REPORT OF PRESIDENT CLUTE. 29 



McMillan is but a forerunner of many other gifts from patriotic sons and 

 daughters of Michigan, who would like to see her State agricultural school 

 thoroughly^quipped in every respect. Our College has now a valuable 

 beginning in museum, cabinets and library. And yet those who use these 

 most, that is the professors in different departments and the special students, 

 find them by no means complete. We could use much fuller collections with 

 great profit to our students and to the general public. 



THE LIBRAEY. 



Perhaps the most pressing need at present is books for the library, in the 

 departments of history, biography, travel, literature and philosophy. We 

 need books in all these departments. Are there not wealthy men in Michi- 

 gan who have made their wealth from the farms, the merchandise, the land, 

 the lumber, the mines, the salt of the State, who will be glad to supply this 

 need, as an exression to the whole people of their appreciation of the State 

 that has dealt so well by them? The departments of agriculture, horticult- 

 ure, stock breeding and general science are better supplied with books 

 for present use, because a very large part of the money at the disposal of 

 the College for the purchase of books has been used in these directions for 

 thirty years. Yet here, also, we could u«e a large sum of money today. 



INSTITUTES AND CONVENTIONS. 



Our professors are in demand not only in the Institute work in our own 

 State, but in agricultural, horticultural, chemical, botanical, and entomologi- 

 cal meetings in other States and in national associations. The pressure by 

 outside parties for them to go to such meetings is often very urgent. It is 

 a good thing for the different lines of study and work for which our College 

 stands, to have our men attend these important gatherings; and it is fort- 

 unate for the College to be represented by our able professors in such meet- 

 ings; and it is helpful to the men themselves, and to the College, for they 

 bring back the newest thought and the most improved methods as well as 

 renewed enthusiasm in their work. Yet as a rule our professors have reso- 

 lutely declined the many requests for their attendance, as their absence 

 would often occur in term-time, and might interfere with College progress. 

 In a few cases, by a careful planning of their work beforehand, they have 

 been able to leave it in the hands of assistants for a few days, and go to 

 meet their co-laborers from other States. Some members of the Board of 

 Agriculture have attended at such meetings with profit to the meetings and 

 with interest to themselves. It is to be hoped that in future professors and 

 the members of the Board may both be able to go more frequently. Within 

 poper limits such attendance can result only in good to our College and to 

 the increasing circle of enthusiastic men who are now working in colleges in 

 nearly every State, for the spirit and method in education wherein, more 

 than thirty years ago, our College was a pioneer. 



THE VETERINARY DEPARTMENT. 



The great importance of the animal industry to Michigan, and to the 

 whole west, suggests the need of further developing the college work in its 

 interests. The necessity of attending with the greatest care to the breeding 

 of domestic animals in order to promote their health is now acknowledged by 



