THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 83 



APPENDIX. 



THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



SOME FACTS IN REGARD TO ITS HISTORY, ITS OBJECTS 



AND PURPOSES, AND THE CHARACTER AND 



EFFICIENCY OF ITS WORK. 



[from the beport op the trustees.] 



The College is now, for the first time in several years, prac- 

 tically free from debt. Since the adjournment of the last 

 Legislature, it has been thoroughly re-organized, so as to place 

 it, if possible, upon a sound and strong financial or business 

 basis. The current expenses have been reduced by more than 

 ten thousand dollars a year, — sufficient to bring them within 

 the income of the institution, and to leave a small margin. 



To effect this reduction, it has been necessary to abolish 

 one professorship and to withhold the president's salary. 

 The salaries of one or two professors, and that of the treas- 

 urer, though small already, were somewhat cut down ; while 

 a saving of about four hundred dollars has been made in 

 the janitor's work, and a little more than that in the office 

 of farm superintendent. It is impossible to see how the 

 expenses can be reduced to a much lower figure, without 

 seriously crippling the usefulness of the College, and cur- 

 tailing its efficiency. 



The real estate of the College, or what, to use a business 

 phrase, may be called " the plant," — including the land of 

 the farm, the dormitories, halls, boarding-houses, and other 

 college and farm buildings, — have cost two hundred thou- 

 sand dollars. The college fund now in the hands of the State 

 treasurer, and to be kept there in accordance with the pro- 

 visions of the Act of Congress accepted and agreed to by the 

 formal action of the Legislature, amounts to $360,067.40. 

 Two-thirds of the income of this fund is by law paid over 

 to the treasurer of the College, and one-third to the treasurer 



