New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-01-17
THE NETWORK STATE AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE.
corr,pondence Of Tie n. Y. Tribune.


Al its coming session the Legislature Of this State
will doubtless I've called upon 10 take some action IN
rceard 10 the Nrw-York State Agricultural College.
The institution is already deeply IN dcbt, and unless
its anuirs are soon ,ettcd Thoroughly and finally, will
rival the Cayuga MARSHES al the other end of this
county in Is unccasing drain upon the treasury.
In Anil 1853, through Tie agency of John Dela'
field of :, neca County, act was passed ineorpC-
rating thc College. Noturtber steps, However, were
,sl,n in the matter until the Fail :, ltv' wien TIE
Rev. Amos Brown. now President Of the People
,llcre at Havana but then teaching al Ovid m"de
AN effort 10 secure liz establishment in tits vicinity
Principally by his exer;ons the act Of March 1876
WIS passed authorizing the Controller 10 loan TO the
Trustees fo the space Of u wears without interest
GOO to aid 10 the payment OF ards purchased aud
the erection f buildings, provided I'M equal sum
were obtained by subscription. TIE people of tins
county and chiefly Of this neighborhood, raised the
REQUIRED AMOUNT The Trustees now bought about
go acres IF lAud, which by subsequent purchases
WAS Increased 10 "a little over 700 acres l5l OF which
were woodland This cost about $4,000. In June.
1859 the cornerstone 4 the edice was ald, ana IN
the Summer Of the following year, at an expense oi
SO OO0 the building was iui'hed-or, Rather, one
third Of the original desgn-constiDg OF two wing-.
one - hv rs, the other 60 by Hi-boih 10
eether capable Of accommodating l'' students.
That imIo-ing edifce called the New-1ork
Stale AQricultoral Cullege, Represented on Va
rions ma - recently published. NUT be divided ~
three to get nn idea q the aciu,l dimenson' OF me
buiiciug. By til iiHe the motey had been M eN-
reuded IN hli and uor' aud tie pnrchase vi lhni
/ In August. 1860 $4,000 was borrowed from TIE
Ney.lo OK Life ami Irost Company, which sun was
.ecnt ed bv NOR lage on the property. The L~gi--
lstnre Of ls60 bad obi iugly aunoiz-d sueh mort
gave 10 take pTOcedenCc OF The one ted by lhc Nulei
which lauer one, indeed, il has never been The eN-
De- tgiion or intention 10 ray. or The sun lhur Dor
towed 81 900 were sJent in furnishing The 5uild-
lng aua tie remainder III salaries ilr Tue professors,
in making msny alterations aud lew improvement =
and various other waysi ana II u 10, VOC uSn !"
.ay that some If not large portion oil u has Deeh
Z souauderel The institution was opened IN Deem
her 100 and WAS In operation unill The ltttef Pai'
Of November sol. when tie eecond term ended ~
that lime il not only had funds, but very h'tle
none of netting any, and the College was th' fei're
reJnced 10 the neces NV either Of suspencng or oI
oft4mlting that feat, hitherto tucCe.iuiIy accom-
nlb,d only by cty capitalists, Of living On The in'
iere.t of the money ia owes The former alternative
war adopted and the Institution war Indefinitely sui
pended -,
I Cbeeyer Of Albany County, WHO rsigned IN loS,',
ADD wa- .ucc ced,d ~ Major VI. X. Patrick formerly
of the United States Regular Army. At the Time
The Institution Wa rurItbuth luc Tf'ui'l '"n'''"
/ of four persots. The hist term opened Win about
/ II schoiars and tie second with about ~, when
number constantly became lees AZ tie term adVanceu'
In addition 70 the mortgage Ol 5000, there was
another mortgage of neatly $iOOo, covering ~
acres IL the early part Of the pre'ent mohlh 'ne
latter was foreclos,d, and the hnd was lufchhseu
by the orl11sl owner, ut the rate OF 90 AN acre,
be having sOld il three Year, previous TO the lfus
tees, for So an acre.
/ 1t me sum up in n few sentences the actual con-
di ION OF the Institution al the present time;
nere il not SQUARE foot of land belong ing 10 the
College that i, not covered by mortgage lhere ID
neither a general nor IA specisI ehdo" ncht 10 the
snonnt OF one cent. There IA no money III The
treasury to pay tue pro ess)rs, or 10 deiray the
/ necessary exren.es OF carrying on the lnsiiutioi
An annual interest OF over S2OOO Tor tho pay inen'
of which there s no provision, 10 eatlng cOthtty
into the heart OF the capital farm OF wv aeres, III
the rches agricultural region III the state, bar been
al miserahly managed that there has been no year
snce the land was purchased IN "hich ~ 10" nv
been found Necessary 10 buy food Tor Inc steh.
There are no students IN attendance. The President
| !. engaged IN lie dues at Albany and at Washing
ion as InsI ectoT- General Oi tie oihle' Inc pro-
fessor Of chemistry has sailed or Ia about 10 s,h Vr
Jauau The IrOiesfOr OF botany supports hiiir II
/ by teacbing singing sehoOls. And as matters no"
stand through the want OF money, inc ihulneie'oe
of the people and the misnanagenehi OIL III ahlis,
/ the College appears 10 be gong 10 TIE ucNn VII"
very respectable degree Of velocity.
] A cheapeT aud more certain pau Nouu r''i" y"
have been 10 have attached an agricultural oeraft-
eut TO rome institution already eslsiing, thu. tAV-
ing the expenre Of double endowmeits Oh OF pro-
fessorsAips. Or ii tIeciai school Was dse''u "u'
vi,sble common senee might have suggested tue
proDriety OF first asccraiuiDg in what manner the
lew agricultural institutions now eAIsiiDg nave Deeh
carried on and even VI sending competent person
to Germany for that yeIy purpose. nu'h 'h,is Na'
tiled aud probably never thought OF. III iac',
10 one connected with the enterprre apPe"s 70 naVe
had any but the most vague ideas IN regard 10 "hat
was 70 be done The whole work war not onIy IN
experiment but an experiment undertaken without
any definite conception of the means TO be used, OF
the result " be attained Of the method by when
1t was TO be attained. Tie consequence II there nave
been nitt,kcs and nismanageme everywhere ana IL
would probably be difficult TO fnd suy other enlerpfte
IN winch what good la tho plan wac 80 eheetuh'-
H. spoiled tue pOOiness oil The execution ana "bh,
was good III the execution wan rendered 20 thorough
Is vaileless by the Ioorness Of the plan Inc rue
ices doubtless endeavored 10 do their duty faithfully
But they labOred under the disadvantage that scarce
iy one Of them Lai received thorough liberal aud
scientific education OF all tbei, plans, promis,s ana
prophecies, they have succeeded only VENT iug The
wisdom OF their warning 10 the public 10 one OF her
crcula,s not - look for too speedy II result from
their labor. Ali Of them have d0ubless learned by
this time that the founding Oi Institution In mat
ter altogether different from the raising Of prlzc
oxen or Tie management OF II farm.
Not to speak Of the blunder Of spending over
10000 on n building, when one sufi ienuy good
could have been obtained for little nothing; to
speak of locating college edce two miles from any
collection OF human habtatons not TO speak Of the
absardly low charge Of goo per annnm for board,