EARLY MANHOOD IN THE MIDDLE WEST 171 



and especially from over-study at night ; and, hav- 

 ing a horror of being mixed up in a factional fight 

 and Mrs. Roberts' duties at the farm house having 

 become too burdensome, I handed in my resigna- 

 tion. Professor Anthony was by this time at Cor- 

 nell University. He had kept himself well in- 

 formed as to the trouble at the I. A. C. and knew 

 long before I resigned that I was far from being 

 satisfied with the outlook for the future. 



As I remember, it was in October, 1873, that I 

 received a letter from him asking if I would con- 

 sider favorably a call to Cornell University. I 

 replied that I was tired out with over-work and 

 wrangling, and was only waiting for a suitable 

 time to go back to my farm. In answer to this he 

 wrote asking me to formulate a plan for the or- 

 ganization of the College of Agriculture at Cor- 

 nell which he might show to President Andrew 

 D. White. I forwarded a somewhat lengthy state- 

 ment and about two weeks after this, Vice-Presi- 

 dent Russell of Cornell came to the College at 

 Ames prepared to discuss these plans and to offer 

 me a position as Superintendent of the University 

 farm and Assistant Professor of Agriculture. 



At that time the Cornell year was divided into 

 three terms, running from September to June. I 

 declined to consider a plan by which I should have 



