Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-02-15
MAINE STATE coLLEoE.
Annual Reports of the Trustees, Preai-
dent and Other Officers.

\
Faculty, and that of the Treasurer, is nearly
of from the press, and a part of it has al
ready gone to the bindery, and from it we
make the following abstract.
| The Trustees are gratifed to be able to
extend the assurance that the year Just closed
has been characterized by an unusual degree
Of prosperity. The number of students has
never been larger; the morale of the institu-
tuition has never been better. Several changes
have taken place in the officers of the insti-
| tuition. Gen. Chas. Hamlin of Bangor has
been appointed to I'LL the vacancy ON the
Board Of Trustees oecasioBed by the expira-
| ton of the term Of Hon. A. VI. Robinson of
Dover Prof. G. III. Benjamin, of the De-
partment Of Mechanical Engineering, closed
his work for the college January LIST, TO ac-
cept more remunerative situation elsewhere
He was succeeded by Mr.. Walter Flint, a
graduate of the college, who has proved him
self a very Observation-Disclosures Mr. James
y. Hart has been appointed instructor in
| Mathematics and Drawing.
Mr.. G.. VI. Gowell, who had been Farm
Superintendent for period of five years,
resigned his position in April last. These
fve years constituted period of signal pros
perity to the farm. as has been shown In
former reports. But this prosperity was
suddenly interrupted by the disaster to the
| fine herd of cattle, which had been selected
| by the aid Of his excellent Judgment The
State had ordered the destruction of the stock
| for the protection of the public and had
failed TO make the necessary provision to
| rest0ck the farm. The college had no avail
able funds for this purpose. To Mr.. GowelPs
| apprehension the attempt to maintain the fine
condition OF the farm without the aid of
stock Of cattle would prove failure. Much
less would it be practicable for him to realize
the carrying out of plans for continued i'm
provement. Mr.. Gowells management of
the farm was characterized by remarkable
skill and success. But his ability was not
limited TO skilled management in the work of
practical farming. His work in various lines
of experimentation of great practical
value. He handled the details of such work
with great painstaking and particularly, and
noted results with accuracy. Results thus
obtained, given to the public through the
reports of the College and Board of Agricul-
ture, and through the agricultural press were
widely read and highly valued, not only by
the farmers of Maine, but by those of other
States. In view of such considerations the
retirement of Mr.. Gowell from the manage
ment of the college farm cannot be regarded
as less than public misfortune.
| THE MILITARY DEPARTMENT.
| The trustees have been glad to notice an
| increasing interest in this department from
year to year under the instruction of Lieut..
| Phillips there has been manifested a tendency
towards higher plane of discipline. An
element of interest is new rifle range that
has been constructed within year A new
and adequate water supply, and new build
| e. al. 4
and Agriculture which will bear the name of
| "Coburn Hall" have also been added in the
past twelve months. The trustees are glad
to note an increasing interest in the practice
of handcraft in the shops. The present con-
dtion and prospects of the college farm are
not such a. to inspire enthusiasm. The five
years of skillful and vigorous management
under Mr.. Gowell has done more to inspire
confidence and to popuarize the college with
the farmers of the State than any thing in
| its previous history. No year failed TO dis
close improvements that arrested the atten-
| ton even if the casual observer. No year
| passed without showing an increase of value
and numbers in the herd of cattle, or with
out disclosing an increased acreage of pro-
ductive land To say that the disaster to the
stock of cattle brought this progressive con-
dtion of affairs to stand, is to present the
case too favorably. In many of the eeonom-
les of life the absence of progress is retro
gression. The College farm will prove no
exception to this rule. The large barns upon
the farm are filed with hay. This may be
sold at its market value or judiciously fed to
/ stock
! Whatever its value in market at "A given
time, it is worth 33 per cent more to feed a
| herd of good dairy cows More than this,
SO fed, it is returned to tho land from which
! it was taken and the process of retrogression
is not only arrested, but the land is made
more productive. But it is said that the
farm was designed to be used for educational
purposes, aud that farming for profit is not
in harmony with such design TO the extent
required, the farm, with its fields, its forage,
| its buildings, its tools and stock, sh0pid be
used for educational purposes. II has been
SO used in the past. 1t is the design of the
trustees that it shall be used in the future.
! But after all the facilities needed for educa-
tional purposes shall have been supplied, there
will still be a large area of land and large
amount of forage remaining for other pur-
poses What shall be done with these?
/ Something ought to be done in the interests
of inspiBaftonGI, as well as of educational
| farming. If young men are to be allured to
agricultural pursuits they must be inspired
| with the conviction that brains, muscle, skill
and industry will avail to make farming profit
able.
In Maine there is no branch of practical
farming that Yields more certain and uniform
returns than the dairy industry, and there is
no industry whose value depends more largely
upon careful and skillful management than
this.
Hence. there is no branch of practical
| farming where careful instruction and prac-
tee in all matters of method and detail are of
more vital importance. For such instruction,
n carefully selected herd of dairy COWS is an
essential element, and they should be sup
Piled by the State to take the place of those
DESTROYED by the order of the State. Such a
herd of cows would subserve a most valuable
purpose by affordng the opportunity to
students of becoming acquainted with the
best methods in dairying, and, at the same
time it would yield revenue to the College.
TnE PRESIDENTS REroRr
speaks in the same general terms of the
prosperity and progress which has attended
| the college as do the trustees. The adj
yanced conditions of admission to the college
sanctioned at the meeting of the trustees in
November, 1856. will go into effect at the
next commencement. Decided advance has
been made in the condition of the buildings
and in the material equipment of the college
The action of the trustees at the April meet
ms. 1887, whereby the farm was put under
the personal control of the Professor OF
Agri culture, places it in the same relation to
the college as that which we find existing IN
nearly all institutions that were estanhsheu
under the act of Congress, 1862.
/ EXPERIMENT STATION.
By act of the Legislature, the State Ex-
nerimeut Station, located ut the college, was
abolished on Oct. /. 1887. In accordance
with one of the provisions of the same act,
the property held by the Station was trans
ferred to and became the property OF the
i college on the date named. As the State
had appropriated money for the expenses OF
the Station through the year 1887. it seemed
only just to continue its work to the close Oh
the year. as planned by its Board OF Control