80 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



mechanic arts" in New York state. In 1836, the legislature of New 

 York granted a charter for an agricultural college. It was proposed to 

 buy a farm and to establish a school on it. In other states similar move- 

 ments were on foot. The agitation became personified in Justin S. Mor- 

 rill, representative and later senator from Vermont, and it culminated in 

 the college land grant act of 1862, which, as Hewett says, is "the noblest 

 grant for popular education which the world has known." 



Of the agricultural colleges which were opened before the passage of 

 the Morrill bill, only the Michigan institution has lived, and it has been 

 fitly called, for America, "the mother of agricultural colleges." It was 

 opened to students in May, 1857. It was the first agricultural institu- 

 tion in this country, so far as I know, to be maintained wholly by the 

 State. Gary commented pleasanth' upon the opening of this institution 

 in The Cincinnatus for August, 1857. He closed his review by saying 

 that "the directors of Michigan Agricultural College have marked 

 out a course of mental training as extensive for the scientific agricultur- 

 ist as for the man of letters, and on its completion give equal honors. 

 And we trust it is the mission of American institutions to enlarge the 

 platform of a university education, until it shall embrace the liberal 

 education of men for every honorable calling and pursuit, and let it be 

 our zealous endeavor unitedly to labor to effect so desirable a consum- 

 mation." 



Despite the early agitation in New York, an agricultural college was 

 not opened until 1860, and because of the war it existed less than half 

 a year. The professor of agricultural chemistry and botany was Wil- 

 liam H. Brewer, now known for his long and efficient connection with 

 Yale. The site of the New York college is now occupied by the Willard 

 State Insane Asylum. 



In 1861 began the negotiations between Ezra Cornell and the state, 

 which ended in the establishment of the Cornell University, an insti- 

 tution which in time was destined to solve the question of agricultural 

 and technical education of true university rank. 



Another type of movement towards agricultural education originated 

 in the desire to popularize and- apply agricultural chemistry. In this 

 field Yale College has alwa^'s been a leading spirit. A course of popular 

 lectures on agriculture was also given at Yale in the winter of 1859-60, 

 and abstracts of them were published in book form in 1860, by Henry 

 S. Olcott, under the title, "Outlines of the First Course of Yale Agricul- 

 tural Lectures." These excellent lectures ran through four weeks, 

 and they were given by specialists from various parts of the. country. 

 The first week was devoted to agricultural chemistry, the second to 

 pomology, the third to "agriculture paper," the fourth to domestic ani- 

 mals. 



The ideas which were paramount in the early days of agricultural 

 education are well reflected in the courses of stud}^ and a comparison 

 of the old course with those in vogue at the present day will show what 

 the evolution has been. The course offered by the Agricultural College 

 of Michigan in 1861 was as follows: 



