822 



HOETICULTURE 



May 31, 1913 



Before a throng of guests and visi- 

 tors, including the most famous peo- 

 ple in educational life, in affairs of 

 government and in social life in New 

 England and representing many other 

 parts of the country. New Hampshire 

 College celebrated, Wednesday noon, 

 May 21, 1913, the inauguration of 

 President Edward Thomson Fairchild. 



More than one thousand specially 

 invited guests and visitors witnessed 

 the ceremonies, which took place in 

 the big college Armory. Arrangements 

 for the day were complete, and spe- 

 cial committees served as escorts for 

 the guests from the time of their ar- 

 rival until their departure from Dur- 

 ham, late in the day. Special train 

 service brought in hundreds of visi- 

 tors not only from New Hampshire 

 and neighboring New England States. 

 but from more remote parts of the 

 country. 



Just prior to the hour for the begin- 

 ning of the exercises, one hundred of 

 the most eminent guests were es- 

 corted by the student battalion in uni- 

 form to the Armory. By the time the 

 hour had arrived for the exercises to 

 begin, the auditorium was filled to its 

 capacity, both the main floor and the 

 galleries. 



After a selection by the college or- 

 chestra, the ceremonies were formally 

 opened by Hon. Warren Brown, Presi- 

 dent of the Board of Trustees, who in- 

 troduced the presiding officer, Hon. 

 George H. Bingham, Judge of the 

 Supreme Court of New Hampshire. 



Formal greetings were then offered 

 by Hon. Samuel D. Felker, Governor 

 of New Hampshire, on behalf of the 

 State of New Hampshire. Following 

 this, greetings were extended from 

 Dartmouth College, by President Er- 

 nest F. Nichols; from the West by 

 President H. J. Waters, of the Kansas 

 State Agricultural College; from the 

 educators of Kansas by President Jo- 

 seph H. Hill, of the Kansas State Nor- 

 mal Schools; and from the National 

 Educational Association by President 

 Charles H. Keyes. 



Representing the Board of Trustees, 

 Hon. H. L. Boutwell then formally pre- 

 sented the charter of New Hampshire 

 College to President-elect Fairchild. 

 Alluding to the opportunities before 

 and the responsibilities incumbent on 

 the Land Grant Colleges, the speaker 

 outlined the supreme qualities that a 

 president must possess, and paid a de- 

 served tribute to the President-elect. 



The presiding officer then introduced 

 President William O. Thompson, of 

 Ohio State University, who delivered 

 a masterful address. The message 

 that he brought was scholarly, simple, 

 direct and forceful. 



Abstract of Address of President 

 Thompson. 



The inaugural address of President 

 Fairchild followed. He spoke In part 

 as follows: 



The colleges of Agriculture and Me- 

 chanic Arts have at last oome into their 

 own. Fifty years ago. when they first 

 came upon the educational stage, these re- 

 markable institutions gave little promise 

 of their present usefulness. There was 

 then no real science of agriculture and but 

 the beginnings of modern engineering. 

 The studies that were taught were half 

 classical and half vagne attempts In an 



untried field. The "farmer professors" 

 had little standing either in science or in 

 practice. 



The years that followed were a period 

 of develoi>ment. Scientific knowledge in 

 the field of agriculture and in that of me- 

 chanic arts grew rapidly. Special train- 

 ing fur instructors became not only pos- 

 sible but essential. The more active and 

 intelligent farmers began to see the po-v 

 sibilities in the movement. Application of 

 the principles taught brought marked re- 

 turns and served to establish the new 

 science on a sound and firm practical 

 basis. 



Within the last dozen years the growth 

 of the movement has been phenomenal. 

 The confidence of the public in tlie ma- 

 terial and educational value of these in- 

 stitutions has been definitely established 

 for all time. The economic returns ren- 

 dered by these colleges and their gradu- 

 ates have reached a value representing un- 

 told millions. 



Twenty-five years ago there was added 

 to the agricultural colleges the Experiment 



b^iiW-VRi) TiKor.sox Fairciiit.d 



President j\ew Hampshire College of 

 Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. 



Station. These agencies, equipped with 

 thoroughly trained investigators, have been 

 of enormous service. 



Within the last half dozen years still 

 another marvelous development has come 

 about; the new extension work. Through 

 this latest movement a direct connection 

 has finally been established between the 

 college and experiment station on the one 

 hand and the home and farm on the other. 

 The college has been placed on wheels and 

 rendered available for all the people. 



