The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-09-05
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

Following is what Salem journal re-
porter has to say about the State Agricul-
tural College,:
A Journal representative spent part of
two days at Corvallis during the week past.
The town has thrifty appearance and some
new buildings erected of late give the
whole comm unity an air of prosperity.
For natural beauty of location and sur
rounding country 1t has always been noted,
as well as for healthfulness. The clear
cool breezes that pour over the coast noun
tain range here have mark ed exhilerating
effect upon the citizens of Corvallis, and
the traditional Oregonian sluggishness,
som etimes whispered of to the traveller, is
conspicuo US by its absence.
No more beautiful city as site for a
state institution could have been selected
than this choicest spot in Mary's valley.
The richest treasures of Oregon's native ag-
ricultural wealth are spread before the eye,
grain land grass land, hill land, fruit land,
and every elevation from the white Soil that
requires understanding to the mountainous
butte that requires a system of waterworks
to keep it green, but affords splendid graz
ing and forests as it's best natural produce,
but be successfully cultivated to it's
bald top. We mention this variety of soils
to show that Oregon's Agricultural College
and Experimental station are really well
located to be of practical value to the peo-
Mo of cootiop Of h. f,+o
The writer had secured a collection of
bulletins. catalogues and other printed mat
ter issued about the college but has mislaid
them, and will confne his notes to impress
sions made on the spot. Some severe
criticisms are being published in few state
papers of the management of this college,
and we had no small opportunity to post
ourselves on the matters brought up by those
who make a specially of criticsing and OBJ
jecting. We do not fail to sympathize
with proper reforms in all public institu-
tions and may at some other time give place
to them. But the purpose of this brief
sketch is rather to familiarize our readers
with some points in favor of this young in
stitution of learning. Our aim shall be
rather to urge citizens to go and look the
scheme over and give their children the
benefit of the advantages here offered for
securing valuable education, of highly
practical and comparatively inexpensive
character.
A few hours, study of college or the
4 "
materials for conclusive opinions. except as
comparisons may be made with similar in
stitutions in other states. It is safe to say
that Oregon has very good start towards
an agricultural college. The grounds,
buildings and equipments are on liberal
yet not extravagant scale. The college
building proper will accommodate nearly
300 students. First years enrolment was
tions of constant growth in attendance.
At present there are about forty acres
devoted to the horticultural department,
and some two hundred acres to agriculture.
The horticultural land was only this year
turned over to that department., and does
not make much more of a showing than
could be expected in so short time. The
old orchards have been wonderfully i'm
proved by cultivation. One orchard that
yielded no fruit last year will this year
have hundreds of bushels of sound apples.
and accurate records of sprayed and un-
sprayed trees are kept, even to counting the
apples that fall from each tree. That in-
teresting animal, the Goblin moth, receives a
proper share of attention.
In the horticultural department we met
with Prof. G. Coote, practical greenhouse
gardener and botanist, with natural apti-
tude for experimental science. The station
has two good sections of conservatory, well
filled, and there are a number of orna-
mental flower beds about the college
grounds that attest the skill of the land
scape gardener.
One of the practical features observed
was about forty rows of tomatoes, each row
of a different kind. The results obtained
in early ripening quality and yield will be
to Oregon gardeners. The same
system will here be conducted with other
crops. The land for the horticultural de-
partment is not as extensive of the kinds
necessary to try experiments in fruit grow
ing, but we suppose additions will be made.
The agricultural department is under
Prof. French, whom we found preparing all
collection of grains and grasses
for the state fair. He has harvested some
good grain crops, has number of fields of
corn in various stages of de. elopment. He
is graduate of Michigan Agricultural col
lege, and seems to understand practical
farm management. There is little stock
in the barn, silio, and good start all
around for successful experimental farm.
More land is needed to carry on this work
in all it's branches.
Allied to this department is the work of
he chemical laboratory and the entomolo-
gist. Prof. Irish in the former branch, is
hard-working young man, who closed his
career as college student with two years
in the best chemical schools of Germany.