Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-03-04
The Agricultural College and
"a - Farm.

w IAovV tSSOsVSN WV ANR U's W sA>> ~SA"As
Committee Of the Legislature, appointed to
visit the College Farm and examine into the
condition Of affairs connected with the insti-
tuition, and estimate the cost Of suitable
building. This committee consisted of Hons.
B. F. Cue, Of Scott, John Russell, of Jones,
and Charles Paulk, of Winneshiek. 'saa'ss
The committee give full description Of the
location of the College Farm, and represent it
as having good advantages in water, timber
and building material. The farm contains
64s acres lying in body-l5o acres Of tim
Der and the balance prairie, suitable for grass
or grain. The farm is watered by two never
failing creeks and several fine springs. The
Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad is
being built directly through the land. The
improvements consist of a brick farm house,
nearly completed, costing about $4,000, with
barn A. by TO feet About 220 acres are
enclosed by substantial fence, 14S acres
under cultivation, with an orchard Of 400
trees just beginning to bear, and Is grape
WIGS, oiEcauy PAOuoSAn6 Au's'
The lands, donated to the college by Story
county consist of 1860 acres, some of them
situated in Boone county estimated total
value, $3,42s. 7@ r
We copy from the report:
Your committee, after thorough examina-
ton, are of the opinion that it would have
been difficult for the trustees to have made q
selection more fully complying with the re-.
quirements of the law, than the one purchas-
ed. 1t Las upon it at least six different va
rieties of soil, representing the prevailing
kinds in the State it has more than 30 va
rieties of timber, bushes and shrubs, and
running water, spring and well water in
abundance; plenty of gravel, sand. stone,
and material for brick high, dry land, level,
dry land, rolling clay, second bottom, sloughs,
fiat, wet bottom, and timber bottom, besides
the genuine prairie land.
We know of no other farm Of the size in
the State combining so many leading charac-
teristics of Iowa land, and though we went
| to the farm with some feelings of prejudice
against the location, we came away fully i'm
pressed with the belief that it answered the
requirements of the law, as completely as any
selection that could have been made. We
are satisfied that the main object had in view
BY the trainers of the organic law was, that
the experimental farm should combine as
many leading characteristics of the lands of
our State as possible to be found in one farm,
that all of the different varieties might be
thoroughly tested, with the various grains
and grasses, vegetables and fruits, and the
final results might add to the experimental
knowledge of the cultivators of the sol.
We deem it our duty to make brief re-
view of the
! HISTORY OF TIE COLLEGE AND FARM,
and of what has been done by the Legislature
and Trustees to carry into effect the require
ments of the organic law.
At the session of the Legislature Of 1858,
an act was passed providing for the estab-
lishment of State Agricultural College and
Farm, with Board of Trustees, which shall
terests of the State.
lege and farm shall be under the management
of Board of eleven Trustees, and the Gov
ernor and President of the State Agricultu-
| raj Society shall be ex .officio members. 1t
also provides that one trustee shall be chosen
from each judicial district in the State from
persons nominated by the County Agricultu-
raj Societies, thus securing men for this high
position who are identified with the great
interest they are to represent.
The farm was purchased at cost of ST.
37S,12 In consideration Of having the COL
lege located at that place, the citizens of Story
and Boone counties made liberal donations of
lands and money, labor and material. to the
amount of about 81 900, to assist in improv-
ing the farm and erecting the necessary farm
buildings. The county of Story issued bonds
to the amount of $4,000, for the benefit of
the college, bearing interest at 7 per cent. :
There is also appropriated the proceeds of
the sale of five sections of land heretofore
| granted to the State for the erection of CAPT
tai buildings in Jasper county, for the use
and benefit of the co lege. Congress has, by
an act since passed, diverted this grant OF
lands to the college, and portion Of them
have been sold by the trustees. The esti-
mated value of these lands is about $4,000.
Soon after the passage of this organic law
providing for an Ag. icultural College the
great financial crash came, suspending almost
all Improvements, running thousands of the
business men in the country, and reducing
the State revenue $ much as to render it
necessary to make large loan for the pur-
pose of meeting the ordinary expenses OF the
State government. In view of this state Of
affairs, while other public institutions of the
State were demanding and receiving large
appropriations, the friends of the college
waited patiently for better times, before cali
ing upon the State for the necessary means
for the erection Of college building Before
the country had fully recovered from the ef-
fects of the financial difficulties the great re
bellion broke ou', engrossing the entire atten-
ton of the loyal States, and requiring heavy
and extraordinary appropriat ons from our
State to place our quota Of volunteers in the
field.
During all this time the friends of the Ag-
ricultura College had not been idle. Know
ing that in order to carry out faithfully the
purpose in view, Of providing an institution
in which the sons Of the working men could
acquire thorough practical education suited
to the profession they were to follow through
life, at so small an expense that the poorest
would not be excluded for want of means,
the friends of the college acting with others
in different States, made earnest, and finally
successful efforts, to influence Congress to
make grant of lands for the future endow-
ment of these institutions. The lands thus
granted to our State amounted to 1000
acres; nearly all Of which have been selected
in the northwestern part of the State This
grant was made upon the express condition
that the States accepting it should within five
years from the approval of the act, "provide
at least one college, where the leading object
shall be, (without excluding other scientific
and classical studies, and including military
tactics, to teach such branches Of learning
as are related to agriculture and the mechanic
arts' rc -.o
Section second of the act of Cangrsss ex
pressly provides that no portion of the fund
arising from the sale of these lands, or the
interest thereon, shall be applied directly or