30 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Considerable time has also been spent in repairing farm fences, grad- 

 ing roads, etc. A row of elms was planted last spring on the west side 

 of the farm road between the Grand Trunk and Pere Marquette rail- 

 roads. 



Professor J, A. Jeffery was appointed Professor of Soil Physics and 

 Agronomy early in the year and in this capacity has rendered valuable 

 service, greatly enlarging the scope of his work. 



From September 1st to March 1st Mr. A. E. Kocher very acceptably 

 filled the position of Instructor in Agriculture, at which time he re- 

 signed to take up work with the Bureau of Soils at Washington. Since 

 March 1st Mr. 0. H. Skinner has done service as instructor. He however, 

 will enter a sugar factory as chemist in the fall, which necessitates the 

 securing of a new man as instructor. 



The number of students given instruction in agronomy during the year 

 just closing is about the same as that of a year ago. In addition three 

 students have done graduate work. 



The broadening of our course in agriculture will necessitate more 

 crowding to make room for students and apparatus. To this end the old 

 basement is to be cleaned up and converted more completely into labora- 

 tories for the study of soils and farm mechanics. 



During the year the amount of time given to lecture and laboratory 

 work by the Professor of Agronomy is as follows: 



Fall term, four hours per day; 



Winter term, four hours per day for eight weeks and five hours per 

 day for four weeks; 



Spring term, eight hours per day. 



In much of this work the instructor's help was required. Nineteen 

 talks have been delivered before farmers' institutes and one at a farm- 

 ers' picnic. 



In addition to the above there has been investigation work, and the 

 routine work of directing the farm operations, etc. 



The methods employed in practical agriculture continue to result in 

 admirable crops which is pleasing to the department, and at the same 

 time calls forth most favorable comment from the many parties visiting 

 the farm. 



The Dairy Division has been very successfully operated by Mr. John 

 Michels, Instructor in Dairying. The scope of the work has been con- 

 siderably enlarged during the past year. In addition to the regular in- 

 struction work, a number of investigations relative to certain phases of 

 cheese and butter making have been conducted. Two educational scor- 

 ing contests have also been inaugurated during the year, one for butter 

 makers the other for the cheese makers of the State. In these tests 

 samples of butter and cheese submitted by the makers for a series of six 

 months is scored by experts. If any defects are found in the samples 

 submitted, the attention of the maker is called to these by means of a 

 score card and remedies are suggested. Judging by the expressions of 

 opinion from various participants, these scoring contests have already 

 proved valuable. 



The instruction work has been conducted along lines similar to those 

 previously followed. The following students have received instruction 

 during the year, viz. : 



