The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-12-06


loririnaN N..................... 1876
The farm was q WOrn-out cotton
plantation of 1,762 acres
mostly abandoned hills and
deserted low lands, which
cost IS,0G8
Cost farm buildings (original}... 10,6"o
EuuiDmerts (original) ............... 6,S52
Total cost st.....................$3 $35, 755
These buildings and equipments in
clude barns for the accommodation OF
several hundred heads Of stock, room
for the storage of hay, grain, ensllage,
&c, for creamery, steam engines, NOW
ers and other farm implements. y
portion Of the farm is devoted 10 the
experimental station work, the re-
mainder to the production of beef, milk,
butter, corn and hay, fruits and vete-
tables. It has been operated more for
educational purposes than for profit,
but, has been self-sustaining for the
last four years. The statement for the
present year shows 81 GOO to its credit,
with over 81 500 worth Of beef cattle on
hand. 1t should be stated here that
the trustees require its products to be
furnished to the college for less than
the market price. There are on hand,
in addition to the beef cattle, about one
hundred and thirty head milch COWS,
and one hundred calves. The different
breeds serve as object lessons to the
boys, in the study of stock-breeding, n
addition to furnishing beef and milk to
the college and cream for the creamery.
The feeding done by the students In
experimenting to test the capacities OF
different breeds, is at once instructive
and profitable to them, while it shows
forcibly the advantage Of the college
being situated on the farm.
There is president, sixteen profes-,
sors and assistants and two hundred
and eighty students. Many were kept
away by the yellow fever quarantine.
| The college is under military govern
ment, and tactics are taught by
United States officer. There are five
classes, one preparatory and four col
legiatc. Agriculture is taught from the
beginning, and we were much sur
prised to find that the boys Of the pre-
paratory class understood better what
they had gone over in that study than
| in others, and were more interested IN
| it. About one-third of the students in
attendance belong to this class. No
foreign or dead language is taught,
but special pains is taken to thoroughly
teach English and composition. The
| laboratory is we'll equipped and affords
ample facilities for the study Of chem
istry. The course in mathematics is
| as thorough and extensive as in colleges
generally. All the sciences which un-
derlie agriculture are taught specially,
and are practically illustrated III the
laboratory and on the farm.
Special attention is given to horticul-
ture, bookkeeping and farm MANAGE
ment.
The hospital is well equipped with
trained nurse and physician: The
mess hall furnishes excellent board,
drawn mainly from the farm, at about
S. per month. This varies with the
cost of the raw material, and is charged
to the students at actual cost. The
robustness of the students is as much to
be attributed to the fine quality of the
bread, butter and beef as to the eNer-
else given them in physical labor.
LABOR
! is required from all students, and is di-
rected to all branches of agricultural
work, such as draining, cultivation,
milking, The care Of stock, horticu!ture,
&c. 1t is claimed to be equally import
ant as illustrative Of farm operations,
and to keep the boys in sympathy
with farm life, as to furnish the means
by which they are enabled to furnish
the means by which they are enabled
to materially reduce their expenses.
From the best information at our dis
posal we do not think it interferes at
all with the course of studies. The
statistics prove that those students who
earn most by their labor also stand
highe> in their classes.
The location here Of the experimental
station, with the Sl5,0O0 given by Con-
gross, furnishes not only object lessons
to all Of the students. but remunera-
tive and practical work to many OF the
most skilful, and to the seniors, who
have just completed the sciences i'll
volved, q great deal in this line is given
that is value.
We were impressed with the care and
intelligence displayed by the students
in this work. The director has over
sight and control Of station work, but
assigns work to the heads ;of various
departments Of the college, who con-
troll its details and the appointment of
assistants in their respective depart
ments. The lines Of station work
mapped out are such as are demanded
for the immediate benefit of the ave-
rage farmer, and the solution Of agTi-
cultural problems Of greatest present
importance, as the feeding of forty
seven lots Of cows, three in each lot, to
determine the best ration for butter
the feeding Of fcrty-seven lots of steers,
three in each lot to determine the best
ration for beef, and like experiments
with hogs dairy work to test the best
methods Of making butter !; expert
ments with corn, cotton and horticul-
ture are planned, and experiments
with q view to find some species Of
grass for winter pasture. The students
perform most Of the work necessary,
except ploughing, and are assisted
thereby TO reduce thair expenses, while
they become as much interested III the
experiments ana results rs the director
himself.
The analysis Of fertilizers for the
State is done also in college laboratory.
and hy the professor Of chemistry and
his assistants. The students do not
perform the actual work in this line,
but they may observe and be Instructed
in lis methods and principles. Any
farmer may send here a sample of fer
tilizer- and have it analvzed without
cost. Tie Fertilizer companies pay q
laboratory fee.
ATTENDANCE AND EXPENSE.
The average attendance auring the
eightye rs ofits existence is 3l5. which j
is one-third larger than the attendance
at any other male college in the State,
n nt With Or h,11, nr hnN-S Nrfra