26 STATE AGRICULTURAL. COLLEGE. 



KEPOET OF THE PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURE AND 

 SUPERINTENDENT OF THE FARM. 



To the President: 



Class instruction has been given the past year in the agricultural depart- 

 ment as follows: In the spring term the sophomores were given a six 

 weeks course of lectures by Mr. P. G. Holden upon soils, crops, rotation 

 drainage, etc. The freshmen were given a full term instruction by Prof. 

 Burnett and myself upon breeds of live stock. Stock breeding and stock 

 feeding were taught the juniors by Mr. Mumford. The seniors were given 

 a course of lectures upon dairying and other specialties in farming by 

 myself. Instruction in pedigree work has also been given as heretofore. 

 The policy outlined in my last report as regards student labor has been 

 followed out so far as possible, and in the main I believe with satisfactory 

 results. 



The improvements in the college farm have been continued so far as 

 means would allow. Much gravel has been placed upon the lane and some 

 draining has been done in No. 11. A very great improvement has been 

 made in the barn yards; a fine double fence has been built to accommo- 

 date bulls and other farm animals, and the silo has been newly lined and 

 greatly improved. Some three hundred cords of wood were cut during the 

 winter and nearly five hundred cords of old wood were hauled to the brick 

 yards. In January, 1898, the farm foreman, Mr. Joseph McCracken, died 

 of diphtheria. The board soon afterwards hired Mr. Ernest Wittstock, 

 who has continued as foreman since that time. The board purchased a 

 pair of young horses for the department and an old pair were disposed of. 

 A McCormick reaper has been purchased and the following implements 

 have been loaned to the department : One De Laval cream separator by 

 the De Laval Separator Co., of New York; a No. 2 creamery, cream 

 ripener, churn, butter worker and set of butter jars, by the Crystal Cream- 

 ery Co., of Lansing; a Champion milk cooler, from the Champion Milk 

 Cooler Co., Courtlandt, N. Y. ; one rotary disc cultivator, W. L. Marshall, 

 Chicago, 111.; one reversible plow and set of cultivator teeth for deep and 

 shallow cultivation, by Gale Manufacturing Co., Albion, Mich. We are 

 also under obligations to Messrs. Stone, Atwood & Co., of Flint, for favors 

 in scouring of wool, etc., and to various herd book associations for gifts in 

 their line. This department has been called upon during the year to pre- 

 pare the State exhibit, as well as to furnish the material and prepare for 

 one-fourth of the space in the State exhibit, Agricultural building, at the 

 World's Fair, in Chicago. This entailed a vast amount of detail labor 

 and was well done by Mr. Mumford and students. Mr. Mumford also 

 went to Chicago and set up the exhibit. 



During the past year we have reduced the number of Shorthorns, and have 

 purchased one specimen of Aberdeen Angus, four of Gurnseys and two of 

 Brown Swiss, all females. We have also had given to us one Brown Swiss 

 bull from Hon. E. M. Barton, Hinsdale, 111., of whom we purchased the 

 Brown Swiss heifers. It has been the policy of the department to increase 

 the numbers of breeds represented rather than to increase the individuals 