Here at New Hampshire College the ex- 

 tension department, although started only 

 two years ago, has accomplished far-reach- 

 ing results and has made a place for it- 

 .self in the hearts and coiufldence of the 

 citizens of the state. It has issued more 

 than two score concise informative publi- 

 cations, dealing with the fundamental fac- 

 tors concerned with farm life of New 

 Hampshire: it is conducting farm surveys; 

 it is carrying on co-operative fertilizer ex- 

 periments; it is giving demonstration work 

 of the most practical character and of the 

 greatest value; it has made available 

 reading courses on various topics relating 

 to agricuture. 



There is abundant need for this sort of 

 work. This country is confronted with a 

 new problem in agriculture. Our struggle 

 for existence can on longer find relief by 

 occupation of vast new and unused agri- 

 cultural land, but must work out its sal- 

 vation upon an ever-narrowing area — nar- 

 rowing because it cannot be expanded in 

 physical terms to accommodate our in- 

 creasing population. There are 6,000,000 

 fewer cattle in this country than there 

 were 10 years ago, but there are 12,000,000 

 more people wanting to eat beef. Our ex- 

 ports of agricultural products are dimin- 

 ishing to the vanishing point. In the next 

 half century we must double our agricul- 

 tural production. But we must do it with 



the same acres that we now use, combine* 

 with a skilful elimination of waste in the 

 marketing and consumption of our prod- 

 ucts. 



All this demands the highest attainments 

 of scientific knowledge combined with the 

 highest form of business intelligence. The 

 vast array of intricate problems must be 

 solved. 



By a singular Providence the study of 

 the facts upon which these questions rest, 

 has been pursued for half a century. ' It 

 is to the agricultural colleges and their 

 graduates that this country must now turn 

 for advice and for help. Here and today 

 the agricultural college is to find the 

 amplest Justification for its existence. 



In past years the activities of our agri- 

 cultural colleges and experiment stations 

 have been arranged chiefiy to provide a 

 college course that would train experts In 

 agriculture, in arts and in engineering, and 

 to discover the basic facts in agriculture 

 :'.nd related science. But we have seen a 

 newer conception of the function and pos- 

 sibilities of these magnificent colleges. 

 Through the initiative of the General Edu- 

 cation Board, and through the inspiring 

 example of Dr. Seaman A. Knapp, a splen- 

 did new plan was devised of bringing 

 home to the farm itself the knowledge ac- 

 quired in scientific study. First, instituted 

 in the southern states, this movement is 

 now about to assume still larger propor- 

 tions in the fulfillment of the plans of the 

 new Secretar.v of Agriculture and in co- 

 operation with the agricultural colleges. 

 A fully organized rural organization serv- 

 ice, under the directorship of Dr. T. N. 

 Carver, will study marketing, rural credit 

 and co-operative buying and selling, and 

 will establish demonstrations in each of 

 these for the purpose of study and illus- 

 tration. In this state, as in others, the 

 state Agricultural College can assume a 

 leadership in the rural lite of the State, 

 which will help in a remarkable degree to 

 develop the state's greatest natural source 

 of wealth, its farms. 



But the modern college, however diversi- 

 fied its activities, must always devote it- 

 self primarily to the education of the 

 youth. Its first obligation is to its student 

 body. 



Recognizing this mission. New Hamp- 

 shire's College offers to the youth of the 

 Sttte adequate, practical and well- 

 grounded courses in agriculture and re- 

 lated subjects. 



It should be remembered that this col- 

 lege is not in competition with any other 

 educational institution. We are simply co- 

 workers in the education field. Our appeal 

 Is to that large body of youth who have 

 not time, opportunity, or the desire for the 

 particular training of other colleges. 



The students of this college have at all 

 times commanded my admiration and re- 

 spect. This, because their social activi- 

 ties are clean, because they maintain 

 modest standards of living and of dress, 

 because the majority are self-supporting 

 in whole or in part, and because they are 

 thoroughly democratic. 



A college is a public trust. It must be 

 administered so as to serve the highest in- 

 terests of all. It is not an institution for 

 a few of the youth of a few of the people. 

 Its task is to offer the greatest oppor- 

 tunity to all the youth of all the people. 

 This is the call of the twentieth century. 



At the conclusion of Dr. Fairchild's 

 address occurred the conferring of 

 honorary degrees. 



A BIG PEONY EXHIBITION. 



The Peony Show, to be held in 

 Cleveland, Ohio, on June 12, 13 and 

 14, as announced in our advertising 

 columns this week, will be the joint 

 production of the American Peony So- 

 ciety and the Ohio Horticultural So- 

 ciety. An alliance of this character is 

 always productive of good results and 

 we believe the people of Cleveland 

 will so appreciate their opportunity 

 that no peony grower can afford to 

 stay away. Write to the secretary, 

 J. N. Stockwell, Room 218, City Hall, 

 Cleveland, Ohio, and get a copy of the 

 premium list which, we understand, is 

 a very liberal one. 



