CONNECTICUT. 



171 



ecntive Secretary, who read it to the joint 

 Assembly, the two Houses having come togeth- 

 er for that purpose. He called the attention 

 of the Legislature to the fact that Long Isl- 

 and Sound, the great commercial thorough- 

 fare of Connecticut on her southern boundary, 

 was practically without defense, as there were 

 no fortifications worthy of the name between 

 the ocean and the sea- ports of the State, which 

 was thus exposed to an attack from the sea. 

 The State depends, in this matter, wholly upon 

 the Federal Government. The Governor, there- 

 fore, urged the General Assembly to take such 

 action as would call the attention of the Fed- 

 eral Government to their defenseless condi- 

 tion, and induce her to provide for it against 

 any possible emergency. 



From the report of the directors of the 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, which was 

 established, by act of the Legislature, in 1877, 

 it appears that, during the year 1881, the sta- 

 tion's work has been mostly directed to the 

 examination of commercial fertilizers, fodder, 

 and feed- stuffs produced, or used, in Connecti- 

 cut, and to the examination of milk and dairy 

 products. As this station had no place of its 

 own for attending to its operations, but from 

 the beginning was kindly tendered the use of 

 certain rooms in Yale College for five years, 

 till June, 1882, the Board of Control requested 

 of the Legislature that it might be furnished 

 with the means of carrying on its work inde- 

 pendently and efficiently. Connecticut was 

 the first among all the States of the Union to 

 create and put to practical work an. agricult- 

 ural experiment station. Its lead in the es- 

 tablishment of this service has been followed 

 by many other States. They have recognized 

 the wisdom of the action, and have created 

 institutions for the same ends. Most of these 

 are on a larger scale. 



The Storrs Agricultural School was author- 

 ized by an act of the Legislature in 1881, and 

 actually opened on the 28th of September of 

 that year, and now is in operation, with three 

 instructors and thirteen scholars. It is the 

 first of its kind in this country, and, having 

 no example to follow, it must reach success 

 through experience. It is intended to be more 

 technical, and nearer the farm, than the Agri- 

 cultural College has been or well can be. Its 

 object is not to make scholars, but to train 

 young men to be well-informed and skillful 

 farmers. 



Two acts were passed at this session the 

 one " appropriating twenty-five thousand dol- 

 lars for the erection of a building for the Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station " ; the other, " pro- 

 viding for regular annual appropriations to 

 agricultural societies." 



With reference to the law enacted in 1881, 

 providing for the licensing of pharmacists in 

 the State, and for the registering of poisons 

 sold by druggists to private people ; creating, 

 also, a Commission of Pharmacy, charged to 

 see that its provisions are faithfully carried 



into execution the commission have report- 

 ed that "the law works well, and meets the 

 requirements of public safety." The list of 

 poisons, the sale of which is reckoned as sub- 

 ject to the duty of registration, is found to be 

 too restricted, and should be extended by add- 

 ing to it "laudanum, and other dangerous 

 forms of opium." 



Since July 20, 1881, when the newly-finished 

 portion of the Insane Asylum at Middletown, 

 the South Hospital, was opened for the recep- 

 tion of patients, above two hundred have been 

 lodged in it, in addition to the inmates of the 

 old hospital, the year 1881 having begun with 

 529 insane persons under treatment and ended 

 with 731, of which number not less than 719 

 belong to the indigent class, and " are aided 

 by the State " ; but, notwithstanding this great 

 draining, the almshouses of the towns are not 

 yet relieved of them, and their number seems 

 to be increasing. 



The trustees of the Industrial School for 

 Girls state that a large number of "neglected 

 youth, of both sexes, may be found within the 

 State growing up, without responsible guard- 

 ianship, in varying conditions of ignorance and 

 idleness, and plainly drifting toward a life of 

 pauperism and crime " ; adding, " They are to 

 be found in the streets of the cities, in the 

 almshouses of the towns, and in other places 

 equally ill-fitted for making them good citi- 

 zens." 



An act was passed at this session " creating 

 a commission to consider the case of children 

 now in almshouses." 



A new penitentiary building, in a healthy 

 location, is called for, as the old State Prison, 

 wherein the convicts are now confined, besides 

 other reasons of unfitness, stands on a " mani- 

 festly unhealthy situation." The number of 

 sick, or sickly convicts, unable to work, is by 

 that cause kept very large. It is said that 

 about three fourths of the cases of disabling 

 sickness can be traced to malarial disorders, 

 which cause necessarily diminishes the income 

 derived from the earnings of convicts, and in- 

 creases the expenses of the State. 



The reorganization of the courts of the State 

 is strongly urged, as they " do not meet the just 

 demands of the people." This is especially the 

 case with " the courts of first resort, or original 

 jurisdiction." The system of the justices of the 

 peace is regarded as very defective. One thou- 

 sand such justices are selected and installed 

 every two years ; little inquiry is made as to 

 their capacity and fitness for the discharge of 

 judicial duties. 



A bill " creating the office of State Attorney- 

 General " was introduced and acted upon at this 

 session, but without final result ; it was contin- 

 ued to the next General Assembly. 



The Legislature closed its session of 1882 by 

 final adjournment on April 20th. Among the 

 bills then passed, or continued to the next Legis- 

 lature, were the following : 



A bill " to carry into effect the provisions 



