250 
THE BUBAL WEW-YOBKEB. 
OCT. 20 
pick-ax. A further economy in underdraining 
may be often effected by a free ur'.e of clover, 
whe se deep roots penetrate the subsoil and enable 
the farmer to dispense with half the underdrains 
ho would otherwise need. When the country was 
new, the virgin soil tilled with (he roots of trees 
and composed largely of vegetable mold, was 
rarely too wot. The reason was that the roots 
and fibrous vegetable matter afforded a natural 
drainage. Cultivation has compacted the soil 
and the decay of vegetable matter has left it 
hard and lumpy. We shall never see the soil so 
full of black mold as it was when the forests 
were first cleared away. Opening the surface 
of the soil to sunlight causes vegetable matter 
to decay much more rapidly than when shaded 
by forests, But this is no real loss. On all 
heavy soils there is vegetable matter enough to 
last a long time. What is wanted is more 
underdrawing to remove surplus water in spring 
and to keep the soil from becoming too hard und 
lumpy during the dry season. 
With frequent (loadings of clover wo shall 
replenish the vegetable matter in the soil, open 
the subsoil by a natural underdrainage through 
the crevices made by decaying roots, and thus 
restore the land to its original fertility. With 
the free use of clover one half the underdrain¬ 
ing otherwise needed may bo dispensed with. 
When farmers read of the costly underdraining 
which market gardeners find useful and even 
necessary, they are alarmed at the idea of under¬ 
taking such expensive improvements. They 
should remember that the market gardener is 
compelled to place drains closely together, be¬ 
cause he plows every year, tuul the soil though 
rich has only a moderate amount of vegetable 
mat ter. The farmer who has the advantage of 
seeding frequently with clover, may secure 
equal benefit from underdraining though plac¬ 
ing his tiles twice as far apart us the market 
gardener does. In many largo fields a few 
underdrains Judiciously placed, will make the 
soil dry euough for most farm crops, and if 
done largely with horses and plows the work 
will coHt far less than fanners unaccustomed to 
underdraining would believe. 
- - 
HOW AND WHEN TO APPLY FERTILI¬ 
ZERS. 
PnoFussOBS of chemistry and Heads of Agri¬ 
cultural Colleges in I lie several States are ex¬ 
pected to give valuable information through 
the agricultural press, and it will he exceedingly 
instructive, if they should tell us, the farmers 
of the States, how and when to apply fertilizers 
so ait to make it pay to use them. It is thought 
it w ill pay to buy some kind of stimulant for 
about 100 acresof meadow land lying in n valley, 
but it is not decided what fertilizers to obtain 
and aschemists who teach in State Institutions 
ought to know all about such matters, the writer 
will give an outline of particulars. 
In the valley there is ft brook which once or 
twice each spring overflows a portion of the 
meadows, and there are numerous springs 
which run freely in April and May, hut which dry 
up in the hummer. There is some very high 
mountain land on each side of the valley and 
iron is supposed to lie in great quantities in the 
heart of the vast bills on both sides, and as 
even in the valley there are groat quantities of 
rocks and lose stones and gravel, it may bo that 
soma brands of phosphate etc., would not be of 
much use, as iron probably would neutralize 
their effects. There is a good variety of grass 
growing, and if it could lie obtained on a moder¬ 
ate freight etc.. 20 tons of good farm-yard man¬ 
ure, per acre, would give life to the whole mass ; 
but it cannot be bad hero, and the soil is poor 
because the hay has been taken off for nearly 
twenty years and no return made. 
Tliis autumn, m consequence of drought and 
the exhaustion of tho laud, the cattle have eaten 
the grass very short aiul it is to be feared the 
whole herbage will be weak in the spring. Now 
the idea is that some Miitahlo ehoimoal applica¬ 
tion would strengthen the whole mass of weak 
herbage, so that by better usage hereafter the 
blue gras.-, clover, red ton etc,, etc., would not 
die out aud immure could then be periodically 
spread so ns to keep up a good stale iff fertility. 
The information sought is w hat kind of ar¬ 
tificial maiiuvo will answer the purpose host, 
and if these gentlemen would recommend a 
manure giving particulars and staling w hy such 
an article would tell better than any ether, 
they would benefit and oblige not only the man 
who applies for the information, but a large 
number of the great body of agriculturists. 
A Won KINO Faumrk. 
-- 
CATALOGUES &e., liECEIVED. 
A. Hancb &■ Hon, (Itedbank, N. .T.) send us 
their new fall cata logue which is noteworthy in 
several respects. Engravings are given of the 
promising Mount Vernon Pear; of tho Great 
American Strawberry ami of the Lady Grape 
which in our own grounds has proven the past 
season very satisfactory. 
Haskett's American “ Curculio Proof” Plum 
is said by Mr. Ilanee, who is not given to indis¬ 
criminate praise, to bo as regards fruit fulness, 
simply wonderful- to tho truth of which state¬ 
ment we can ourselves testify. Tho thickness 
of tho skin is what protects it from the Curculio. 
Tho llosh, however, ir paid to be sweet and good. 
cn 
<r 
Jjtm (Tojius. 
MICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 
HER PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS IN THE 
CLASS-ROOM, FIELD AND GARDEN. 
AY ntOFKSSOA V . J. TvEAL. 
The. State Legislature voted inl850, to establish 
an Agricultural School, and in 1855. made pro¬ 
visions for the locating aud purchasing of a farm 
for the purpose. Six hundred and seventy five 
acres were purchased. They lay three miles 
east of Lansing, the State capital, and wore 
nearly all covered with forests. Tho College 
was opened to students in May 1857, with appro¬ 
priate exorcises. Although started at this date, 
only twenty years ago, it is the oldest of existing 
agricultural colleges. For tho last fourteen 
years, it has been managed by the State Hoard 
of Agriculture, a body of six mm who serve for 
six years. They are appointed by tho Goveruor, 
two every two years. The Goveruor aud Presi¬ 
dent of the College are the only ex-otticio mem¬ 
bers of the Board. 
In 1862, Congress donated laud for the sup¬ 
port of at, least one college iu each State to 
teach such brandies of learning as are related to 
Agriculture and tho Mechanic Arts. The Legis¬ 
lature accepted tliis grant of 285,678 acres of 
land and located it iu Michigan. At present, 
lands have been sold to tho amount of about 
250,000 dollars which is placed in tho State 
Treasury, und only the Interest, at seven per 
cent, is applied to the support of tho College. 
Additional funds have been granted by every 
legislature for tho construction of all buildings 
and for other purposes. 
At. the time of beginning and for several years 
after It, was established, there was a strong ef¬ 
fort, made to transfer tho Agricultural College to 
Ann Arbor and make it a department of the 
University. 'The failure of other well equipped 
Agricultural Schools, uear to, and as a depart¬ 
ment of a University, to draw many students, 
has since shown the wisdom of retaining this 
school apart from any other. This fact alone is 
worth more than all the theories over offered on 
both sides of this vexed question. 
At present, about 800 acres are under cultiva¬ 
tion. Tho farm, buildings, and apparatus, are 
valued at about 260,000 dollars. Tho faculty 
contains ten resident, members braider two fore¬ 
men and a gardener who assist in giving out-door 
insti notion. The lust catalogue gave the names 
of KM students, all except ton of whom wero in 
tho regular course of four years. To some, the 
corps of instructors may seem large, but it must 
be remembered that technical schools always re¬ 
quire more teachers to a given number of stu¬ 
dents than do oilier schools which make use of 
little or ho apparatus. 
Michigan Agricultural College is believed to 
have her share of live men, men who are emi¬ 
nently fitted for the positions they occupy. They 
arc apt teachers and original investigators, well 
up with the times. Several of them have a na¬ 
tional reputation and some are known in Europe 
by their writings and discoveries, in the course 
of instruction, great care is taken to illustrate 
and put everything in practice as fur us possible. 
Tho students are not only taught the theories, 
but they are required to experiment for them¬ 
selves. These remarks apply especially to the 
teaching of Chemistry, Zoology, Entomology, 
Botany, Horticulture, Applied Mathematics and 
Agriculture in its various departments. 
The demands of the farmers on the men of 
their College ore quite exacting. They expect 
more labor of their professors than is demanded 
of professor* iu either colleges. During the 
past few years, the faculty and State Hoard 
of Agricultuio have yielded to this demand 
of extra work and have held a series of 
Institutes in different portions of tho State dur¬ 
ing the winter where tho College men and far¬ 
mers meet for essays, lectures, discussions, and 
acquaintance. These Institutes have boon verv 
popular and Lave awakened mnoh interest. 
Some might wonder why they were not under¬ 
taken sooner tbau they wore, but the teachers of 
other colleges of the old style are never expected 
or called upon to perform double duty in vaca¬ 
tion as well as in term-time. They have their 
vacations, aud are not called on for original in¬ 
vestigations and lengthy reports. They are not 
expected, as tho agricultural professors actually 
do, to aualyzo without cost, samples of wheat, 
soils, minerals, or to answer large numbers of 
letters inquiring about insects, plants, orchards, 
cattle, sheep, swine, grains, etc. 
