68' DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 



sing and too far to secure quarters for the surplus attendance, unless some easy 

 and cheap means of transportation is provided. The college is in a sparsely 

 settled region — very few farmers' residences within walking distance, and 

 absolutely no buildings or boarding houses or quarters for students in the vicin- 

 ity of the grounds. If the students can be got what shall we do with them? 



On the first point I have no serious ajiprehension. I have canvassed the sub- 

 ject fully ever since I began to consider, nearly a year ago, wh.ether I should 

 accept the position tendered to me. I frankly stated to you that numbers were 

 a consideration with me; that in popular estimation the college was obnoxious 

 to the charge that there were too few students for the plant and the expenditure 

 of the money; and that unless I became satisfied that inside of five years 500 

 students could be placed in the institution I should be compelled to decline your 

 offer. Hence I investigated the subject thoroughly, tested the temper of our 

 people, and the feeling of our public men, and I became fully convinced that 

 thei'c is a constituency, that will in less time than five years supply the required 

 numbers without in any sensible degree imjiairing the attendance upon our 

 other institutions of learning. The industrial feature with its comprehensive 

 ai)paratus of the sciences from agricultttre down, commends itself to popular 

 regard in these times of over-crowded, so-called professional life. 



There are two ways suggested for the extra 250 students, one to build a street 

 railway to Lansing, and tlie other to build more dormitories. The first with- 

 out any doubt would be the cheaper in the end, as a company might be induced 

 to build and operate one for a consideration, sayin the guarantee of a certain 

 amount of patronage for three years, till the number of students and the gen- 

 eral public would tiiemselves furnish sufficient patronage to pay dividends. On 

 the other hand the dormitories would enable the administration to preserve the 

 industri.il morale which has characterized the institution since its organization. 

 I cannot see how it can be maintained in its vigor, with a portion of the students 

 who come two, three or more miles — they at least would need to be exempted 

 from manual labor. 



But these questions may safely be left to the State Board of Agriculture and 

 the Legislature, as it is not probable that the desirable end to be attained will 

 fail for want of means for the sufficent accommodations for the students who 

 shall knock at our door. 



It may be ])roper to note the fact that the Agriiuiltural College does not exist 

 for students alone. While it is desirable that it should have all the students 

 for whom it has ample facilities for instruction; — the fact that it has not had 

 this full attendance, should not make us oblivious of the fact that the college 

 occupies a field of great public utility aside from its instruction of students. If 

 the general public were aware of the correspondence of some of the Professors, 

 notably those of Agriculture, Chemistry, Botany, Entomology, Horticulture, 

 and Veterinary, always constant, and sometimes almost overwhelming, with 

 citizens of the State making incjuiries about seeds, and soils, and lerti.izers, 

 and grain, and fruits, and insects, and diseases of animals and the thousand and 

 one matters that lill the fertile brain of our active inquiring people, many ques- 

 tions requiring gro.it research and assiduous labor and observation in the field 

 and the laboratory, much of the criticism heretofore indulged in would fall to 

 the ground. 1 am ha])])y to state that the Professors one and all are prompt 

 in their response, woi'king early and late, year in and year out, and are fully 

 alive in their respective spheres to the importance of bringing whatever of 

 pr.ictical information they may have to the general and individual public. 

 Tiieie is not a drone in the faculty. It is impossible to estimate tho benefao- 



