DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 55 



All of this teaching has been done by the regular instructors of the 

 College with the exception of the Short Course in Fruit Growing which 

 was given by Mr. J. G. France, a graduate of the College in the class 

 of 1911 whom we were fortunate enough to secure for this work. 



As the instruction work is now given, it includes a reasonable amount 

 of work in the senior year in pomology and landscape gardening. 

 Similar and parallel courses should be offered in floriculture and in 

 vegetable growing. There is a definite and enlarging field for instruction 

 in both of these subjects. However, before it is possible to give this 

 work as it should be given, it will be necessary to have enlarged facilities 

 in laboratorv'- quarters and particularly in the greenhouse. Both the 

 floriculture and vegetable gardening interests in this state are very 

 large and constantly growing more important. Students who are 

 anxious for instruction in these lines of work, and there is an increasing 

 number ever^^ year, are obliged to go to neighboring institutions for 

 advanced courses in these subjects. It is sincerely hoped that at the 

 earliest possible moment provision can be made to offer courses in these 

 lines. 



During the past summer and fall, the basement room in the laboratory 

 has been overhauled, enlarged and equipped with working tables which 

 are supplied with gas, water and drainage. The equipping of this labora- 

 toiy is going to afford considerable relief in handling some of the large 

 classes but there is still a serious lack of work room in the laboratory 

 for many of the classes and a particularly serious handicap on office 

 room. With the increasing number of men in the Experiment Station 

 and Extension work, the quarters are veiy uncomfortably crowded. 

 A new laboratory building is certainly a very much needed part of the 

 equipment. The present building is now twenty-nine years old and at 

 that time cost but |7,000. 



Since it is highly desirable to do so much of the instructional work 

 in the greenhouse, the lack of space there is keenly felt, and through 

 the demands made upon the department for flowers and plants for 

 decorative purposes at many College functions, the inadequacy of the 

 greenhouse equipment is more keenly realized than ever. A range of 

 modern houses is still hoped for. 



The work of keeping the campus attractive and tidy is becoming 

 more serious and more expensive to handle every year and probably will 

 continue to be so owing to the increased automobile traffic from Lansing 

 and vicinity and the growing population of East Lansing and the vicinity 

 of the College. During the summer, a great deal of money and time was 

 expended in improving the campus roads and just the amount of im- 

 provement that w^as done is shown on the accompanying diagram. 



All the work was done under the personal supervision of Professor 

 Thomas Gunson by the regular department workmen and all expenses 

 were paid out of the department appropriation. The method was to 

 excavate the old roadbed to an average depth of twelve inches whicli 

 was then filled with nine inches of stone salvaged from the super- 

 structure of the Engineering Building. This filling was covered with 

 two inches of broken stone and brick and on this was placed one inch 

 of road gravel and then thoroughly rolled with a sixteen ton road roller. 

 Wherever the road bed was clay, ample provision was made for drainage 

 to prevent heaving in the spring. 



