Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-01-16

Immediately to establish such an Institu
tion in our State, and memorialize Congress
for said donation. g. a ss ...
Twill forward this letter of President "
and printed documents, to one of our mem
bcrs of the Legislature. @
-ar a., 1g s4gz45l SUEL FOSTER.
AGRICULTURAL CoLLEGR,
Lansing, Mich, Jan. 4, 1858.
SuEL FOSTER, Eso.-Dear Sir:-Yours o
December 23d came to hand in my absence
have forwarded to you two of our pamph
lets which will furnish you all such infor
nation as you ask. have only to add tina
SO far our Institution is successful, and tha
we now have 100 students, the limit of ou
accommodations. perceive what you want
and therefore proceed to give some voluntar,
advice. a4His aa
. Our law made the purchase compulsory o.
farm within 10 miles of the capital, at .
price not exceeding $l5 per acre. Tha
liked the Institution on a nep tract. The
consequence is, that we had no arabic land
not foot of moving land, not foot oi
pasture land, where the primary design OF
the Institution was to make it self-support.
ing and afford chance for varied and in.
teresting experiment. A chance for varied
modes Of culture, various new implements
variety of seeds, different breeds of stock,
too, seemed absolutely necessary. Work Of
the student to pay for his board implies pro
ductiye, yet great share Of his labor has
been bestowed on merely preparing the fu-
ture farm. If there is one tract better thar
all others in q State where an Agricultural
College is established, that tract ought to be
secured.
The experiment is entirely new, and should
have perfectly fair chance, and the best
possible land should be an implement ready
and effective at the command of the student
as much as q book or laboratory. Our
tract has great natural capacities; but we
want the use of it no,o, in the inception of
the undertaking. In spite of all difficulties,
SO far we are successful. The students are
all healthy. They nearly all came from the
class whose early advantages were limited,
and consequently average about Is years Of
age. They all say that in spite OF time con-
sumed in labor they have learned more than
ever before during an equal period of time.
Although they came with very vague ideas
on those points, with hardly an exception,
they avow a desire to finish four years
course, and nearly all have determined to be
farmers for life. We have harmonized a
system Of labor with a system of study, and
get along in that respect far better than we
expected. -saar1 es &
If a bill is passed by your Legislature, we
would cheerfully give your Commissioners or
Trustees information relative to erection of
buildings that will prevent them from griev-
Gus errors committed here. The first work
here was entrusted with unfit men, who pro-
ceeded without judgment, experience, OF
plan, and who came near wrccking the whole
Institution by series of blunders. The
plan succeeds in spite of these errors also.
As plan, wise and philosophers, of filling
great gap, great want, in the educational
system of the country, We have no doubt Of
lis general success. ,ae sza.s..rsg sRs
Ours is the first in order Of time, but those
which are to be about as extensive, (these in
each case the joint work of private subscrip.
tion and the State.) in New York, at Ovid
in Pennsylvania, at Bellefonte and in Ma.
ryland, at same place, to be fixed during the
present month will doubtless so into opera.
tion next year. .a u,ga ss~ s.,zs4rq
l think bills will pass establishing them in
Ohio and Wisconsin the coming session.
In South Carolina, plan is on foot to cs.
tablish one by 1000 subscribers, of $lo(
each. ..ses 80 s4se,.s-s, .e.s
If your bill passes, | wish you woulA fnf:
nish me with copy of it. ssfIsSS3
You have doubtless noticed that bill
troduced by Mr.. Morrill,, Of VT, grantinl
lands to all the States for the purpose Of
establishing Agricultural Colleges, is now
before Congress. But that bill is guarded
So will any bill be that passes Congress.
have just returned from Washington, where
1 endeavored to promote the passage of thu
bill. think if any bill passes, area as vel
as population will bo taken into account
But even then Iowa would not probably ge1
over 200 900 acres. 1t is not likely that thu
States viii be allowed to purchase farm Oh
erect buildings, with the land or scrip
(where the State has no public lands, bu
the income will be kept sacred to maintain
the colleges. Such are the conditions ol
Mr.. Morrill's bill. Think the features can
not be changed, ascly they sur ought not te
be. If your State establish an Institution
it will require over 100000 to purchase thu
farm, erect buildings, procure a labrator,
and library. The passage Of such a abi,
promptly BY your State, would Ikhow great
y aid the passagc Of an adequate and libe-
raj bill through Congress-. In doing the
wort psomptly, you would aid in relieving
the Statsfs from future support. There seems
10 be NO argument half SO potent at Wash
Linetou, as thefact that our Institution with
over 100 students was in practical opera
ton. se xissgva sasss . sssaw ,7zss - n
Why willyo not proceed ct once to send
,.,a,,oor:el of vn,,r Io~i aak;nw lin.