xiv Report of the Dean 



the fact that the College offered courses in physical training in order to 

 prepare supervisors of physical training for the rural schools in accordance 

 with the recently enacted physical training law. Approximately 125 

 persons registered for these courses. 



Legislative appropriations 



The generous appropriations made by the Legislature in 191 7, while 

 inadequate to meet many greatly needed developments in the College, were 

 nevertheless sufficient to maintain the College during this year of exces- 

 sive costs, and we shall be able to close the year within our available 

 funds. (See the financial report in this volume.) The 19 18 Legislature, 

 whose sessions were recently brought to an end, has also made substantial 

 provision for the maintenance of the College. We recognize that the large 

 funds appropriated impose a very responsible trust on the administration 

 of the College and of the Universit}^ to see that all expenditures are wisely 

 and efficiently made. The burden of responsibility grows each year with 

 the expansion of the work, both resident and in extension, to meet new 

 needs as they arise. 



In this connection attention is called to the transfer of the farmers' 

 institute work, hitherto conducted by the State Department of Agriculture, 

 to the State College of Agriculture as part of its extension service. It has 

 long been recognized that this transfer should be made, as the institutes 

 are a form of educational extension — a function which has been vested 

 in the College. The State Department of Agriculture, or the Department 

 of Farms and Markets as it has now been named, is more strictly a regula- 

 tory department, charged with the administration of the agricultural law. 



Among the more important additions made by the '1918 Legislature 

 are provisions for the following : a new full professor in vegetable garden- 

 ing; a full professor and an assistant professor in rural engineering; 

 three assistant professors in home economics; two professors in rural 

 education to meet the obligations of the Smith-Hughes work; two assist- 

 ant state leaders in the home demonstration work. An appropriation 

 of $7500 was made for the erection of an insectary, or laborator}-, for eco- 

 nomic investigations of insects, and one of $2000 for the underdrainage 

 of the plant-breeding and floricultural experimental grounds. 



Two financial problems of first importance to the welfare of the College 

 still confront us, however. One of these is the urgent necessity for addi- 

 tional buildings to house some of the departments; the other is the insistent 

 need for salary increases for members of the staff. 



The college buildings have been very greatly overcrowded for a number 

 of years and the congestion grows constantly worse. The Departments 



