The Portland daily press., 1888-02-16
PRACTICAL EDUCATION.
What the Trustees Say OF the Maine
state College.
Improvements Made During the
Year and the Future Prospects.
The Purchase Of a New Heard OF
Dairy Cows Recommended.

The good-sized volume which contains the
twentieth annual report of the Trustees Of
the Maine State College, and also the reports
of the President and several members Of the
Faculty, and that Of the Treasurer, is nearly
off from the press, and part Of 1t has al
ready gone to the bihdery, and from 1t we
make the following abstracts
The trustees are gratifed to be able to ex-
tend 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-
ton has never been better. veralschanges
have taken place in the officers Of the insti-
tuition. Gen. Chas. Hamlin Of Bangor has
been appointed to fill the vacancy on the
board of trustees occasioned by the expira-
tion of the term Of Hon. A. NJ. Robinson Of
Dover. Prof C. II. Benjamin, Of the de-
partment of mechanical engineering, closed
his work for the college January 1st, to ac-
cept a more remunerative situation else
where. He was succeeded by Mr.. Walter
Flint. a graduate of the college, who has
proved himself very successful Instructor.
Mr.. James N. Hart has been appointed in
structor in mathematics and drawing.
The trustees have been glad to notice an
increasing interest In the military DEPART
ment from year to year; under the instruct
ion Of Lieut. Phillips there has been mani
tested tendency towards higher plane OF
discipline. An element Of interest Is a new
rifle range that has been constructed within
year. A new and adequate water supply.
and new building for the departments OF
Natural History 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 inter-
est in the practice Of hand-craft in the shops.
| The present condition and prospects Of the
| college farm are not such as to inspire en-
thusiasm. The five years Of skillful and Wig
Gus management under Mr.. Gowell has done
more to inspire confidence and to popularize
| the college with the farmers Of the State
| than any other thing in its previous history
i No year failed TO disclose improvements that
/ arrested the attention even Of the casual OBJ
/ server. No year passes without showing an
| increase Of value and numbers In the nerd OF
| cattle, or without diclosing an increased ae-
| erage of productive land. To say that the dis
| aster TO the stock cattle brought this pro-
| gressive condition Of affairs to stand, Is 70
/ present the case too favOrably In many OF
Il the economies OF llIt, the dDocuCc VI pt0btCc5
| Is retrogression. The college farm VIII
| 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 lu-
| diciously fed to stock. Whatever its value
| in market at given time, it Is worth 80 per
cent more to feed herd Of good dairy cows.
| More than this, so fed, It'll returned to the
/ land from which it was taken and the pro-
cess of retrogressl0n Is not only arrested, but
| the land is made more productive.
| 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 large
| ly upon careful and skilful management than
| this.
Hence. there Is no branch Of practical farm
| ing where careful instruction and practice in
ali matters of method and detail are OF more
vital Importance. For such Instruction,
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 affordlng the opportunity TO stu
| dents of becoming acquainted with the pest
methods in dairying, and, at the same time,
| it would yield revenue to the College:
| By act Of the Legislature, the State Expert
/ ment Station, located at 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 transferred
| the date named. As the State had appropr'-
ated money for the expenses Of the Station
through the year 1887, 1t seemed only Just 70
continue its work to the close Of the year, as
| planned by the Board of Control and as re
| quested by them. The organization, however.
| under which the new Station Is doing It's
| work, is that required by the Hatch bill, ap-
/ proved March 2, 1887.
| The State Of Maine and this College have
/ fulfilled all conditions required to entitle the
| college TO the full benefits of the money de-
signed to be appropriated by the Hatch bill
which further legislation is necessary to
make available. The Secretary Of the Treas
| ury has promised to include this item, and
there Is reason TO believe that the college will
| vet receive its proportional amount OF money
| from this source.
There has been expended for labor, ferti-
lizers, feed, repairs, tools, etc, SSi3.14. The
receipts from all sources have amounted TO
S82I. Is. There are debts against the farm
not Included in the above, to the amount OF
about S125. There Is due the farm about the
same amount
nm ii 4. kt.a ..,r,u,orxr - tha