340 BOARD OF AGEICULTUEE. 



The botany of our mecliciDal plants, and the elements of 

 materia medica, will be taught by President Clark. Thus 

 every student will be. expected to have a general knowledge 

 of medical botany on leaving the college ; and, therefore, fully 

 prepared to enter upon the special study of veterinary medi- 

 cine, in the post-graduate course. All this training is abso- 

 lutely necessary to fit the mind of the student for such a 

 calling in after years. 



And in chemistry we shall take a similar course. Profes- 

 sor Goessmaun will make a specialty of medical chemistry 

 and pharmacy, for the benefit of those who wish to devote 

 themselves to the veterinary profession. 



If, now, I have enlisted the sympathies of any of you in 

 behalf of the importance of this subject, permit me to call 

 your attention to the steps which are necessary to establish 

 such a department of instruction in your State Agricultural 

 College at Amherst. The first thing that will be required is a 

 suitable building for a lecture-room, for a museum and for ana- 

 tomical laboratories. Such a structure should be substan- 

 tially built, and thus calculated for all time. It should be of 

 ample proportions, in order that we may place on exhibition 

 the natural history collection of the State, and other useful 

 material, as well as my own private cabinet of comparative 

 osteology. All these should be neatly arranged, so as to be 

 attractive to the visitor and an ornament to tlie institution. 



We need the skeletons of the various known breeds of do- 

 mestic animals, and also a few of the Ward series of the casts 

 of fossils on exhibition in the Museum. The specimens to 

 illustrate pathological anatomy can only be obtained by 

 watching the opportunities which may occur from time to 

 time for collection. 



With such an array of material at our command to illustrate 

 the comparative anatomy and physiology of the domestic an- 

 imals, as well as the real pathology in disease, we shall en- 

 deavor, with your hearty cooperation, to make this depart- 

 ment an honor to the college and a blessing to the State ; and 

 I desire in this public capacity to cordially invite our farmers 

 all over the Commonwealth to send to Amherst any mysteri- 

 ous or interesting cases of disease which may occur among 

 yonr stock, and we shall be happy to examine the same, and 



