Evening star., 1920-05-23
By PROF. c. $. RICHARDSON.


On July /, 1920. the Maryland State
| College of Agriculture. the oldest
agricultural college in the United
States, will surrender it's time-hon-
ored name and enter new era of
existence as part of the recently
created University of Maryland BY
an act of the last legislature the
ent University of Maryland We're
merged into one institution. Hence
forth the work of these two schools
will be carried on under one name
| and under supervision of the present
| executive organization of the Mary
land State College of Agriculture.
The union of the two schools. how
ever. will not materially change the
| character of the activities that are
now being done by the different de-
partments of the two institutions
! The various courses of study will be
| broadened and developed along uni
versity lines. and new courses win BE-
| added. But the farmers of Maryland
| may be assured that the agricultural
college. with all its facilities. with
| all it's educational advantages, and
with all its helpfulness to the farm
ers. will still remain. and by being in
corporated as unit of a larger in
mand more funds. greater recognition
/ and increase and intensity its useful
ness 1t will be known as the Agri-
cultural College of the University of
! Maryland.
| Secured Charter In 1856.
! The Maryland Agricultural College.
! if it is regarded as having begun its
| existence at the time of securing it's
charter in 1856 is the oldest agricul-
tn limited
was founded by prominent citizens Of
| southern Maryland.
| The doors of the new college were
| opened in the fall of 1859. For two
wears it was conducted as a private
institution. 1t became a state insti-
general assembly of Maryland accept
ed federal land under the federal
land grant act. 1t became wholly a
state institution in 1916. when the
private stockholders made over their
stock to the state. 1t was then that
to the college and changed its name
to the Maryland State College of Ag-
riculture.
The history of the Agricultural Col
lege. and. in fact of agriculture it
self, in the State of Maryland, is in
teresting. It's citizens were for many
years backward in taking advantage
of the facilities offered by their state
college of agriculture. The fact IS.
as recently as fifteen or twenty years
ago many people of this state looked
upon farming for life work as high
ly undesirable. and many good won1-
an turned up her maternal nose at
the mere thought of sending her son
to an agricultural college to be ed
ucated. And the majority of those
who were actually farming, and who
expected their sons to make living
by tilling the soil. looked with sus-
picion upon the proposition that
college could give them practical help.
make them better farmers. and show
them how to make more money from
their different crops.
Farmers Follow Advice.
But all this has changed. The farm
ers now look to the state agricultural
College as a real source of informa-
tion. They are anxious to educate
their sons there. They follow the ad
vice of the scientific experts. They
select their seeds by scientific meth
DDS. They select their fertilizers by
the value of the ingredients and ac-
cording to the needs of their soil.
They spray their fruit trees so many
times each year. And they do all
these things as result OF lnforma-
tion and instruction furnished by the
agricultural college, together with the
experiment station and the extension
service.
Now there is an agricultural expert in
every county of the state.
Maryland has now become one of
the great agricultural states of the
Union-not in the area of her farms
as compared with the larger agricul-
tural states-but great in the produc-
tivity of her soil and the intelligence
and efficiency of her farmers. The
college in the past. though oftentimes
misunderstood and generally unap-
preciated, refused to give up. 1t had
a mission to perform and would not
be discouraged by adverse conditions
or temporary failure. Financially it
fought for it's very existence for a
number of years.
Divided Into Three Parts.
The Agricultural College is divided
into three parts-the college proper,
the experiment station and the extern
sion service The whole is under the
management of a board of trustees.
and President A. F. Woods. while ex-
ecutive of the college, also has super
vision of the work of the experiment
station and the extension service.
President Woods is also executive Of
ficer of the state board of agriculture,
which board is by law identical in