74 STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



herds, accommodating in all about one hundred head. The annex to 

 the old beef barn, a structure 25x94 feet, standing close to the agri- 

 cultural laboratory, was moved due south and placed at right angles 

 to the grade herd barn. This building has been refitted and now houses 

 the nine bulls owned by the college, which were formerly scattered 

 around in the numerous buildings. The sheep barn, 34x90 feet, was 

 also moved due south and placed west of the grade herd barn, 150 feet 

 from it. To this is to be added GO feet more, which will form the west- 

 ern boundary of a court bounded on the south by the bull barn, on the 

 east by the grade herd barn and on the north by the proposed new horse 

 barn, the northeast corner of which will only be a few feet from the 

 piggery as now located. What was known as the experiment station 

 cattle barn has been removed to a point opposite the railroad track 

 from the old engine house, and is to be converted into a hospital for 

 the control of diseases as they may break out in the herds and flocks, 

 and also for the handling of diseased animals which may be shipped in 

 for investigation purposes. A detailed account of the moving, build- 

 ing and remodeling will likely be given in a special report, hence we 

 shall refrain from going into further detail here. 



The |2,000, a part of the special live stock appropriation which the 

 legislative act specified was to be used in the interests of the poultry 

 business has been practically expended. Two buildings have been 

 erected. One is an incubator house 18x36 feet; this building has been 

 designed with a half basement for carrying on the incubation work 

 and one story above to provide a class room and work room for stu- 

 dents. The poultry house is 15x84 feet with a capacity for handling 

 175 mature fowls with twenty-five in each breeding pen. Three large 

 brooders with capacity for handling 200 chicks each were also built 

 after a pattern now in use by Cornell university. The grounds now 

 occupied by the poultry division have been enclosed by a 72-inch heavy 

 poultry fence. This division is equipped to meet the present need, with 

 incubators, brooders, etc., of difl'erent makes and styles. At the present 

 time there are about 400 chicks which were all incubated at the college 

 last spring from eggs secured from some of Michigan's best breeders. 

 The breeds represented are Brahma, Barred Plymouth Rock, White 

 Wyandotte, and White and Brown Leghorns. The work of this divi- 

 sion is in charge of Mr. James G. Halpin, a graduate of Cornell uni- 

 versity, who comes to us after having spent a 3'ear in charge of the 

 college poultry plant at Kingston, Rhode Island. 



A division of farm mechanics has also been added to the farm depart- 

 ment, with Mr. L. J. Smitli, a graduate of the engineering department 

 of 1900, in charge. This division will furnish instruction work to regu- 

 lar agricultural and short course men in blacksmithing, carpentry, 

 engines and power machines, and farm machinery in general. The de- 

 mand for special training in these lines of work has been such as to 

 justify the establishment and equipment of a division to till the need. 



There has been little change in the general method of handling the 

 college farm, except for some alterations in the system of crop rotation 

 in order to exterminate some quack grass which has had a strong hold 

 in fields numbers 5, 7, 12, 13 and 14 for some years past. It is now 

 practically eradicated. A large amount of new fence has been con- 



