DEPARTMENT REPORTS 33 



also considerable attentiou was given to the construction of glass struct- 

 ures of various kinds, including hot-beds, cold-frames, and small con- 

 servatories, as well as of the larger forcing-houses. The college green- 

 houses serve to illustrate this subject, and each member of the class was 

 expected to prepare plans showing the arrangement of the house, as well 

 as the details of construction. They were also required to make an esti- 

 mate of the maternal required in the construction of the house, and the 

 cost, and also to arrange a system of steam or hot water piping, for the 

 heating of the house. 



During the last half of the term the subject of vegetable gardening was 

 taken up, and the matter of growing vegetables, both for the kitchen gar- 

 den and for market gardening, was considered. Among the topics treated 

 were those of the soil and location for gardens, manures and fertilizers, 

 the draining and preparation of the soil, and the planting and the care 

 of the leading crops of the garden. Some attention was also given to 

 some of the more common insects of the garden, and the methods of treat- 

 ing them. In the spring term, the first six weeks were devoted to the 

 subject of pomology or fruit culture. In this the treatment was much 

 the same as for vegetables, and an attempt was made to place before the 

 students the methods used by our best fruit growers in planting and car- 

 ing for their orchards. At the same time the matter of growing fruits 

 for home use was considered. 



The remainder of the term was occupied with lectures relating to 

 landscape gardening. The instruction was such as would enable one 

 to lay out the grounds about a small home, or the farm house, and to 

 plant them with the ordinary ornamental trees and shrubs. Considerable 

 attention was given to the study of trees and shrubs best adapted to our 

 climate. The members of the class were required to draw plans for the 

 laying out and planting of the grounds of various sizes, as well as to pre- 

 pare plans for a cemetery, school house and a small park. 



Although it had not been placed in the course for the year, several of 

 the seniors wished to give additional attention to the subject of horti- 

 culture, and to accommodate them a special class was arranged. The 

 topics considered related for the most part to the matter of improvement 

 of the varieties, and to the changes that take place in plants under vari- 

 ous natural and artificial conditions. The juniors are also required to 

 write an essay upon some subject relating to horticulture, which is also 

 utilized as one of the essays required by the English department. 



STUDENT LABOR. 



Owing to the change in the course, the students now spend the first 

 two years upon the farm, and for that reason the number assigned to this 

 department has been comparatively small. Heretofore nearly all the 

 labor upon the grounds, gardens, orchards and in the green-houses has 

 been performed by the students; but as only one class is now thus as- 

 signed and all of its members are occupied for a greater portion of the 

 year in educational labor, it has been necessary to make considerable 

 change in the handling of student labor, and to rely largely upon regular 

 hired men for the purpose of keeping up the work of this department. 

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