STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 207 



The regents have thus made it possible for any farmer's son 

 who has a good common school education to enter the college of 

 agriculture. Besides this they permit him to take any studies 

 in the other departments of the university for which he may be 

 fitted and which he may desire to take. Is it possible to make 

 the situation more comfortable or more inviting for the farmer's 

 boy than it is? If so, will you, gentlemen, please to tell me 

 how ? 



But the regents have not stopped even here. Determined, if 

 possible, to make the farm of service in the way of education, 

 they last year authorized the formation of a class in "practical 

 agriculture" to be composed of boys who pass no examinations 

 and who receive pay for the work they do. Ten boys were in 

 this class last summer. It was an experiment to see what degree 

 of eagerness would be shown for practical education so much de- 

 manded. It is plainly not the kind of work tor the university 

 to do, but the experiment has answered its purpose. IMeanwhile 

 to fully carry out the design of Congress passing the agricultural 

 land grant bill, the regents have done all that lay in their power 

 to perfect the organization and equipment of the college of 

 mechanic arts, all of whose privileges, instruction and apparatus 

 are at the service of the students of agriculture, if desired. A 

 visit to the new building, an examination of the machinery and 

 apparatus, even a slight observation of the work done there, and 

 an examination of the regulations for admission will show most 

 clearly to anyone that the regents have been most faithful to 

 their trust and have made most ample provisions for the edu- 

 cation of students in the department of mechanic arts, while 

 they have not made it difficult for the people intended to be 

 benefited to enter the institution. I can not go into particulars 

 at this point as I should like to. All I can say now, is, come 

 and see the building and equipment for the college of mechanic 

 arts and judge for yourselves. 



Finally, as the mountain would not come to Mahomet and 

 therefore Mahomet went to the mountain, so the regents deter- 

 mined that if the farmers' sons would not come to the college of 

 agriculture, the college of agriculture, in part at least, should 

 go to them. Farmers' institutes were accordingly established 

 and more than thirty of them have been held. They have done good. 

 But they can be made much better and more helpful even than 

 they have been, and in a practical way can accomplish more for 

 farming than anything else that can be done. I have no doubt 



