DEPARTMENT REPORTS 27 



crop is also exceedingly promising, notwithstanding the extreme cold 

 weather of last winter. 



The chief function of the College farm is to afford a laboratory for the 

 Farm Department in which can be elucidated the general principles set 

 forth in the class room. While, with our present large classes, it is im- 

 possible to teach much of the art of farming, the applied sciences may be 

 illustrated on the broad area owned by the institution. This use of the 

 field precludes the possibility of operating the area as a model farm. It 

 lias not prevented, however, carrying forward the farm work in a thor- 

 oughly skillful and practical way. The financial results obtained in the 

 last two or three years, combined with the present high state of cultiva- 

 tion, neatness and tidy appearance of the farm, demonstrate this propo- 

 sition. 



Prior to 1894 and 1805 the history of the College cattle had not been 

 illuminated by exceptional records. Thanks to the skill of the herdsman, 

 combined with common sense and experience in the office, records were 

 made in those years which drew the attention of dairymen and stock 

 raisers the country over to the College. Since that time the high standard 

 of the herd as a whole has been maintained, and the board may be justly 

 proud of the representative animals at present constituting the herds 

 and flocks in the College barns. 



Respectfullv submitted, 



C. D. SMITH, 

 Professor of Agriculture. 



AGRICrLTURAL CoLLBGf^, MlCII., 



June 30, ]899. 



REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND LAND- 

 SCAPE GARDENING. 



To the President: 



Sir — I have the honor to report the following work of this department 

 for the past season: 



The classroom instruction has been along lines similar to those 

 covered in former years. During the fall term instruction in pomology 

 was given to the Juniors of the agricultural and women's courses. The 

 subject was treated both from the standpoint of the commercial fruit 

 grower and of those growing fruit for home use. The propagation of fruit 

 trees of different kinds and the planting and care of the orchard, as well 

 as tr(^atment of the different diseases to which they are subject, were con- 

 sidered. 



Aside from the class room instruction^, two afternoons of each week 

 were given up to a study of the varieties of the different fruits and the 

 characteristics of the species to which our cultivated varieties belong. 

 Practical work was also givoii in the matter of budding and other opera- 

 tions of the nursery and orchard that are performed during the fall 

 months. In the winter term attention was given to floriculture and 

 winter vegetable gardening. The matter of building and heating green- 

 houses of different kinds was considered, as well as the method of propa- 



