Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-03-31
THE HERALD.
lCommunicated
Michigan State Az. College From a
Grant Co. Boy.

| Mn COVER A snort time ago 1
noticed in your columns an article
upon our State University and think
ing that possibly short description
of our State Agricultural College
might not Prove uninteresting to
some ofyour readers, | will endeavor
to give them d slight idea of the con-
dition and objects of the Institution.
The College is very pleasantly lo>
Gated about three miles east from
Lansing, the grounds are very taste
fully laid out, and BEAUTIFULLY adorned
with both native and foreign trees
and plants. The College Farm con-
tanning six hundred and seventy >six
acres is rapidly being improved and
promises to become one of the finest
in the state 1t has been not quite
eleven years since the first tree was
| cut upon the farm, so that it cannot
be expected to have reached as high
a point 81 cultivation as is hoped for
it in the future
The College possesses some of the
finest sheep and cattle in the state.
The shee > are mostly Merinos, though
there are quite number of South
downs, Cotswolds, and Black faced
HighlanQers. OF neat Cattle the
College possesses FIVE specimens of
the Short Horn, Devon, Augustine
and Galloway breeds. Essex, Suffolk
and Chester White Swine are also
kept.
The College Garden contains speci.
mems of most of the plants and veg
etables hardy enough for our climate,
and many exotcs are cultivated in
the green house, thus affording valu
able means of illustration for the
classes in Botany, Horticulture and
Gardening.
The students are required to labor
three hours daily, either upon the
farm or garden. Their work is re-
Enumerated and thus it helps TO de
fray portion of the students expen-
ses, and besides this, it preserves in
him habit and taste for labor, and
gains to him a practical kno,oledge Of
many operations and processes of
which he would otherwise be ignor-
ant, thus affurding valuable means
OF instruction.
The only expenses are for board,
lights &c, and matriculatiOn fee OF
five dollars; and tuition fee of
twenty dollors to students not resi-
dents of the state.
The College, though young, never
theless eXerts great influence upon
the public interests of Michigan, and
many other states.
The principal objects of the College
are,
First, to impart a thorough knowl-
edge of the Natural Sciences and
Arts, and more particularly those
which have din ect bearing upon the
interests OF the Agriculturist, such as
Higher and Comparative Anatomy
and Physiology; Chemistry both Ell
ementary and Agricultural; Botany,
Horticulture, Stock Breeding, &c.
Second, that while what might be
called Scientific Aga @nlture" is be.
ing taught in the recit. ion room
practical Agriculture" may be
taught and practiced by the students
themselves upon the farm, thus COM
bining the advantages Of both the
oreticai and a practical training
There are many advantages in thus
having labor system in connection
with course of study which must be
obvious almost at the first glance
The student who spends the four or
six years of his college course entire
~ without manual labor, and in q
large degree without contact with
the laboring classes or sympathy with
them, very naturally acquires disin
clination, if not positive dislike for
physical exertion, and it is this ten
dency which it is one of the objects
Of the Agricultural College to avert.
If the farmer is to be educated. he
must be educated on the farm.
Thirdly, to present experiments
for the promotion of Agriculture
One great source of hindrance to tho
Science of Agriculture has beena want
of system in the experiments which
have been carried on for its promo
ton. Here where the same general
plan may be pursued during a mum
Der of years--or until satisfactory
results are arrived at we may hope
for much more beneficial results
With Agricultural Colleges spring
ing up all over the land, as they now
are, we may look for brighter day
for farmers.
Hoping that the newly established
Agricultural Department of the State
University at Madison may become
as popular in Wisconsin, as the Ag
ricultural College is IN Michigan, /
remain, Very Respectfully,
r.