The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-09-03
THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
Minnesota received an immense dona-
ton Of public lands for the establish
ment Of an Agricultural College. A
site was selected at Glencoe, in Mcleod
county. With the fund that will re-
suit from the sale of the lands, noble
institutions could have been established
there and hA ndsomeiy endowed; and it
might have b. en- made to advance the
interests Of griculture and benefit
every farmer IN the State.
But during sthe administration Of
Gov. Marshall, by some mysterious
hocus pocus, the 81, ant was turned over
to the University = t Minneapolis, an
Institution meant for entirely different
purposes: and the whole thing
has dropped out OF sight until
this fall, when the faculty
emerged from their Gre< k and Latin
books, and from the COM 'ideration o.
the Diketoeephalus Mime 'ote'asis, to
issue circular to ask 'sWhMt shall We
do with it?''
Agriculture! That mean snow
packs, buffalo overcoats, everA lis and
chip hats; what did xenophon or Cicero
know of these things! They we, e not
classical. And so they wanted sua ges
tons! We would make, one:- that the
Agricultural College and the Univs r
sity are good deal like the fellow VII
offered for sale "a dog-collar with
Newfoundland dog attached the Uns-
versi.y being the dog-collar.
1t is all part Of the world-osd con-
tempt for agriculture undergraduates.
What rights have they? And Il their
sons go to Minneapolis to
work in the pursuit Of their
fathers. the fellows with the elsssics
under their arms, would elevate their
aristocratic noses at an angle Of forty
five degrees, and regard them as va
hoos.
We wish the University well. Prop
erly used it is noble institution, capa-
bic of doing much good. It must be
made the States High School. But
we should have an Agricultural Col
lege also separate and distinct ;-one
that would serve as a. model for the
bilious States south and east of us.
The fund is great enough. to sustain
a farm Of thousand acres with great
lighthouses, gardens for the acclimatim-
ton of plants, experimental orchards;
and so conducted that the students
could do the work and support then-
selves in the meanwhile Then get
some man to conduct it who isn't mere
ly memosNof what other men have
said and done in. the past, but who
is able to do something himself
in the present; and splendid results
could be achieved for the State. Take
for instance the Angora goat, about
which the people of California and Col-
orado are now'so interested, a highly
valuable animal, and one that is said to
thrive best in. cold climate. Upon
such a farm these animals could be in
troduced and 'experimensed, with and .if
approved, thence disseminated amezg
the people. The College could impsrk
fruit trees from all the cold latitudes- of
the world; and test them, in their. en-
perimental orchards. Our native pauns
could be cultivated, and selected, unAi3
we supplied the world with, that great
desideratum, a new, fine and healthy
plum. There is no end ito the good
such an institution could aecompl2A
Farmers! Think this over. TaAkaih
up in your gsanges and be prepared. to
act. Insist upon your. rights.