PRODUCTS OF THE COLLEGE FARM. 



283 



John C. Dillon, the Farm Superintendent, a gentleman admi- 

 rably adapted to his work. The destruction of a part of the 

 farm buildings by wind, the year previous, caused the necessity 

 of erecting a large number of sheds for the protection of the 

 cattle, sheep and swine, and the superintendence of the erection 

 of these sheds unavoidably demanded the personal attention, 

 labor and constant oversight of the Farm Superintendent for a 

 large part of the season, so that his attention was diverted from 

 the farm much more than it otherwise would have been. The 

 principal attention paid to the farm the past year has been in 

 raising and harvesting the ordinary crops, with, perhaps, a 

 single exception. The raising of the " sugar beet " has re- 

 ceived considerable attention, for the purpose of testing the 

 expediency of making it an agricultural enterprise in this Com- 

 monwealth. The results of the experiment will be in detail 

 before you, in the report of the trustees, who have, through 

 eminent professors and chemists, tested it thoroughly. Your 

 Committee are satisfied from personal observation that the 

 " sugar beet " is a profitable crop to raise for feeding purposes, 

 and that sugar of the finest quality can be made from it. 

 Whether the manufacture of sugar can be made profitable in 

 Massachusetts we have no means of judging advisedly and ex- 

 press no opinion. 



We are informed that the products of the farm the past year, 

 are as follows, to wit : — 



The horticultural department has become one of the most at- 

 tractive features of the College. The very liberal donation it 

 has received from Dr. Durfee, places it in a very substantial 



