1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 251 



experiments constantly being made there, should interest 

 every farmer of our Slate. It would be of great advantage 

 to any farmer to visit the station and follow the doctor 

 around for one or more days, if he cannot spare as many 

 weeks, and note the words of wisdom which fall from his 

 lips. Go with him to the barns and pens, to the fields, and 

 hear his lectures on the crops as he moves from plot to plot ; 

 go with him to his laboratory, let the farmer ask all the ques- 

 tions he pleases, and when the day is done he will find that 

 the day has been well spent, with great profit to himself, 

 and he will carry away much that will interest him in the 

 days to come. The farmer should always take his pencil 

 and memorandum book, and note down the many sugges- 

 tions that he hears, and he will learn why the State and 

 general government arc willing to spend money at the 

 Agricultural College, farm, and experiment station at 

 Amherst. Your committee will again urge every farmer in 

 the State to send his name to the station for its monthly 

 bulletin, and carefully read the same. The committee 

 always leave the doctor's presence wishing they had more 

 time to spend with him. 



Botanic Department. 



In performing our duties as examining committee of the 

 Agricultural College, as prescribed by the Governor and 

 Council, to inspect the property of the college, including the 

 land and buildings, especially with reference to the adapta- 

 bility and sufficiency thereof for accomplishing the object of 

 the institution, we must say, after a careful study of the 

 needs and advantages of the botanic department in numer- 

 ous visits made in the past two years, we are led to make 

 the following suggestions in relation to its improvement : — 



It is believed by many friends of the college that the 

 efforts now being made to make the department self-sup- 

 porting should be given up, so that the whole energy of the 

 professor of botany and horticulture and his assistants be 

 given to making it more valuable to the students and the 

 public in general. Its income from the sale of trees, plants, 

 fruits and vegetables, has ranged from $2,000 to $7,500 per 

 3'ear, which has paid the running expenses, including fuel, 



