DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 63 



EEPORT OF THE DEAN OF SPErTAL (X)r KSES. 



I'resident Snyder : 



It gives me pleasure to report the work for the department of spechil 

 courses for the winter 19()5-G. The number in attendance upon the 

 sijecial courses were as follows : * 



Horticulture l'-\ 



General Agriculture, first A'ear 72 



General Agriculture, second year 22 



Creamery 50 



Cheese 15 



The ])rincipal change in the instruction given in these courses has 

 been the addition of carpenter and blacksmith shops. Twenty-five 

 forges and a like number of anvils were installed in a room properly 

 prepared, lighted and heated, and instruction given in the elements 

 of the work of a blacksmith. Young men were taught the use of the 

 tools, how to set up a forge and properly cement it, what tools are neces- 

 sary in a work room on a farm, how to heat the iron, what coal to use, 

 how to hold the hammer and handle the iron operated upon to work it 

 into any desired form. Some work was done also with steel. The in- 

 struction was given on alternate days throughout the course from three 

 to five in the afternoon. 



In the carpenter shop the sole furniture at the beginning consisted 

 of twenty-five kits of carpenter tools, saws, a hammer, planes, a guage, a 

 l)evel, a square and other tools absolutely necessary. From the lumber, 

 })laned where necessary, the students built their own Avork benches and 

 fitted them v/ith vises and drawers for their tools. Thereafter they had 

 simple exercises in woodAvork and were taught to lay out rafters, build 

 wagon boxes and do many of the other kinds of work which a farmer 

 ^ould l>e likely to be called upon to do. This work cjime on alternate 

 days from three to five in the afternoon and was given to the students 

 of the first year in the special course in agriculture. 



The shO|)S were in charge of Mr. W. E. Spreiter of West Concord, 

 ^linnesota, who had been trained in the school of agriculture of the 

 university of that state. The popularity of the work among the stu- 

 dents combined with the rapid progi-ess made is a sutficient certificate 

 of the efficiency of Mr. Spreiter. James Fisk and L. J. Smith of the 

 class of 190(;, mechanical course of this college, gave the instruction in 

 blacksmithing. The subject is not an easy one to teach when the class 

 is large as it was last winter. These young men succeeded in inter- 

 esting the students in the work and causing them to make a steady 

 and satisfactoi'v jnogress. 



Other than tlie introduction of this shop work few changes were made 

 in the curriculum of the first year in general agriculture. The work 

 in stock judging was given from eight to ten, veterinary followed at 

 ten and stock feeding at eleven. After dinner Professor Jett'ery gave 



