THE MINNESOTA 
HORTICULTURIST. 
VOL. 28. FEBRUARY, Igo00. No. 2. 
HORTICULTURAL HALL, STATE SCHOOL OF AGRI- 
CULTURE, ST. ANTHONY PARK, MINN. 
(SEE FRONTISPIECE). 
This handsome structure, intended for the use of horticulture and botany 
at the Minnesota School of Agriculture and State Experiment Station, has 
just been completed and was occupied on Jan. 1, 1900. 
The need for this building has been felt for some years, but it was only 
a year ago that the state legislature made the necessary appropriation for its 
construction. The building cost $32,000, and the balance of the $35,000 ap- 
propriated was spent in equipment. 
Its location on the south slope of the hill upon and around which are 
grouped the various buildings of the school, gives a fine view from its front 
and makes it a conspicuous and pleasing object even from points some miles 
away. 
It consists of the main building, an annex for a greenhouse, labora- 
tory, a machine shed, about 4,000 feet of glass, and a good nursery cellar. 
The main building is 50x80 feet, and three stories high. Since the heat for it 
comes entirely from a central main plant, there is no space used for a sepa- 
rate heating plant in the building. One-half the first floor is used for dress- 
making and sewing, and the other portion is used mainly for a class-room 
for mathematics and English. The main floor is used for a horticultural 
class room, laboratories, and offices. The third floor is used for botany and 
physics. The greenhouse laboratory is 26x50 feet, is one story in height, 
has a tiled floor, and is lighted from overhead. The machine shed is 20x80 
feet. It is used for the exhibition of machinery which is sent to the Horti- 
cultural Division for study, and is in effect a machine museum. The nur- 
sery cellar is 20x50 feet, is well ventilated and nicely adapted for its pur- 
poses. There are two greenhouses, each of which is about 2oxrtIo feet,. 
divided into two parts, so that the temperature of each part can be con- 
trolled separately. The facilities in this building are such that we have 
now perhaps the best horticultural building to be found in this country. 
We now have room to take care of the large number of students which 
seek admittance to the classes here. This term the classes in horticulture num- 
ber 118 students in one class and 60 in the other. The special feature which 
the new building will give us and which we hope to develop is what is known 
as “greenhouse laboratory work,” and this is well provided for; and we 
think that with the increased attention that will be given to it, it will be- 
come a very important feature of the school work. This work consists in 
practice by the students of seed sowing, transplanting, the growing of plants 
by cuttings and grafting, the packing of nursery stock, pollination, testing 
of seeds, the making of Bordeaux mixture and grafting wax, and similar 
horticultural operations. 
