CTOBER, 1909.] 



337 



Miscellaneous, 



AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, 

 COIMBATORE. 



Opening Ceremony. 



(Prom the Indian Patriot, July 15, 1909.) 



The Hon'ble Mr. Castlestuart Stuart 

 opened the Agricultural and Research 

 Institute on Wednesday, and his printed 

 address gives a full account of the 

 history and objects of the undertaking. 

 For a long time progress in agricultural 

 teaching was not possible through want 

 of funds. But in the year 1905, a favour- 

 able tide set in, when the Government 

 of India made a generous grant to this 

 Presidency for developing agricultural 

 research and education. 



The Central Farm. 



The land selected for the Agricultural 

 College, the Research Institute and the 

 Central Farm is situated mainly in a 

 village, three miles to the west of the 

 town of Coimbatore, and was acquired 

 in February, 1906, at a cost of Rs. 80,000. 

 The total area of the estate is 450 88 

 acres, of which 45 - 50 acres are wet land, 

 126 acres are good black loam, and 161 

 acres consist of red soil, all of which 

 are under cultivation The remainder 

 of the estate is occupied by buildings, 

 etc. The farm is at an elevation of 

 about 1,360 ft. above sea-level and is 

 approximately flat, there being a dif- 

 ference of 37 ft between the highest and 

 lowest points which are 1,650 yards 

 apart. The Farm has been worked 

 during the past two years, and several 

 experiments with regard to the improved 

 methods of tilling, the transplanting of 

 seedlings, the effect of green manure and 

 the cultivation of varieties of cholum, 

 cotton, ragi, sugarcane and groundnut 

 were carried out under the supervision 

 of Mr. C. J. Sheppersou, the Principal of 

 the College and the Superintendent of 

 the Farm. In the matter of crops grow- 

 ing attention is rightly paid to methods 

 of cultivation rather than to obtaining 

 results with a liberal application of 

 manure; and with the exception of 

 nitrate of soda, no artificial or rather, 

 concentrated manures have been used, 

 it being considered that a more useful 

 impression would be made upon the 

 minds of the ryots if good results were 

 obtained with ordinary means than if 

 th ose results were obtained with sub- 

 stances so costly as to be practically 

 beyond their means. 



The College and the Institute. 



The foundation-stone of the handsome 

 pile of buildings which constitute the 

 Agricultural College and the Research 



43 • . 



Institute was laid by His Excellency 

 Sir Arthur Lawley on the 24th September, 

 1906 ; and in the course of a couple of 

 years the Public Works Department 

 have completed the construction of the 

 whole block of buildings, comprising the 

 College and the Research Institute 

 proper, the hostel, quarters for native 

 officers, quarters for menial servants, 

 residences for the officers of the In- 

 stitute, &c. The main building was de- 

 signed by Mr. G. S. T, Harris, then 

 Consulting Architect to Government, 

 and is constructed in the form of the 

 letter H. The building which is con- 

 structed of table-moulded brick in mortar 

 with moulded cut stone work, is Hindu 

 Saracenic style, and has a handsome 

 clock tower in the centre of the front 

 block, 70 feet in height, under which is 

 the main entrance. To the right of 

 the main entrance are several spacious 

 rooms, including the principal's room, 

 with his office, and the Botanical and 

 Entomological preparation rooms, while 

 to the left are the Physical Laboratory, 

 the Physical Assistant's rooms, the 

 Chemical preparation room and the My- 

 cological room. After passing through 

 the main entrance, the open passage 

 under the big library ia reached, 

 whence take off the two stair cases to 

 the upper floor, where the Government 

 Botanist occupies the central room over 

 the hall, or main entrance, and has his 

 assistants and clerks located in adjoining 

 rooms. Continuous to this is the Ento- 

 mologist's room with another for his 

 clerks. To the left of the Botanist's 

 room is the Herbarium, next to which 

 are the Mycologist and his clerks and 

 assistants occupying large and well- 

 ventilated rooms. The Library forms 

 the connecting link between the front 

 and rear blocks. On passing through 

 the main entrance to the rear block 

 the students' main entrance is reached, 

 to the right of which are situated 

 the nitrogen and potash rooms, a 

 Lecture room, a Balance room, a room 

 for the Chemical assistants, and the 

 Students ' Laboratory. To the left of 

 the students ' entrance are situated the 

 Stores room and other rooms, while 

 at the eastern end of the building there 

 is the Research Laboratory. On the 

 upper floor immediately over the 

 entrance there is the Students ' reading 

 room which is divided by a movable 

 partition from a Lecture room, so that 

 the two can be thrown into 'one, making 

 a wide large hall which will be 76 ft. by 

 25 It. Adjoining this is the Museum 

 Preparation Room with the Museum 

 beyond, On the western side or left of 

 the Students' Reading Room there is a 

 lecture room with a partition, next to 

 which are the rooms for Entomological 



