1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FARIVCER. 



81 



The committee on Library and Cabinets re- 

 commended the appropriation of $20,000 for 

 these purposes, including the purchase of the 

 collection of Prof. Bromley, of the college at 

 Marietta, Ga., which was shipped to New 

 York at the breaking out of the war, where it 

 has remained in store until this time, when it 

 is offered for sale at $6000 — the best judges in 

 the country estimating its real value at $15,000 

 to $20,000. It embraces some 30,000 speci- 

 mens, correctly named and labeled. After 

 discussion, however, only $4000 were appro- 

 priated for cabinet purpose. 



During the discussion of the subject of ap- 

 pointing a Farm Superintendent, Mr. Dunlap 

 proposed that the superintendency of the farm 

 should be devolved on the Executive Commit- 

 tee, instead of the Regent and Professor of 

 Agriculture, as recommended in the report of 

 the Committee on Agriculture. 



Mr. Dunlap said that the Regent was appointed 

 to take charge of the educational interests of the 

 institution. The Professor of Agriculture is, and 

 always will he, a myth. There will be Professors 

 in special departments, such as Chemistry, Geolo- 

 gy, Entomology, &c. There will be something of 

 Agriculture and Horticulture taught. All these 

 together will make up the education. The Pccgent 

 should attend to the educational interests alone. 

 The Executive Committee was the proper authority 

 to rule over this farm, and determine its manage- 

 ment. 



The Regent, the Rev. J. M. Gregory, re- 

 plied by saying : — 



The great aim of the institution is to teach agri- 

 cultural science, and to advance it by means of 

 the experimental farm. It has a double use in this 

 way. There is such a thing as an Agricultural 

 Professor. One has just been chosen for the Cor- 

 nell University, New York. One had already been 

 recommended to him for this University. If the 

 farm is a wheel in the machinery of the whole edu- 

 cation, it must be under the supervision of the 

 head of the Institution. The farm must give illus-, 

 trations if not practice. 



Mr. Dunlap's views about restricting the 

 duties and power of the Regent met with no 

 support. It was argued that there must be 

 one head to the institution ; that the Regent 

 was the chosen man for that position ; that the 

 farm was where a large part of the agricultural 

 and horticultural education of students must be 

 obtained ; that its lessons would be as much a 

 part of the instruction as the lectures in the 

 school room ; that it was to illustrate the theo- 

 ries taught from text-books and by lectures. It 

 was further urged that the Executive Commit- 

 tee could not be in session but at stated inter- 

 vals, while the Regent would be there at all 

 times for counsel and assistance. It was 



thought by some of the members that the 

 proper Professor of Agriculture could be 

 found. 



The question of manual labor by the students 

 of the University was left for the decision of 

 the Committee on Faculty and Courses of 

 Study. 



A farm Superintendent, with a salary of 

 $1500, with house rent, was appointed. 

 Prof. W. II. Baker, principal of the High 

 School at Springfield, and Prof. G. W. Ather- 

 ton, formerly at St. John's College, Annapolis, 

 were elected to chairs hereafter to be named 

 with salaries of $2000 each. 



The opening ceremonies of the institution 

 are to take place on the eleventh of March 

 next. 



ON EATING POHK. 



About once each year, near the time when 

 the farmer has dressed the swine which he has 

 been feeding for a twelvemonth, some persons 

 commence a tirade against the use of pork as 

 food. Whether these persons have been using 

 pork grown upon the garbage of city gutters, 

 or whether they have indulged in a surfeit 

 upon that which was good, does not appear, 

 and the reasons why they declaim against its 

 use are no more apparent. 



Most swine in New England are fed upon 

 grain of some kind, skim milk, buttermilk 

 whey, boiled potatoes, scraps from the table, 

 and, during all the growing season, with 

 fresh weeds, and short, sweet grass. To these 

 are added, during the season of fattening, 

 pumpkins, squashes, carrots and other roots, 

 boiled and mixed with various kinds of meal. 

 Salt is occasionally given to them, and in some 

 cases pork and beef scraps from which nearly 

 all the fatty matter has been extracted by pres- 

 sure. They have clean and comfortable sleep- 

 ing places, and although they sometimes wallow 

 in the mud in hot weather to get on a coat 

 which protects them from the flies, they are 

 neat in their habits when properly treated. 



There is no reason apparent to us why their 

 flesh is not as wholesome as that of any ani- 

 mal used as our food. We have always used 

 it freely, and have found it just as easy of di- 

 gestion as beef or mutton. The principal 

 reason, we think, why many persons speak 

 against it, is that they eat too much at once ! 

 It is so delicious when properly cooked, and 

 well sustained with cranberry sauce or currant 



