60 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



tageous to this department as it enables us to distribute the work of 

 the year more evenly and not have an excess of work in the winter 

 term. 



The class in animal nutrition did some interesting work in testing 

 two animals from the grade dairy herd and were enabled to show 

 by chemical analysis the great difference that exists between the effi- 

 ciency as a milk producing machine of two different ''scrub cows." 

 Both cows were placed on the same feed and the result of the test 

 plain]}' showed the students the effect of inherited tendencies so far 

 as milk production is concerned. The experiment involved the care 

 and feeding of the cows for a period of live days during which time 

 they were under constant observation by the members of the class 

 assisted by one man who was employed from the outside during the 

 day. The result of this experiment appeared in print in the Michigan 

 Farmer and I call attention to it because it illustrates a field of ex- 

 periment in which our students cannot get too much training and 

 in which they are deeply interested. 



We have during the year purchased considerable new and valuable 

 apparatus, among which I may mention the new Junker's Gas Calori- 

 meter, modified to allow the testing of both gaseous and liquid fuels. 

 It is of special interest to engineering students although the proposed 

 production of alcohol by the American farmer renders the instrument 

 also of considerable interest to the agricultural course student. 



Aside from the direct work of giving instruction in the laboratory 

 Mr. Reed and myself devoted considerable time to the work which 

 was necessarily placed upon us in preparing for the semi-centennial. 

 I was a member of the "general committee" and also a member of the 

 committee to provide rooming accommodations for the guests. Mr. 

 Keed was a member of the committee on ^'badges and registration." 



During the year the catalogue of the alumni to date has been com- 

 pleted and in now practically ready for publication. 



During the winter term I appeared on the program at the county 

 institutes held at Charlotte, Marshal, Brooklyn, Coldwater and Con 

 stantine, speaking on the topics of "Plant Food" and the "Farmer's 

 Water Supply." 



As the course of studv had not been changed for four vears the 

 faculty considered that 1907 (semi-centennial year) was the proper year 

 for the changing of the curriculum of study. In doing this they have 

 though it best to take out agricultural chemistry which is the last 

 "required" chemical subject in the present college course and in the 

 new course make it optional. Whether this is the proper place to go 

 on record or not I do not feel sure but I, however, wish to make it 

 plain that in my opinion the placing of agricultural chemistry as an 

 "optional" study in the curriculum of an Agricultural course in this 

 the oldest agricultural college is a thing not to be thought of. I there- 

 fore place myself on record as being very mucli opposed to such a 

 change. 



The organization of this department during the past year has been 

 as follows: 



Instructors: H. S. Reed, H. S. Bailey, A. J. Clark, F. J. Kaufman, 

 E. A. Goodhue, clerk and stenographer, George Churchill, care taker. 



