Page 274

9274    WISCONSIN        AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
the beneficial results which were antici-pated from them, at 
the, time the grants were made, but that all of them, whether 
established in connection with state universities or as sepa- 
rate institutions, have been substantially failures so far as 
imparting any knowledge .which has been of much -practi- 
.cal value to the farmers of the country. I am aware that 
some of them'have been quite successful- as high schools 
where the oreneral branches of education are taught in' their 
lower forms-such an education as is useful in a gene"ra'l 
sense to men intending to engage in the various avocations 
of life, trade, commerce and the other industrial pursuits, 
that is to say they have been successful in securing a very 
respectable attendance in numbers of students. Of this kind 
of suc'cess I believe Michigan and Mississippiare two of the 
Most favorable examples, but this kind of success is suchüs 
might be expected of any schools offering the advantages of 
a f ree education having no connection with agriculture. 
In this country . where there is such a mania for education 
any college or school offering free tuition and teaching The 
various branches supposeid to be necessary for an ordinary 
education will not fail to secure the aTtendau7ce of a resPect- 
able number of students, but this is not giving to students 
an agricultural education, and in this state the-faeilities for 
obtaining a free education in all the various branches of 
scholastic learning are so great and the burden of taxation 
in.maintaining our system of free schools., from tbe district 
school through all the various (yrades of high schools up to 
the State University, is so onerous that. I presume none 
would be in favor of establishing another expensive institu- 
tion, the object of which was to simply offer additional fa- 
eilities for a general edueation., 
What we want to do.9 if practieable, is to have some in* sti- 
tution where in;struction is given in the science of agricul- 
ture, provided there is a n-.Y -such seience eapable of being 
taught. 
There is a feeliing prevailing among farmers to some ex- 
tent at least, that they are not fairly dealt with as a class; 
they say there are special colleges and schools where a 
knowledge of theolögy, law and. medicine ean be gained,