DEPAKTMENT REPORTS. 21 



siderable extent, served other colleges as patterns for tlicirs. Especially, the 

 success of tiie system of manual labor here, has induced other colleges to try it. 



The College with its one unusual course of study is of course a small 

 affair in comparison with the University, with its many and well established 

 courses of study, but in its limited sphere, it will be found to have a reputation 

 second to no other of its sort. It engaged the largest share of the attention of 

 the Industrial section of the National Educational Society in the centennial 

 year, at Baltimore, and a delegate from California came to the College to see 

 personally the working of the labor system. It would be easy to multiply 

 (}uotations from persons standing high in the educational and agricultural 

 world, as to the excellent reputation the College has won. Dr. Angell, when 

 he first came from the east to take charge of the University, publicly stated 

 that it was looked upon in the east as the most successful of its kind. 



Mr. Gilmore, who from being })rofessor at Yale, became President of Cali- 

 fornia University, and is now President of John Hopkins University, Balti- 

 more, visited some years ago the industrial schools of the country as U. S. 

 Special Commissioner. In his report he speaks of this College, alone of all, as 

 having a well assured success. 



James McDonal, who was sent out by the Edinburgh Scotsman to report on 

 the cattle raising of the United States, wrote a prize essay on tlie Agricultural 

 Colleges of this country. He selects ours as the one to describe at length, as 

 being one of the oldest and best. 



Since we in the State live so near the Institution as to see whatever imper- 

 fections it has, it seems to me not unbecoming to suggest that it has also a 

 relative standing ; and to show that in its success, the reputation of the peo- 

 ple of Michigan for her educational institutions is not endangered, but is 

 enlarged. AVe should all be glad to see the College so supplied with competent 

 instructors in all branches of agricultural science in the largest extent of the 

 term, with libraries, museums, collections of plants, animals, and the like, as 

 to make it the fitting resort of those who seek information on anything rclat- 

 ing to agriculture and kindred branches. 



ENDOW.MENT AND SUPPORT. 



1. The Michigan Agricultural College owes its establishment to a provision 

 of the Constitution of the State, adopted in 1850. The Constitution says, in 

 Article 13 : "The Legislature shall, * * as soon as practicable, provide for 

 the establishment of an Agricultural School." 



The College was opened to students in May, 1857, with appropriate exercises, 

 being thus the first of the existing Agricultural Colleges of the country. 



An act of Congress, approved July 2, 1862, donated to each State public 

 lands to the amount of 30,000 acres for each of its Senators and Eepresenta- 

 tives in Congress, according to the census of 18G0, for the "endowment, sup- 

 port, and maintenance of at least one College, where the leading object shall 

 be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including 

 military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agricul- 

 ture and the mechanic arts." 



The Legislature accepted this grant and bestowed it upon tlie Agricultural 

 College. By its provisions the College has received 235,673.37 acres of land. 

 These lands have been placed in market, and 78,900.80 acres have been sold, 

 giving a fund of $253,182.30, the interest of which at seven per cent is applied 

 to the support of the College. The sale is under the direction of the Agricul- 



