Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-12-10
A9rienltaral department.
Farmers, Give the Boys a Chance.

we Delleve as a rule that the sons
of farmers have less opportunity for
either moral or social culture than
any other class whose parents can so
we'll afford a liberal education. Too
often the farmer in his ambition to
improve his farm, increase his focks
and distend his purse, neglects to
afford even the ordinary privilege of
a thorough common school education
to his boys; often preferring to leave
them legacy of broad acres and
increased focks, with an ignorant,
uncultured mind, than less inheri-
lance with an educated brain, or at
least with a practical knowledge of
the common things with which he
must constantly come in contact with
during life. We are glad to note
that at the present time there is a
tendency on the part of many of our
farmers to give the boys a better
chance for literary and social culture
affording them even in some instances
Academical courses. A boy may
learn to read and write his own name
and get little smattering of math-
ematics and other common school
branches. He may also pick up
enough by attending school during
the three months of winter when he
can be spared from the farm between
chores, to know that Boston is in
Mass, or Chicago is out West, but
he will know little or nothing about
the composition of the soil he treads
upon and depends upon for a liveli-
hood; he cannot be expected to
understand or be able to discuss in
diligently the great political or social
problems of the day; He has very
limited idea, if any, about plant life
and plant food, and if he should
adopt as his vocation that of the ag-
riculturalist, this ESSENTIAL knowledge
of the requirements of the soil neces-
sary to plant life may be dearly ac-
CURED before he becomes successful
farmer. We do not believe that a
little learning is a dangerous thing.
or because we cannot be expected to
be thorough chemists, biologists OIL
botanists it is lost time to learn the
difference between an acid and an
alkali, between granite and slate OF
between radicals and stamens. Give
the boys a chance, not only to obtain
knowledge of what may be taught
knowledge of the higher branches
and classics. Remember that farm
ing is ranked among the professions.
and that the members of each profess
sion need and must have study else
their attempt will be an utter failure.
Give the boys a chance to learn by 8
liberal schooling at some good acad-
envy or agricultural institution some
thing of chemistry as applied to
agriculture, stock raising, market
and landscape gardening, animal anat-
natomy, orcharding and fruit culture,
let him learn to be his own architect,
mechanic, &c. Teach them to make
use of their knowledge, and by COM
bining it with labor note the results,
encourage them in any branch Oh
industry for which they may have a
liking upon the farm. If your boy
or boys prefer poultry raising to that
of stock growing let them have the
poultry. l bought a few weeks ago
as fine a lot of chicks dressed for
market as / have seen in the two
years that | have handled poultry.
They were the result of a farmer
boys first experience in poultry rails
ing, and they bespoke success to the
boy in that line of business; but the
father seemed to depreciate his effort,
and made the remark, "that them
are chickens he would bet had cost
twice as much as calf, and he could
have sold the calf right off, and got
as much money" a statement which
we think would bother the level-head-
ed old gentleman to prove), and if
so, if the boys taste lead toward
chickens instead of calf, why en-
courage him, there is money and
success in the business let him learn
all about it and about things con
nected with the business and the
knowledge combined with energy and
labor will bring out top of the heap,
to speak in colloquial way. Give
the boys a chance: encourage them
in all laudable undertakings, let
them have the benefit of schools and
books, do not laugh at their schemes,
aid and encourage in all their expert
ments about the farm, and some day
they may surprise you and the world
in general by their achievements, in
stead of disappointment in your old
age by their making miserable fail
ure of life.
Curing Hams.