362 RURAL MICHIGAN 



legislation. In 1889, the legislature accepted the 

 provision of federal aid for the establishment of an 

 experiment station, and ten years later provided for 

 a station in the Upper Peninsula, where conditions 

 of climate in particular made a distinct experiment 

 station desirable. In the same year, the. State Board 

 of Agriculture was authorized to "hold institutes 

 and to establish and maintain courses of reading and 

 lectures for the instruction of citizens of this state 

 in the various branches of agriculture, mechanic 

 arts, domestic economy, and the sciences related 

 thereto." Such institutes were required to be held 

 annually in every county where an "institute so- 

 ciety" had been organized by residents of the county. 

 In the stress of the Civil War (1863) military train- 

 ing was made a required course at the Michigan Ag- 

 ricultural College, and so remains. 



As now organized, the Michigan Agricultural Col- 

 lege embraces five divisions of work : Agriculture, 

 including forestry and horticulture, engineering, 

 home economics, veterinary medicine, and science and 

 letters. There are also two experiment stations and 

 "the division of extension work. The income of the 

 College is derived from the proceeds of the sale of 

 lands granted by the United States (now approxi- 

 mately $7U,000 per annum), the income from a tax 

 of one-fifth of a mill on taxable property within 

 the State, amounting to about $550,000 per annum, 

 while the federal government contributes $30,000 per 

 annum in aid of the experiment stations, which also 

 receive the income from certain fees. There are still 



