From Dutch Sefflemenfs to the Insf'ifufe 215 



fear of the necessity of financial support from the home- 

 land apparently being at least partly responsible. 



But the indomitable spirit of the pioneers finally over- 

 came all obstacles, and in 1766 Queen's College was char- 

 tered. In this first era, Dutch influence remained consider- 

 able. At that time the activities of the college were mainly 

 restricted to those of a theological seminary, and many of 

 the professors had studied in the Netherlands and received 

 their degree of Doctor of Divinity at one of the Dutch 

 universities. Probably the last one to do so was your great 

 president, John H. Livingston. At the University of 

 Utrecht, a bronze tablet erected in 1909 by the trustees, 

 faculty, alumni, and friends of Rutgers College commemo- 

 rates their appreciation for the part the university played 

 in the cultivation of Livingston's scholarship. The inscrip- 

 tion refers to the university as ''Mater Almae Matris 

 Nostrae." 



For this reason, I am particularly happy that the Rector 

 Magnificus of the University of Utrecht has authorized 

 me to offer to Rutgers University on this notable occasion 

 the respectful and fraternal greetings and warmest con- 

 gratulations of the Utrecht Academic Senate. 



It seems appropriate now to review briefly the events 

 that have led to our gathering at this moment at this par- 

 ticular spot. We all realize that the Institute we dedicate 

 today is a direct outcome of the great heights that agri- 

 cultural science has attained at Rutgers University. In 

 turn, this is clearly connected with the high level of agri- 

 culture and horticulture in New Jersey, which earned it 

 the epithet "Garden State." 



I hope you can forgive a scientist for feeling the need to 

 inquire into the causes of this particular aspect of the 

 wealth of New Jersey, for despite the enormous industrial 

 development that has taken place in recent years, "truck 

 farming" is certainly still one of the pillars of the state's 

 economy. 



