34 STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



REPORT OF CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT. 



To ihe President of the Michigan Agricultural College: 



The annual report for the chemical department for the year ending June 

 30, 1893 is herewith submitted. The fiscal year divides the academic year, 

 rendering the report of the departmental work less satisfactory. 



The year has been satisfactory both in the attendance and deportment 

 of the students, the earnestness of their class and laboratory work and in 

 the results secured. The results of the effort to combine class work and 

 laboratory practice are such as to justify the wisdom of the plan and to 

 sanction the extension of the laboratory method. In science to do is to 

 know, and any form of instruction in science which bars the student from 

 contact with nature's forces is doomed to failure. The laboratory method 

 will soon be recognized as the only logical method of instruction. 



AGRICULTURAL COURSE. 



The sophomore class take elementary chemistry in the summer term, 

 using Bloxam's chemistry as a text book, with lectures and demonstrations 

 in class room, and chemical manipulations and rehearsals of experiments 

 in the laboratory as time will permit. The first term of the junior year is 

 devoted to organic chemistry with lectures and laboratory practice. They 

 also spend one hour daily for half of the term with blowpipe practice 

 and quantitative analysis by volume. In the spring term the juniors 

 spend two hours a day in quantitative chemical analysis, followed by 

 agricultural chemistry .in the summer term. 



The studies of the senior year are elective, but a large part of the class 

 take meteorology and quantitative analysis, including assaying. 



MECHANICAL COURSE. 



The students in the mechanical course spend much less time in chemis- 

 try — too little time when the importance of the study to the mechanical 

 engineer is considered. 



In the first term of the junior year the class spend seven hours a week 

 in general chemistry, largely in laboratory practice, special attention being 

 given to what may be called the mechanical metals or the metals most 

 largely used by the engineer and machinist. This work is continued in 

 the spring term and special lines of work are taken up, such as analysis of 

 water for use in boilers, boiler scale, analysis of coal (hard and soft), 

 determining the heating power of coal; analysis of gases from the boiler 

 house chimney, etc. 



GENERAL WORK. 



In addition to class and laboratory work, the chemical department has 

 given attention to work of more general character for the good of the pub- 

 lic. The number of special investigations required by the public makes a 

 large demand upon the time of the members of our staff. Questions con- 

 tinually arise demanding immediate investigation and in this way the 

 college justifies its existence by the aid thus rendered to the public. The 