For the last six years, three or more of tho 
faculty have done a great deal of work for the 
State Homological Society which holds four or 
more largo meetings in each year in various 
parts of the State. They have also done good 
work in the Michigan Bee-keepers’ Association, 
in the State Agricultural Society, iu tho State 
Teachers’ Association, and one of them in the 
State Hoard of Health. Besides, they take an 
active part, in several national Societies, one in 
the American Medical Society, one iu the Ameri¬ 
can Homological Society, two or three in the 
National Agricultural Congress, one in tho Na¬ 
tional Teach era’ Association, two in the American 
Association for the Advancement of Science. 
The agricultural press of our country abounds 
in articles from the pens of tho faculty, articles 
quoted from the reports or written especially for 
some periodical. From the first volume to the 
present time, one of them has been an active 
contributor to the American Naturalist. 
Tho articles above referred to are often seen 
quoted in foreign journals, as the Garden, Gar- 
dcrier’s Chronicle, Journal of Horticulture, Na¬ 
ture, etc. Several of tho best and most recent 
European works on chemistry or botany make 
quotations or references to the woi its iff these 
professor*. Tho truth of these remarks could 
be substantiated by long lists of definite exam¬ 
ples or illustrations. 
Tho College year begins about the first of 
March and continues, with two short vacations 
of a week each, till about the 20th of November, 
thus giving tlio students an opportunity to make 
the best use of all tho summer months iu the 
various ont-door occupations. In the long win¬ 
ter vacation most of the students touch school, 
for which they receive greater w ages than they 
could got at ordinary farm labor. 
The standing of the students entering College 
has gradually improved from year to year. They 
are not all sons of farmers, nor do they all come 
hero expecting to bo farmers. They drift here 
for a great variety of reason*, as tiny do to any 
other college which gives a good education. As 
ono writer says, “ Students flock to a college 
after each other as sheep over a fence." Statin 
ties will show that a. larger proportion become 
farmer* at once after leaving the College, than 
so intended when they entered College. There 
nre many morn who would engage in farming if 
they possessed the necessary capital with which 
to purchaso a farm. Tho course of study, and 
especially the daily manual labor, help to in¬ 
fluence their minds in favor of agriculture. 
Probably a larger proportion of our graduates 
become farmers than graduates of our law 
schools become lawyers. 
Wo aro very often asked, “Does the College 
graduate farmers?” I can do no better, in an¬ 
swering this question, than to quote from Presi¬ 
dent Abbot's address before tbo Legislature in 
1875: 
“ Colleges aro not accustomed to graduate 
farmers. They take a young man in tho sus¬ 
ceptible period of bis boyhood, keep him from 
manual labor, give him f*>r association many who 
regard such work un a degradation, set before 
him only such aims as the professions, or litera¬ 
ture, or public life propose, aud what wonder 
that be Is educated awuy from tbo farm! In 
March. 1872. tbo United States Bureau of Edu¬ 
cation issued a circular of information regarding 
graduates. Of tbo 022 graduates of Harvard in 
twenty-four years, none are put down as ngii- 
cu It mists. Of the f»7<» graduates of Wesley 
University for twenty-eight years, whoso occu¬ 
pation is known, one devotes himself to agri¬ 
culture. Of tho 1,772 graduates of Yale Iu twenty 
years, whose occupation is known, not one is a 
farmer, or nil together, there is les* than 
per cent. You might think it would not be so in 
tlio West, yet the same statu of things exists 
boro also. Iu Indiana State University, of 107 
of the graduates during 1861 to 1869, all whose 
occupation is known, only three aro farmers. 
Bipou College, Wisconsin, during 1867 to 1874, 
inclusive, graduated none who went to farming. 
At Obcrliu College, out of 484 male graduates 
between 1887 and 1868, only sixteen became 
farmers, and from 1858 to 1869 only four were 
farmers and horticulturists out of 222. 
“ An honorable member of the House informs 
me that, of the twenty-four who graduated with 
him in law, only four aro practicing lawyers. 
Several other college men have told me they 
thought, not over onc-luilf the graduates of the 
professional schools practiced tho professions, 
although to do so requires no large outlay as a 
farmer's business does.” 
What are tho graduates of Michigan Agricult¬ 
ural College doing ? At. the close of 1875 only 120 
of them were living. Of theso fifty are farmers, 
fruit-growers or apiarists, eleven professors or 
instructors In Agricultural Colleges, one an agri¬ 
cultural editor,—making sixty-two out of 120 
who are directly carrying out what the College 
was intended to teach. At the present time one 
is Prof, of Botany and Horticulture in Cornell 
University; one Prof, of Agricultural Chemistry 
in Wisconsin University; ono Prof, of Natural 
History in Iowa Agricultural College; one Prof, 
of Agriculture and another of Chemistry in Kan¬ 
sas Agricultural College; one Prof, of Agricult¬ 
ure iu Missouri University; one Prof, of Agri¬ 
culture, another of Zoology and Entomology aud 
another of Mathematics iu otir own College; an¬ 
other is foreman of the Horticultural Depart¬ 
ment. and Secretary or Die State Homological So¬ 
ciety, another assistant in Chemistry, Several 
are pursuing special courses in veterinary, bot¬ 
any, anatomy or other studies. Quito a number 
of others aro merely engaged in some temporary 
employment to enable them to buy farms. 
