The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-02-21

AN EVELESS EDEN.
A visit to Mississippi College.
Atlanta Constitution.
srARKv1LLE, MISS, Jan. H.-Boys,
boys.everywhere, aud not a single gall
nora married one. either, nor an old no.
man, for1 that matter.
Just houses and grounds full of uni.
formed boys, grown men, professors to
teach them, and men cooks to prepare
their! food-not even a female housekeep.
or or washerwoman to be seen--at the
Agricultural and Mechanical college Of
Mississippi. This institution is mile
/ from starkville;; and is beautifully situated
amid green, rolling fields and woodlands.
ALI the college buildings are placed in
the center of the grounds, and the pro.
fessors' houses surround them. The large
brick buildings in the center contains the
assembly hall, President Stephen D. Lees
Office, the secretaries Office and the class.
rooms.
President Lee escorted me over the
latter, where the boys were pursuing their
studies. As he opened each door 1t
seemed'that a regiment of boyssarose to
greet u.s. and after goings through that
college,, / felt as if I'dmet the whole
male. population of the United States.
We entered Lieutenant Davis's class room
first, where he Was carrying part of the
junior class through mathematical les
son. Lieut.. Davis is the United States
officer sent to the college by the govern.
mont to teach military tactics, and
the use Of field instruments needed by
farmer for practical surveying. leyeling,
etc.
In sthe next. room Professor McGhee
was teaching large class in algebra.
Professor Magruder was teaching his
senior class Euglish literature. After
going through all the classes on the
second floor, We went, to the third, where
the industrial classes were telling about
horticulture, stock planting, reaping, etc.
Professor Mckay .of:nthe horticultural
department. Was examining his class in
regard regual li to vegetables and fruits. The
selling Of bad articles Of this kind by
farmers Of the present might charitably
he attributed ;.toc ignorance of. what is
really good, but the Mississippi farmer OF
the future will have no excuse for selling
sour, apples and: pitby radishes. He will
know what good vegetables reTand how
,toi:grow them. ;e .'s
a young gentleman gave in our pres
ence some lucid discourses on the cucum-
ber, from which we gained full informa.
tion inlregard TO it's cultivation land
Temperament, and found out that the
best variety Was the white spine. He did
not; being q loyal vegetable student, tell.
of the harmful effects Of an overdose Of
cucumber upon the partaker, but we all
know about that without studying horti-
culture.
We heard the egg plant explained in
the same way, and then repaired to the
class. room whers Professor Irby was ex.
amining one.half of the freshman class on
stock. I found out the meaning Of
thoroughbred, cross, ETC., and all abont
the form and feature and disposition
of the Jersey, Devon, Holstein and other
COWS.
In this building were twenty-rooms,
and all filled with classes as We went
through them. We stopped on the
stairway going down to watch the boys
change class rooms. 1t was done with
perfect system and order, without any. of
the. giggling that school girls of their age
would have INDUCED in. By school girls
i don'tsmean Industrial school girls.
They never giggle:s -. ss
,Onthe college buildings left hand is
the chemical labratory, class and lecture
room. Prof. Hutchinson, the State
chemist, is in charge Of this department.
The first floor contained the disti!lery,
gas and supply rooms, all complete in
appointments. In the class room the go.
phomore class we're engaged in the study
of analytical chemistry by the blow pipe
analysis. These boys are taught three
months by text books and six months BY
practical analysis by blow pipes, etc., and
the result of this training enables to an.
alyze and determine the composition of
any substance, so that the coming farmer
will not .beicheated ii buying grains and
fertilizers. .'s
To the left of this building spread out q
vast area planted in fruit by the boys.
Ten acres ofstrawberries bring in round
sum of money for the college every spring
besides giving the boys as many as their
hearty appetites desire. There are
twelve acres in. each peach and pear and
apple trees, and vineyard of ten acres
without a single Eve to tempt the four
hundred Adams. If Satan finds his way
there, he'll have to bear all the blame of
his own blackness. !
Back of the chemical building is the
Agricultural Experimental station Of
Mississippi. Upon January 9th, 1888,
.ll,cated this station at the A. and NJ.
college and placed its management in the
hands of the college trustees. The object
of this station is to;conduct original
researches Or verify experiments on the
physiology of plants and animals, their
diseases with the remedies used against
them, the chemical composition of plants,
manures, soil, water, etc.
Professor S. M. Tracy, who directs this
,..,. ~ a a., ob n !, n vosu q "a ID