SKETCH OF MANLY MILES. 839 



Stock-Breeding is a classic work. Dr. Miles, in short, was a close 

 student, a born investigator, hating an error, but using it as a stepping- 

 stone toward truth. He did American farming a lasting service, and 

 his deeds live after him." 



While loved by his students, most of whom have been successful 

 and many have gained eminence as agricultural professors or work- 

 ers in experiment stations, and while receiving sympathy and sup- 

 port from President Abbott, Dr. Miles was not appreciated by the 

 politicians, or by all of the Board of Agriculture, or even by the 

 public at large. Unkind and captious criticisms were made of his 

 work, and it was found fault with on economical grounds, as if its 

 prime purpose had been to make money. He therefore resigned his 

 position in 1875, and accepted the professorship of agriculture in 

 the Illinois State University. Thence he removed to the Houghton 

 Farm of Lawson Valentine, near Mountainville, N. Y., where he 

 occupied himself with scientific experimental investigation. He was 

 afterward professor of agriculture in the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 College, at Amherst. In announcing this appointment to the 

 students, Dr. Chadbourne, then president of the institution, and him- 

 self a most successful teacher, stated that he considered Dr. Miles as 

 the ablest man in the United States for that position. In 1886, 

 shortly after Dr. Chadbourne's death, Dr. Miles returned to his old 

 home in Lansing, Michigan, where he spent the rest of his life in 

 study, research, and the writing of books and articles for scientific 

 publications. 



During these later years of his life he took up again with what 

 had been his favorite pursuit in earlier days, but with which he had 

 not occupied himself for thirty years — the study of mollusks— with 

 the enthusiasm of a young man, Mr. Walker says, who being inter- 

 ested in the same study, was in constant correspondence with him at 

 this time ; " and as far as his strength permitted labored with all the 

 acumen and attention to details which were so characteristic of him. 

 I was particularly struck with his familiarity with the present drift 

 of scientific investigation and thought, and his thorough appreciation 

 of modern methods of work. He was greatly interested in the work 

 I was carrying on with reference to the geographical distribution of 

 the mollusca, and, as would naturally be supposed from his own work 

 in heredity in connection with our domestic animals, took great pleas- 

 ure in discussing the relations of the species as they are now found 

 and their possible lines of descent. He was a careful and accurate 

 observer of Nature, and if he had not drifted into other lines of work 

 would undoubtedly have made his mark as a great naturalist. As 

 it is, his name will always have an honored place in the scientific 

 history of Michigan." 



