THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING. 



BY C. J. ZINTHEO, 

 Expert of Farm Mechanics, Formerly United States Department of 



Agriculture. 

 (Concluded.) 



The North Dakota Agricultural College has for a 

 number of years maintained a similar course in farm 

 mechanics, and has the co-operation of farm implement 

 salesmen, who come to the college and give talks to the 

 students, and by having the machines brought right into 

 the classroom before the students, explain the construc- 

 tion of the machines that they sell. They have also in 

 connection with their mechanical engineering depart- 

 ment a course in farm motors for the agricultural stu- 

 dents, in which valuable practical training is given. 



The Wisconsin Agricultural College has established 

 a department of farm engineering, and next spring ex- 

 pects to erect a large, concrete, three-story building for 



The Iowa State College, at Ames, has, however, 

 made the greatest progress in the establishment of a 

 complete course in agricultural engineering. The work 

 was organized two years ago, under the name of farm 

 mechanics, as a part of the course in agronomy. A 

 very substantial, fireproof, four-story building was con- 

 structed at a cost of about $70,000. The course as out- 

 lined extends over three years, beginning with the sopho- 

 more college year. All students in the agricultural 

 courses are required to take one year of the work, 

 which embraces the study of the principles and practices 

 of tile drainage, road construction, farm implements, 

 farm motors, carpentry, blacksmithing and mechanical 

 drawing. In the junior and senior years elective courses 

 are offered in farm agriculture, farm implement design 

 and dairy engineering ; also research work on the various 

 lines for those who wish to specialize on the subject. 

 The name of the course has been changed to agricultural 

 engineering, and a post-graduate course is offered which 



How Alfalfa yields In the Snake Hirer Valley, Idaho. Scene along American Falls Canal. 



the accommodation of the department. Two men are 

 devoting their whole time to teaching and experiment- 

 ing on the subject. 



The Nebraska School of Agriculture has completed 

 a farm mechanics' building and is teaching the subject 

 to the short-course students, as well as to the collegiate 

 students. 



The Indiana Agricultural Department of the Uni- 

 versity of Purdue has this year engaged a man to teach 

 farm mechanics to the agricultural college students. 



The Colorado Agricultural College has inaugurated 

 a course in farm mechanics, but has not as yet secured 

 a man in charge of the work. 



The Agricultural College at Cornell, New York, 

 will devote a large part of their new agricultural build- 

 ing now under construction to the study of farm me- 

 chanics. 



is open to agricultural and engineering students, and 

 which leads to the degree of Master of Agricultural 

 Engineering. In this advanced course are enrolled sev- 

 eral students who are preparing themselves to teach the 

 subject in other colleges. Three men are devoting their 

 full time to instruction in the courses. About $25,000 

 worth of machinery and farm implements, including 

 $7,000 worth of modern road machinery, has been 

 loaned to the department by manufacturers for instruc- 

 tional and experimental purposes. 



While several different names have been used in 

 connection with the instruction of the fragments of 

 such courses, such as agricultural physics, farm me- 

 chanics, rural engineering, farm equipment, farm en- 

 gineering, etc., yet a complete college course of this 

 kind should naturally be called agricultural engineering, 

 while it would, perhaps, be appropriate to designate the 