Already the experiment of the first existing 
agricultural college, now only twenty years old, 
has been " to make educated men to be good 
farmers in forty-fold greater proportion than 
any or all other colleges.” What kind of farm¬ 
ers they will make remains to bo seen. Going 
to an agricultural college will not necessarily 
make a young man choose fanning as a business, 
nor will steady work on a good farm make all 
farmers' sons choose to be farmers. Immense 
numbers of such are annually loaving farms and 
going into some other business. 
Some of the marked features of the Michigan 
Agricultural College are these: All students, 
except when physically disabled, aro required to 
work tlirco hours a day, for five days in tho week. 
To some extent tins work is educational. At 
present tho students receive pay at a maximum 
of ten cents an hour for thou - woik. Tho Soph¬ 
omore* work for the entire year in tho farm de¬ 
partment, the Juniors for tho entire year in tho 
horticultural department. To a considerable ex¬ 
tent tho Seniors are used as assistant foremen, 
with small gangs of hands, at various kinds of 
work. All Seniors arc intrusted with more or 
less of tliis work, according as they show a capac¬ 
ity for managing help and overseeing labor. 'I ho 
small tools are kept, in cases, the larger ones on 
pegs or in places fitted for them. When taken 
out, everything is charged to the one taking it, 
and credit is given when returned in good ord r. 
Tho lesson learned in the care of tools is of great 
value to every young man. 
Occasionally a thoughtless person says, “ Why, 
you cannot turn out young men from tbo Col¬ 
lege who will go back to tho farm and beat the 
old farmers at work.” 
Of course not; neither does a law school or 
medical school turn out proficient lawyers or doc¬ 
tors ; but docs that prove that a student is not 
better prepared for success after a training in a 
ltt»v or medical school ? 
Borne practice every day in tho field or garden 
with clothing on suitable for tbo work serves 
as a great inducement to keep n young man 
in tlm notion of being a farmer. They cannot 
be proficient in all kinds of work at the end of 
four years, nor can they ever become so under 
any circumstances in that length of time, but 
they all perform » considerable partof their work 
iu (be best workman-1 ike manner, and this dis¬ 
cipline with their studies puts them in position 
to learn to do well any kind of farm work which 
they may deWre to undertake. Students who 
leave tbo college at tho end of four yi'ars 
generally feel as though they had not learned 
enough about work. Tbo same is true of those 
who take a literary course in other colleges. 
The db’clplino is limited, the knowledge acquired 
very limited. 
in an address to the slu lenta tho President of 
the College said: “Tho College in yours, 
and in the main you are proud of it. Wo ail 
turn with pride from the early photograph* 
which exhibit stumps and rail fences about tho 
very doors of the college and boarding-liall, to 
tho beautiful expanse of the college park, and 
tbo level, well shaped, even fields of our farm, 
and Hay, ‘ This is student*’ work.’ Other colleges 
show libraries, pictures, in-door cabinets of 
specimens to their viators. Wo show road*, 
fences, stock, fields, crops, plants, shrubs, 
barns, chemical analyses, green-houses, records 
of observations. And we exhibit them to num¬ 
bers far greater than visit other colleges. Tho 
graduate of ft few years ago, returning, is glad 
at heart to see improvements everywhere. Ho 
loves tho spot, where he studied so long. Ho 
remembers with some pride that lie helped to 
lay out that field, to build this wall, to drain I 
tliis spot, and clear that lot. 
The questions are often asked, “Ho tho stud¬ 
ents work well, is tho labor system a mccess - 
It has been tried iu many different schools 
in different countries, and all who have over 
had anything to do with it, adroit that it is 
the most perplexing department to manage 
with success. Much study aud care have always 
been given to this subject by the officers of this 
college. Tho students work as well ns they 
study. Our students, in the class-room, aro 
marked according to tho recitations they make. 
These marks go on record, which is public mid 
is frequently examined by tho students and 
others. Tho pay for work is graded iu accord¬ 
ance with the student's success or faithfulness. 
I believe it is the truth, that, to a man, for tho 
past seven years or more, students have felt 
more sensitive at receiving low wages I ban 
they have for receiving low marks for recita¬ 
tions iu tho class-room. They need careful 
management, competent overseers if set to 
work iu companies. Like every other body oi 
men, when in companies, they will generally 
shirk unless looked after. 
They work three hours a day, all at tho same 
time from one to form in tho afternoon. Other 
methods liavo been tried, but this suits best. 
This system of manual labor has been uniformly 
