66 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



Wood Shop courses, and t^^'enty-three men in three courses in the Machine 

 8hQp. Manj' of these were Federal students. 



The policy of the Department in making trips to Lansing Factories 

 was continued and considerably expanded. Visits were made to Foun- 

 dries, Forge Shops and Heat Treating Shops in connection with the 

 work of the Sophomore year, and to the Automobile Factories and Power 

 Plants, etc., in connection with the work of the Senior year. I wish to 

 express mj appreciation of the many courtesies extended to us on these 

 trips. 



There was no new equipment purchased by the Department during 

 the year. However, the Reo Motor Car Company were kind enough to 

 present us with a six cylinder automobile engine, and the Olds Motor 

 Works loaned us a similar engine for our work in the senior optional 

 automotive courses. The Novo Engine Company continued the loan of 

 a pumping equipment for another year. 



We have continued our experimental work with the Hvid type gas 

 engine and feel that we have made some progress especially in the study 

 of the action of the burning of the oil in the cylinder. We are still using 

 this engine as the basis for much of our work in the shops. Patterns are 

 made for it by the Freshmen, Castings by the Sophomores in the Foundry, 

 the Machine work is done by the Juniors, and the design of special jigs 

 and fixtures for machining operations by the Seniors. The latter also 

 have planned an organization, and a factory to manufacture the engine 

 as part of the work in Industrial Management and Factory Planning. 



The choice of the Seniors in the optional courses was again equally 

 divided between atuomotive and industrial engineering. 



It is unfortunate that financial conditions are not such as to allow 

 of the i)urchase of some much needed equii)ment. We have long been 

 in need of an oil burning semi Diesel tj'pe engine, of which we have none 

 in our laboratories, and which are much used in small lighting and power 

 installations. We are also greatly handicapped in the work of the Mate- 

 rials Testing Laboratory, because of lack of equipment. This lack has 

 always necessitated giving much of the experimental testing a consider- 

 able time before the students have had the underlying theory, with con- 

 sequent loss of effective teaching. In the machine shop, although our 

 equipment seems quite complete, Ave are in need of several additional 

 machine tools, and I am hoping that it will be possible to obtain per- 

 mission of the War Department, to sell two of the larger machines pur- 

 chased through the Caldwell Act, and use the funds for obtaining smaller 

 equipment more suitable and necessary for the type of work done in the 

 shops. 



1 Avish to express my appreciation of the work of the various members 

 of the department, and also of the assistance and co-operation of the 

 electrical and chemical departments. 



Respectfully submitted, 



H. B. DIRKS, 

 Professor of Mechanical Engineering. 



