Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-08-03
The Mississippi Agricultural and Me
chanical College,

Mechanical College and Experiment
Station at Starkville, Miss. 1t gives
a general college education together
with a thorough scientific agricul-
tural training or a course in Electro
cal, Mechanical or Civil Engineering
all upon the site of practical model
farm. 1t is one of the best as well
as one of the cheapest institutions in
the country No tuition is charged
to residents of the state. Excellent
board and rooms are furnished at
50 to $40 per month Upon the
grounds is dormitory that will
sleep GOO boys and mess hall that
seats 720. A large part Of the food
is obtained from the farm. The
other buildings are large and fine,
particularly the Agricultural and the
Textile Hall which is filled with
high class machinery for every pro-
cess Of cotton manufacture. A new
Mechanical Hall is being erected
which will cover a floor space of
$4,000 square feet.
went out to the college one mile
from the town on the morning of the
Fourth of July. (At the hottest part
of that day the college thermometer
registered so. The only evidence
l saw or heard in the town or coun-
try Of celebrating the day was coun-
try picnicking and pigeon shooting
and moderate display of Old Glory
in the streets. Upon reaching the
grounds | found over half of the
teaching force there busy working
in the arrangements Of their differ
ent departments for the coming fall
term. However, they extended every
kindness, showing me over the
buildings, farm and herds in way
that could leave nothing desired.
10 me the most interesting, be-
cause the best understood, part was
the practical operation of the farm
with crops and stock. l learned
that the college had its beginning
about twenty years ago in the pur-
chase of a lot of neglected worn out
land. A part was billy and part
was level. Some of the hills were
quilted deeply enough to bury a
team Of horses and, in the language
of some Of the old settlers, was too
poor to sprout peas But they did
sprout peas and hairy vetch, the
leguminous crops of the south, the
one for fall and winter and the other
for the summer. These crops yield
the finest hay for stock and have re-
juvenated the worst of those hills SO
that they now yield a net profit
about equal to the price of land in
the adjoining country. The level
portions are the best soil and are
growing very heavy crops Corn
that was certainly good for 60 bu-
shells per acre was nearly in roasting
ear and more that had been planted
but sixty-six days was nine feet
high. This, together with cotton
that would yield nearly bale per
acre, were growing without any fer
tilization whatever. Fruit is great
success. One field of alfalfa, which
the college did not need, was rented
this summer for $15 per acre. I
saw horses and mules, cattle and
hogs that would open any mans
eyes to the opportunities for grow
ing stock. Much land is especially
adapted to grasses and will support
as much stock as the lands of the
north and west with less than half
the labor and with one fourth the
outlay in the cost of land and build.
ings. AS an evidence of what is be.
ing done in this line, there were
about seventy-fve head Of imported
young thoroughbred cattle at the
barns undergoing incubation fol
the southern tick or Texas fever
They do not advise importing cattle
over eighteen months Of age. The
animals had been very sick but mos,
of them were fat and as perfect as ;
picture, The calf born in the tick
belt becomes inoculated while very
young and does not feel it. The old
er the animal before he comes into
contact with the tick the more severe
! his sickness, while the mature ones
are very likely to die. Horses ane
hogs are not affected by it. AS fal
as flies are concerned, / have no
seen a fly net on horse in the stat,
Of Mississippi. The thoroughbred
Short Horns, Anguses, and Here
fords were to be shipped to differen
parts of the state for stock purpose
and to grade up the common cattl
of the country. The college has
herd Of ITO registered and grad
COWS which average pound of but
ter each, per day. Much of tn
cream, though was being shipped il
ice to the New Orleans market.
few farmers around the country ar
milking cows, using cream separa
tors and making and shipping tn
butter.
Those of the faculty who wer
absent were mainly out on Farmers
Institute duty through summer vaca
ton. On the 9Th, l met the Presi
dent, Prof. j. G. Hardy, who ha,
, just returned. He is warm per
sonal friend of Capt. ]. T. Merry's
, They had taken trip together tn
previous week looking up a locatio
, for a sub-experiment station in til
Delta.
When I reached the Delta again
few days later, l picked up the state
: ment at Yazoo City, where the tw
! million dollar fire occurred las
1, spring, that the first visitors frol
Iowa to investigate the conditions {
the Delta were Capt. j. F. Merry {
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