338 REPORT OF. THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



geography, spelling, piinctuatiou, English composition, English and 

 American isistovy, and algebra through simple equations. The course, 

 occupying two yesrs, includes shop instruction, algebra, plane and solid 

 geometry, rhetoric and composition, mechanical and free-hand drawing, 

 English literature, and the French language. 



Tuition in this course of two years is $125 a year. For a more de- 

 tailed account of this system the readei' is referred to the report of Dr. 

 John D. Kunkle, president of the institute, on the "Russian system of 

 shop-work instruction lor engineers and machinists." 



By the co-operation of the Woman's Education Association of Boston 

 new laboratories have been provided for the special instruction of 

 women. The design is to furnish every facility for the study of chemical 

 analysis, industrial chemistry, mineralogy, and chemistry, as related to 

 vegetable and animal physiology. These courses are intended for such 

 persons as may be able to devote their whole time to the work, as well 

 as for those who can spend only a few hours a week in the exercises. 

 The laboratories are open from half past eight in the morning till half 

 past live in the afternoon. Stuilents in these laboratories pay the same 

 tuition as other students in the institute. The institute, however, pro- 

 vides several courses unconnected with this without charge for tuition, 

 the expense being paid by the trustee oi' the Lowell Institute. The 

 annual interest derived from the part (one-third) of the proceeds of the 

 congressional hind-grant received by this institute, is now $4,011. 



Professors, 21; assistants, 15; students, 203. Of this number, 54 

 were ladies, 38 of whom were special students in design ; 14 special 

 students in chemistry, and 2 students in the first year not candidates 

 lor a degree. 



MICHIGAN. 



Michigan State Agricultural College at Lansing ; TheopMliis C. Abbott, 

 LL. I).,inesident. — -The college-year has been divided into three terms 

 instead of two, but its length has not been altered. It appears to be a 

 primary object of the directors to make it in the highest degree agricult- 

 ural, and a considerable portion of time is devoted yearly to original in- 

 vestigation. Si)ecial attention is given to the study of botany. The 

 freshman class devote one-third to one-half of their time to it daily for 

 eighteen weeks, and are recpiired to make rigid analyses and microscopic 

 dissections of a great nund)er of plants, both phenogamic and crypto- 

 ganuc, w'ith the most approved instruments. 



Experiments have been made in the garden by the botanist with two 

 hundred and forty-four varieties of potatoes, and the yield of each is 

 given. He has also conducted some interesting experiments in the 

 production of new varieties. The seeds of tifty varieties were sown in 

 boxes, hot-beds, and in the greenhouse, at the time of sowing seeds for 

 early tomatoes. When of sufficient size, a selection was made of the 

 plants, and they were set two inches apart each way, and after danger 

 from frost was passed were reset, two feet apart, in rows in the garden. 

 About six hundred of them produced potatoes. The .vield was surpris- 

 ing. Instead of a few little tubers the size of bullets, many ^f them 

 were four to five inches long and of good size. In one instance a jingle 

 plant produced eight i)Ounds of potatoes, many of them being of good 

 size. The yield in many cases was better than from old potatoes planted 

 in the usual way. A test of their qualities will be made next year. 

 From the many experiments which he lias made with potatoes, he has 

 come to the conclusion that new varieties must be originated every few 

 years, as old ones degenerate in size and quality in most cases, and that 



