402 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.41 



work, he maintained, " can only be done by legislative endowment, 

 which, by the judicious expenditure of public funds, receives back 

 the evidence of its enlightened stewardship by the prosperity of the 

 people thus promoted." 



Efforts to establish an experimental farm under powers granted 

 in 1854 to the State Agricultural Society, and by another society to 

 operate a garden near Sonoma for plant introduction and propaga- 

 tion, had already proved abortive. So also did attempts to provide 

 an agricultural college until 1868. In that year a merger was effected 

 of a proposed " Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College," 

 chartered two years previously, with the College of California to 

 constitute the University of California and to receive the Federal 

 land-grant under the Morrill Act of 1862. 



Organization of agricultural instruction at the university began 

 with the appointment in 1869 of a " professor of agriculture, chem- 

 istry, agricultural and applied chemistry, and horticulture." The 

 first building to be erected by the university was denominated the 

 " college of agi'iculture," and announcement was made in 1870 of the 

 purpose of the institution " to furnish the facilities for all needful 

 experiments ; to be the ' station ' where tests can be made of what- 

 ever claims attention ; to become the exponent and repository of our 

 progressive knowledge." 



Despite this auspicious beginning Professor Wickson records many 

 discouragements and setbacks. The " college of agriculture " build- 

 ing was, upon completion, largely preempted by the scientific depart- 

 ments, the library, and certain administrative offices of the uni- 

 versity, leaving to the agricultural work for several years only half 

 of the basement. Not until 1889 did the department really have an 

 instruction building of its own, and this a $16,000 frame structure, 

 supplemented by numerous other small buildings which from time to 

 time had become available through abandonment for other purposes. 



Similarly for many years no land was available for the professor 

 of agriculture, who at the outset, we are told, was not " permitted to 

 plant a tree or make a single experiment on the grounds of the uni- 

 versity, either in agriculture or horticulture." After the appoint- 

 ment as professor of agriculture of Dr. E. W. Hilgard in 1874 this 

 condition was to some extent remedied, yet the lack of adequate farm 

 facilities up to the purchase and development of the 779-acre uni- 

 versity farm at Davis constituted a most serious handicap for 

 over thirty years to both education and research in agriculture. 



Notwithstanding these obstacles and others which are feelingly 

 described, an experiment station was established by the board of 

 regents in 1873. Dr. Hilgard was appointed its director in 1874, and 

 in the following year he began the first field experiments, a compari- 

 son of deep with shallow plowing for grain growing and long-con- 



