DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 113 



by laying ou a putio of glass each hill is a niinatnre cold frame. After the 

 j)lants were well started and began to touch the glass, the hills were leveled 

 down, and the plants thinned to three in number. 



Melons, squashes, and cucumbers may be planted earlier by this method as 

 they will be protected from late frosts, while tlie additional warmtli })roduced 

 will cause them to grow rapidly. It also protects from insects wlien the plants 

 lirst come up. In using glass in this way, the glass must be partly removed on 

 bright, warm, sunny days, after the plants are up, or they will be scorched; 

 they should also be taken off during showers. 



EXPERIMENTS. 



During the year we have been carrying on a series of experiments in root 

 pruning, corn, and potatoes. The theory is strongly recommended by Dr. C. 

 L. Sturtevant, of Massachusetts, who reports remarkable results from the 

 practice. We have also experimented on potatoes planted at different depths, 

 on the proportion of eyes that grow on whole and cut potatoes, and on the 

 amount produced per acre from different quantities of seed. As these experi- 

 ments are not complete at this date, they will appear in another part of this 

 report. 



F. A. GULLEY. 



DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING! AND MATHEMATICS. 



To President Abbot : 



I have the pleasure of submitting the following report of the Department of 

 Engineering and Mathematics, from the first of October, 1877, to the thirtv-first 

 of August, 1878. 



CIVIL ENGIXEEEIXG. 



Civil engineering was taught the last term of the school j-ear of 1877 to the 

 senior class of that year. Trautwine's work on civil engineering was used as a 

 text-book on such subjects in our course as Avere treated of. From the text- 

 book instruction was atforded the class on the subjects relating to, 1st, prep- 

 aration of foundations ; 3d, preparation and use of morters, limes and cements ; 

 3d, strength of materials; 4th, construction of frames; 5th, bridge, truss and 

 roof building. 



In order to connect the course more intimately witli agriculture, lectures were 

 given the class on the subjects of, 1st, architectural orders and farm architec- 

 ture ; 3d, ^n-inciplcs of machinery, and use and care of farm machinery; 3d, 

 construction and care of common roads. 



This course, embracing as it does such a variety of subjects, on nearly any 

 one of which a term's work could profitably be spent, is of necessity rudiment- 

 ary and general in its character. 



ASTRONOMY. 



Astronomy was tauglit six weeks during the third term of 1877 to the junior 

 class of that year, consisting of 38 members. The class exhibited a great deal 

 15 



