34 DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 



Entomological, Veterinary, Mechanical and Horticultural Departments of 

 the Michigan Agricultural College, aggregating many thousands of dollars 

 for each of these departments, while the Agricultural Department, accord- 

 ing to the Governor's recent message, has been allowed only the meagre sum 

 of $400 for this purpose ; and 



"Whereas, We believe that the Agricultural Department at an Agricult- 

 ural College, in the very nature of things, should be kept fully abreast of 

 all others in the equipment for work, that it may stand on an equal plane 

 with them ; and 



Whereas, The State Board of Agriculture has placed in their bill of 

 estimates, to present to the State Legislature now in session, the sum of 

 $8,000 for an Agricultural Laboratory and equipment, which action has been 

 indorsed by the State Grange at its recent session, by the Michigan Sheep 

 Breeders' Association, the Holstein, Short Horn and Galloway Cattle 

 Breeders' Associations at their recent annual meetings; and 



Whereas, We believe this appropriation will greatly contribute to the 

 efficiency of the Agricultural Department and is in accord with the advanced 

 public sentiment of the leading agricultural organizations in this State; 

 therefore be it 



Resolved, That, as the executive committee of the State Agricultural 

 Society, we hereby cordially indorse the action of the Board of Agriculture 

 in asking for this appropriation, and we hereby most respectfully petition 

 the Honorable, the Legislature of Michigan, now in session, to make such 

 appropriation, feeling assured that the best interests of the College and of 

 the State will be served by such action. And your petitioner will ever 

 pray. 



Resolved, That the secretary of this committee forward a copy of this 

 preamble and resolution to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of 

 the House of Representatives at Lansing, with the request that they be 

 printed in the Legislative Journal, and referred to tbe proper committee. 



To Hon. John Holbrook, chairman of the Senate committee on the Agri- 

 cultural College, and H. E. Dewey, chairman of the House committee, as 

 well as to Dr. Baker, chairman of the ways and means committee of the 

 House, much credit is due as well as to the members of these respective 

 committees for their patient attention to my plea of the needs of the Agri- 

 cultural Department and for their hearty indorsement of this appropriation. 



The plan of the building for which this $8,000 was asked is two stories 

 high with cellars for the storage of potatoes and roots and furnace room. 

 A class room with room in rear connected by folding doors where animals 

 or heavy machinery could be brought before the class, a room for the storage 

 of heavy seeds, two offices, a hall and laboratory with dark room for photo- 

 graphic work, on the first floor; museum, seedroom, two rooms for mem- 

 bers of the board and hall, on the second floor. * * * * 



PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS. 



In looking back over the ten years of my work at the College and compar- 

 ing the farm and its equipments then with what we now have there are 

 visible signs of improvement. 



The old cattle sheds, dirty and inconvenient, were remodeled the first year. 

 A new grain barn with basement and silo was built in 1881, a commodious 



