1902.] THE CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. II3 



good citizens, men such as were held up last night for our ad- 

 miration and imitation by Colonel Wood. 



A day or two ago I looked over the list of the objects for 

 which appropriations were made by our legislature last year, 

 and was astonished quite as much by their variety as by the 

 sums devoted to them. You are farmers, but you are interested 

 in something besides agriculture. Many a cause not your 

 own you championed last winter, when as a General Assembly 

 chiefly agricultural you voted thousands upon thousands of 

 dollars for the general welfare and progress of the State. 

 American citizens the country over readily respond to such 

 appeals as that just now placed in their hands by President 

 Roosevelt in his first great message. Our nation presents 

 to the world a most extraordinary variety of interests and 

 activities. And there are few men who in their hearts are 

 not ready to yield up that quota of their income and energies 

 which the advancement of our nation as a whole may at any 

 time demand. 



It is from the good citizenship of our nation as a whole 

 and of this State in particular, as well as from that of a few 

 individuals, that the Connecticut Agricultural College has 

 sprung. Therefore in pledging the best efforts of this institu- 

 tion to agricultural education for the immediate betterment 

 of our farmers and their families, I would have this most 

 distinctly and nobly understood. And I would urge upon 

 every man in this audience, whether he be a farmer or not, 

 that it is with an institution in some real and deep sense his 

 own that I am dealing, as I now attempt to unfold something 

 of the history, nature, and needs of this college that I repre- 

 sent. 



The principal sources of information in searching out the 

 history of our college are the reports of the institution which 

 have been issued regularly since its founding. And a careful 

 study of these reports has brought to light a few facts worthy 

 of note. 



To begin with, the Connecticut Agricultural College had its 

 start in the philanthropic interest and enterprise of two men 

 born on a Connecticut farm in the town of Mansfield, and 

 afterwards successful New York merchants. These men 

 never lost their interest in farming. One of them was Mr. 

 Augustus Storrs, and the other Mr. Charles Storrs. Mr. 



Agr. — 8 



