DEPAETMEXT EEPORTS. 71 



Olieniistry and its Professor of Practical Agriculture. Its success, and that of 

 CTery other Agricultural Colleges, ^vill further our own prosperity. 



Tiie house occupied by the President stood upon an uneven piece of groiind, 

 rising to the west still higher than the site of the house itself. The land was 

 stiff clay, and the pasturage about it exceedingly poor. The laud had been 

 plowed and the house stood in a field of clay mud. An estimate was put in two 

 years ago for grading and enriching the ground and constructing the drives in 

 accordance with the plans of Mr. Adam Oliver, the College Landscape Gar- 

 dener. As these estimates were stricken out by the Legislative connnittee, it was 

 deemed necessary to commence work upon the grounds at once, by students' 

 labor. The whole field east of the house and of the two new cottages has been 

 underdrained, at great labor, and the work of grading and enriching has been 

 going on throughout the season. The work has been in charge of Professor 

 Gulley, and was of a nature to require his personal attention. This lias thrown 

 greater responsibility upon his foreman, Mr. C. L. Ingersoll, who has shown 

 great competency for his diflScult work. 



The main entrance to the College has been changed from a place east of Pro- 

 fessor Fairchild's house to a place west of the President's house, and the drive 

 now follows the bank of the Cedar river, by the Apiary and the Chemical Labora- 

 tory to the College Hall. This river bank has great natural beauty, and it is 

 not impossible the place may yet become what Governor Baldwin used to wish 

 for it, the most beautiful in the State. 



No insurance is kept upon the buildings or other property of the College. An 

 estimate for insurance Avas inserted by the Board into the estimates for 1876 and 

 1877. These were cut out by the Legislative committees. There was at the 

 time pending in the Legislature a joint resolution that State property should not 

 be insured. This did not pass, but the item for insurance having been omitted 

 from the appropriations, seemed to express the opinion of the law-making power 

 that no money should be expended for that purpose. I think some otlier insti- 

 tutions have effected insurance on their property, although it is in reality State 

 jDroperty. 



Early in the present year the first series of Farmers' Institutes under the direc- 

 tion of the Board were held. A very exact regard to dates would have deferred 

 an account of them to the present volume. As, however, the report for 1875 

 was not issued until after their close, a full account of the institutes was given 

 in that volume, pages 72 to 314, inclusive. The volume for the present year 

 may very likely be left incomplete in order to insert the account of the series of 

 six institutes set down for January, 1877. 



The Keport for 18 75 contained also (pages 377 to 390, inclusive,) some account 

 of the collections made for the Centennial International Exhiliition in Phila- 

 delphia. The present volume will contain additional matter regarding tliem. 



The present college year, as already intimated, has been a veiy successful one 

 so far as the studies and Avork of students are concerned. The Centennial Ex- 

 hibition has broken in somewhat upon the regularity of attendance, and the 

 continued financial distress of the country is telhng very hardly on our students, 

 most of whom are largely dependent for support upon their own earnings. The 

 employment of inferior teachers and the lessening of teachers' wages the com- 

 ing winter will embarrass them still more, Several excellent students have 

 been compelled already to suspend their studies for these reasons. 



So far as the government of the students has depended upon myself, I have 

 given more into the hands of the students themselves than ever before. The 



