30 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



the hours spent in this study are a pleasure as well as a matter of great 

 value. The change in the schedule whereby' the freshman class could be 

 divided into two sections, each taking this live stock work for two hours 

 iu the forenoon for the first ten weeks of the term, made it possible for 

 the teacher to meet a smaller number of students at one time than here- 

 tofore and to carry on the work more satisfactorily for that reason. Ex- 

 cellent as is the equipment of the College in this direction, the need is 

 felt of representative specimens of still other breeds of both sheep and 

 cattle. 



INSTITUTE WORK. 



The change of the long vacation from winter to summer renders it 

 ditticult for members of the Faculty to attend the Institutes without neg- 

 lecting the class work. On the other hand, to keep in touch with the 

 lives and experiences of practical farmers it is absolutely necessary that 

 those teachers that have to do with the instruction iu practical farm 

 work should attend these meetings and become acquainted with the 

 thought of the people. By so planning affairs that but two instructors 

 were gone at a time from the Department, attendance at Institutes was 

 made possible as follows: 



C. D. Smith at Hastings, Niles, St. Louis, Brooklyn, G-rand Rapids and 

 Flushing. 



H. W. Mumford at Midland^ Roscommon, Grayling, Mio and St. Louis. 



A. A. Crozier at Harrisville, Allegan, Alpena, Coldwater, Albion, St. 

 Louis, Tawas City, Muskegon, Fremont, Holland and Morley. 



G. H. True at Hastings, Benzonia, St. Louis, Copemish, Midland, Lake 

 City, Rose City and Sherman. 



M. W. Fulton at Allegan, Holland, Fremont, Muskegon, St. John, Car- 

 son City, Mt. Pleasant, St. Louis, Morle}', Adrian and Hillsdale. 



THE SPECIAL COURSES. 



As announced in the catalogue the special courses began on the 4:th of 

 January, 1897, and continued six weeks. Seventeen students attended 

 the course in dairy husbandry and fourteen that of live stock. For the 

 former course equipment was provided for instruction along the line of 

 home dairy work only and no attempt was made, therefore, to train the 

 men either in cheese making or factory' work of any kind. The milk of the 

 College herd was supplemented by purchase in amounts varying from 

 eight to nine hundred pounds daily. The De Laval, United States, Sharp- 

 less and Mikado hand separators were in daily use. Part of the milk 

 was set in either the Crystal creamery, made at Lansing, the Wilson 

 creamery, made at Flint, Mich., or plain shot gun cans in a tank of ice 

 water, in order that the students might become thoroughly familiar with 

 all the details of cold deep setting, as well as the management of the 

 separator. In the cream ripening and for churning and handling the 

 butter, utensils were used similar to those which the dairyman, with a 

 small herd of cows, would use on his farm. Very satisfactory progress 

 was made in this phase of the work and the young men in attendance 



