3G STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



State Board as Avell as to the'tlioiigliifnl cousidci-atioii of the Alumni 

 whose wise council and cooperation are always grate fiilh- appreciated. 

 East Lansing-, June 30, 1908. 



J. L. SNYDER, 



President. 



EEPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE. 



To President J. L. Snyder: 



The following is a report of the Agricultural Department for the 

 year ending June 30th, 1908. 



As those in charge of the various divisions of the department have 

 kindly furnished brief statements relative to their lines of work my 

 report will be confined largely to animal husbandry and general farm 

 matters. During this year the personnel of the department staff under- 

 went comparativ<^ly few changes, there being but three. At the be- 

 ginning of the year, ^Iv. F. W. Howe was made instructor in farm 

 croj^s, \\. B. l^iverance instructor in dairying, and the foremanship of 

 the farm was placed in charge of R. S. Hudson, January 1st, 1908. 



The head of the department was assisted in animal husbandry dur- 

 ing the year by Instructors H. AY. Norton and A. C. Anderson, with 

 the division of duties and responsibilities much the same as last year. 

 G. A. BroAvn rendered valuable service by aiding in carrying on the 

 beef cattle and sheep experiments and assisting to some extent with 

 the instruction work. The following instruction work was given in the 

 division, viz. : for sub-freshmen, live stock, fall term, 55 men, G hours 

 per week, 12 weeks; freshmen, stock judging, fall term, 07 men, 5 hours 

 per Aveek, 12 weeks; sophomores, stock judging, fall term, 33 men, 5 

 hours per week, 12 weeks; juniors, stock feeding, Avinter term, 29 men, 

 3 hours per Aveek, 12 Aveeks; seniors, advanced stock judging, fall term, 

 25 men, 10 hours per Aveek, 10 weeks ; meat cutting for seniors, Avinter 

 term, 12 men, 10 hours per Aveek, 12 weeks. In the special short courses 

 89 first year students receiAcd instruction in live stock, 9 hours ]»er 

 Aveek, for eight Aveeks, and 27 second year men advanced stock judg- 

 ing 10 hours ]jer Aveek during the same time. 



During the previous year an extensiAe live stock educational exhibit 

 was shoAvn at several of the leading fairs of the state. The exhibit 

 comprised eighteen head of cattle and thirty-tAvo head of swine. The 

 animals Avere used to illustrate various methods of economic feeding 

 for meat production. This year another exliibit, consisting of fifteen 

 cattle and twenty sheep Avas displayed at fairs at the following places. 

 viz.: Detroit, Grand Rapids, RcH'd <'ity, (ireenville, Benton Harbor and 

 Hillsdale. The animals used in this exhibit demonstrated possibili- 

 ties for improving live stock though certain simple, practical methods 

 of breeding, in Avhich good sires are used. One part of the display, 

 comprising seven animals, consisted of three scrub coavs, a Hereford 

 bull, and their progeny, three grade cah'es Avhi(;h shoAved marked Here- 

 ford type, and wonderful improvement in (juality over the female an- 

 cestors. 



