348 EEPOET OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AORICULTUEE. 



work which has heen doDe on these farms for many successive years in 

 esperinientatioa and with the aim of presenting model farms has been 

 extensive, and rcscltw have been arrived at which are of high practical 

 value rothei'armersof the State. Experiments have been made during 

 the year in acclimaiing seeds, testing' varieties of seeds and grains, 

 methods of cultivation, the use of manures, various rotations of crops, 

 the culture of wheat and potatoes, soiling cattle, and culture of fruit 

 trees. 



From various experiments continued for several years the professor 

 of agriculture has come to the conclusion that it is profitable to feed 

 cattle during the winter for furnishing manure; that etock, when 

 confined to small lots or yards and soiled, do equally as well, if 

 carefully attended, as when allowed the liberty of the fields, and can be 

 fed on the product of one-third lessl and ; that ]^ur[)ie lucerne {Medicago 

 sativa) is a good soiling-plant on strong laud, yields heavily, grows rap- 

 idly, bears cutting, and is perennial; that the old method of cutting 

 indiscriminately' the large and small potatoes for seed, not going to ex- 

 tremes, and of plantio*^ the seed and root ends, is practically as good as 

 any other ; that in ))lanting apple-orchards it is the most profitabl'e to 

 plant only two or three varieties, and these of the most marketable 

 kinds ; that surface-culture, good manuring, scraping, and washing the 

 trees wijth an alkaline mixtsre, and a dressing of five or six pounds of 

 muriate of potash per tree, have proved to bo a very profitable mode of 

 treatment. The college-farm has been very much improved by clearing 

 off old stone fences, removing worthless hedges, and planting fruit-trees ; 

 and the campus, by constructing roads and tilling up inequalities. 



The annualiuterest derived from the proceeds of the congressional 

 land-grant is now $24,420. Some small buildings have been erected 

 and others repaired, and arrangements have been made far supplying 

 the college with an abundance of pure spring-water. About 8500 have 

 been expeiuk-d for apparatus for the physical department, and $100 for 

 increasing the library. 



Professors 12; assistant, 1; students, IGl. 



finODE ISLAND. 



Broken University — Agricultural and mechanical department^ at Provi- 

 dence ; Itec. E. G. liohijison, 1). D., LL. i>,, 2)re{iidc7it. — The course of study 

 in the department of practical science for the degree of bachelor of phi- 

 lofiO{)hy has been extended from three years to lour, as contemplated 

 by the university last year. There is no i)rescribed course laid down in 

 the catalogue for students in agriculture, but provisio^n has been made 

 in the department of practical science for selected courses of instruction 

 in such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the me- 

 chani« arts. Students who enter with thr; intention of pursuing selected 

 studies are subject to the same conditions of admission as for the regu- 

 lar scientific courses ; and when they have completed the studies which 

 they have selected, they are entitled to a certificate stating the time of 

 their connection with the university and the amount of their acquisitions. 

 Direct instruction in agriculture appears to have been given by the pro- 

 fessor of agricultural zoology and curator of the museum. He says that 

 during the last half of the year a weekly coui'se of lectures on agricul- 

 tural zoology has been given to the senior class. About one-fourth of 

 the class have also attended to taxidermy as a voluntary exercise 

 throughout the year. 



The annual interest from the original fund derived from the proceeds 



