The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-06-12
AGRICULTURAL CoLLEGE.-We uninten.

tlonally omitted to notice in our last issue Tn,
meeting Of the Board Of Agriculture, which &C
CURED the latter part Of the preceding week
, The Board entered upon their duties with great
deal OF disttus; in regard to the success of the
Institution and opened the College the present
year with many misgivings as to the result.
But the promptness with which students flock
ed to it from all parts of the State, and the pros
porous condition liz which they found it at their
last meeting, dispelled all lingering doubts of its
success which they had entertained. The ns;i-
tuition has nearly quite overcome the financial
ernbarrassInents which have hitherto crippled it,
and the era of its permanent usefulness has be-
gun.
Thinking our readers might wish to become
better acquainted with its workings, We recently
devoted day to listening to rectations and ram
bling about the farm. We have not space for a
full statement of the impressions we received,
and the Information we gathered of its condition,
but viii endeayOr to give brief sketch.
The farm proper, as our readers are aware,
contains some six hundred acres. Two hundred
AID twenty acres have been in crops and some
forty acres more have been cleared. The thrifty
appearance Of the crops, and the air of neatness
pervading the farm indicate that this department.
is placed in the hands of 4 thorough farmer
Such man is Mr. Bailey who has well sustained
the reputation he had previously earned, as a
| farmer.
| The gardens, both horticultural and vegetable,
present very neat appearance, and give ample
proof of the care and skill employed in tending
them They are low under :he charge OF Prot.
Thurber. Great progress has been made within
the past year and halt in fitting up the College
grounds, and they have become very pleasant
and attractive.
The students devote three hours to recitation,
three hours to labor on the farm and the balance
o! the time 10 study, recreation, &c. The labor
they perform is highly conducive to their health,
and We attribute the remarkable clcarnesS OF
mind and visor OF thought they bring To their
recitatiol.- to this cause. We noticed this par.
ticula,ly during recitation in uigonomctry under
charge OF Prof Abbott. Although the class
have studied it but few weeks, they seem to
have already We'll nigh mastered this intricate
science.
There are no drOnes about the institution, and
each one seems to know just what is required Of
him, so that everything moves on like clock
work. The labCrs of the Professors quite
oncrous, OWN. to the limited number appointed,
and the necessity at present existing of bringing
up the studies square with the programme This
is especially true of Prot. Fisk, who teaches His
tory, Mental Philosophy, and Political Economy,
outside of his Professorship.
A Museum Of Natural History was commenced
in November last under the direction of Prof
Miles, who is industriously engaged in preparing
and arranging specimens, and has already made
it an attractive feature of the College. He is
| also preparing valuable set of diagrams
| to be used in Geological lectures. The Labra
tory, one OF the most complete in the West,
affords ample facilities for illustrations in Gen
eral, Analytical and Agricultural Chemistry, and
is placed in competent hands.
A Herba,ium, the property of Prot. Thurber,
is another very valuable addition to the insttu'
| ton. Ii comprises an extensive collection OF
botanical specimens throughout the world but
especially in the United States, and embraces
many thousand species. 1t is particularly rich
| in specimens from Texas, California and New
Mexico. collected on Government expeditions
| 1t has also large portion of the specimens col
lec,ed under IlOughton's survey.
| The Library contains some 800 volumes, and
in the commodus Reading Room may be found
most OF the papers of the State, and nearly all
the Agricultural periodicals of the country.
| The College numbers between sixty and seven
ty students, who appear well satisfied with the
course of studies. and heartily attached to the
institution. The present course of studies affords
ample scope for the thorough English education
of farmers Sons, while it excels all other institu.
tons of the country in the full instruction given
in those branches of science especially pertaining
to the farming profession. We have been at
some pains to ascertain the length of time stud
les of this kind are pursued in this institution,
compared with Colleges generally, with the fol-
lowing result: