362 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



The foregoing tables show an increase, compared with the previous 

 year's report, of 10 instructors of all grades and 494 students in the 

 agricultural and mechanical colleges of the different States. Agricult- 

 ural-college scrip was sold in larger quantities than in the previous 

 year. It is noticeable that the price per acre realized shows an iucrease, 

 having risen from $3.27 to $4.41, or nearly 35 percent. As the amount 

 of unsold land is thus annually reduced its value per acre will appreci- 

 ate still more rapidly, and those institutions which have reserved their 

 lands will eojoy a great advantage over those that rushed into the mar- 

 ket at an early day. Vast masses of endowment-lands were sold as low 

 as SO cents per acre. 



For the first time since this Department has begun to publish the an- 

 nual statistics of agricultural education has it been practicable to present 

 even an approximate statement of the proceeds of this endowment-fund 

 available for the support of the faculties. The annual interest of all the 

 institutions, except two or three, is given at $520,283, which, at 6 per cent, 

 per annum, represents an investment of $8,771,383. The Commissioner of 

 the General Land-Otiice, in his annual report for 1869, states the aggre- 

 gate claim upon the public domain accruing under the agricultural-col- 

 lege-scrip legislation at 9,510,000 acres, which, at the minimum price, 

 $1.25 per acre, amounts to $11,987,500. But the prudence with which 

 some institutions have husbanded their resources has raised the aver- 

 age much above this minimum. There yet remain 1,403,305 acres to be 

 disposed of, which, at the average price obtained during the last year, 

 will add about six and a half million dollars to the fund. It will doubt- 

 less average much higher than this, and will probably raise the aggre- 

 gate to nineteen or twenty millions of dollars. 



