32 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Our State Farms. 

 Massachusetts has something over twenty-five farms on our 

 State institutions and hospitals. These farms should form the 

 basis of a closer touch between the State and the farmer. 

 Several of these farms are splendid examples of how a farm 

 should be run, while others are anything but a credit to the 

 State. It would seem that the time has now come when these 

 farms should be placed under the direction of some person 

 capable of utilizing the advantages of the good ones and de- 

 veloping the less fortunate ones. Pure-bred stock seems to be 

 in demand. Some of these farms are well supplied with this 

 stock, others are not. The director of these farms should by 

 careful breeding restock the depleted herds, and as soon as 

 possible place such desirable male animals among the farmers 

 of the State at reasonable cost, so that there will be little 

 excuse for keeping scrub bulls. Then, too, these institution 

 farms might become the training places for some of our young 

 people w^ho cannot afford to go to the agricultural college, and 

 yet who wish to become farmers. There is a possible use for 

 these farms far beyond their present development. 



The Agricultural College. 



The continued withdrawal of our young men into the army, 

 and other phases of war work, has reduced the attendance at 

 the college to a very low ebb in the general courses. Many 

 classes formerly including 60 to 70 students have dropped to 

 15 to 20. Practically all of the colleges have been affected in 

 the same way. During the late summer the government took 

 over the colleges of the country and organized them in S. A. 

 T. C. camps, and while this gave the colleges a large attendance 

 it did not affect its general course of work, as most of the 

 student army were being trained for war. 



The sudden cessation of hostilities has again upset the col- 

 leges, for the S. A. T. C. work has been dropped, and few of 

 the student army will stay to take the regular courses. During 

 this rather trying period our college has maintained its regular 

 work, at the same time giving many of its staff and students to 

 ^rmy work. 



