Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-09-04
A Letter from Il. ID. Curtis.

Chicago, in reference to his mission
in Wisconsin, with some suggestions
as to what the state Should do with
the State Agricultural College. We
ask careful perusal of the letter.
CHEEsEMAKING IN WISCONSIN.
L am but partially satisfied with my
work IL Wisconsin. One day at a
factory aid not give me chance to
fully take In the situation and judge
/ accurately of all the conditions As
/ IA matter of course [ did not always
mt right myself, nor sufficiently I'M
/ press those with whom came in con-
/ tact so that they could 90 ahead and
i hit right. But that my teaching was
! SoHnd, 10 matter how erroneous my
! practice, L am most thoroughly con
! WINGED. The successes have been
| numerous enough to demonstrate this.
and the failures will teach caution
and d more careful conformity TO the
/ proper conditions.
The best factories that visited were
already VI orking practically in accord
ance with the method which | taught;
and some which took 1t up after my
visit made a success of it. OF course.
| cannot be held responsible for bad
! milk, nor for the bad judgment of
others. L only claim partial success
IL Introducing new method, and to
| have given the cheesemaKers a ration
al explanation of their work Here
rest. No cheesemaker could expect
to 20 perfect work by working in
different cheese factory, under diff
| ferent conditions and with different
apparatus every day. But he could
teach correct methods and principles
and this have done.
WISCONSIN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
| have visited this college SO often
that | have become thoroughly inter
ested IN its work and from close obScr-
walton, / have reached the conclusion
that Prof w A Henry is the right
man IN the wrong place. He is doing
good work and is capable of doing
better; but he is so ''cribbed, cabined
and confined" that his best efforts and
thoughts go to waste, while the Agrl-
| cultural College, with only seven
students, is languishing, and the ag-
| ricultural interests of the state fail to
receive that aid and impetus which the
| land grant by which it was esta blished
| intended
So long as the Agricultural College
is made a tail to the University kite,
it will be practically a failure, In
such case, the tail wags the dog, and
| the Agricultural College and interests
which should stand first, is subordin-
ated to an empty classical ambition
and vanity of very doubtful utility in
world where only what is useful and
practical is of any real account. But,
somehow, 1T comes about tnat the
more useless and impractical an edu-
| cation is, the more cOnceited and puff
| ed up It's pOssessoT becomes, and the
more airs of importance those impart-
| ing it are wont to put on,
Hence, an agricultural college or
other industrial institution of an edu-
cational character that has the life
crushed out Of it by the great thumb
of a classical college has no more
chance of success than man with a
milestone around his neck has to swim.
1t follows, therefore, that the Wiscon-
sin Agricultural College will forever
be dwarfed ard kept in the back
ground, out of sight of the people of
the state, until it is divorced from the
University. This, if [ were a citizen
of the state of Wisconsin, [ should
talk for and work for night and day,
uatll it was accomplished and the Ag
ricultural College put upon an indie
pendent basis.
1t can be successfully done, believe,
| for a sum less than $3.50, 000-a sum
which the state, being out Of debt, can
we'll afford for the benefit of the dom
| mating and great basis industry of
agriculture, which must soon come to
! the front and command the best intel
| lect and the broadcast and practical
culture that can be found. The re-
ceipts from the land grant of the
| United States have somehow d windled
| to SIS. 900, of which sum, IS 600 go to
| the University for the benefit OF its
mechanical department. Let the
| University retain this latter sum and
the mechanical department, and the
rest 20, as it does now, to the Agricul
tural College.
Let some enterprising county, like
Jefferson, which is centrally located,
donate farm of lot less than 800
| acres-it ought 10 be 1,000-for this
purpose. The present farm is but the
back yard of the University and is al
together too small to be of any practi-
cal use, and is better fitted for park
for the use of the citizens of Madison
than for farm purposes. / doubt not
the land could be profitably sold to
the city of Madison for this use.
An appropl iation of $3.50, 900 by the
legislature would erect the necessary
buildings, furnish the additional stock
and tools, purchase well selected
library, and fit up the farm so as to
make an enc- uraging beginning. |
have suggested these ideas to several
prominent citizens of Wisconsin, and
found they met a hearty response.
The case is so plain that all can see it
and there need be no mistake or mis-
understanding about it. Ii mild
pressure could be brought upon the
governor to induce him to recommend
such divorce and re establishment of
the a cricultural COllepe It would