gV 911 a ©• fReoorl VOLUME I. LANSING, MICHIGAN, TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 1896. NUMBER 16. SHOP METHODS AT M. A. C. P R O F. C. L. W E I L. In this issue and t h at of last week we presented our readers with illustrations of t he interiors of t he M. A. C. shops; these views being given in each instance in con nection with an advertisement of t he mechanical course. A few words of explanation as to t he methods employed in giving instruction in shop practice in t he mechanical course may be of interest to our readers. t h at First is it it m u st be clearly understood in not our intention to provide for complete training particular trades at these shops, t he object kept in mind beiDg t he furnishing of students with as compre hensive a view of those trades which bear most directly upon t he engineering professions as time will permit. We do not pretend, or intend, in t he limited time devoted to shop practice during an engineering course of four years duration, to perfect a student in t he prac tices of t he pattern, machine and blacksmith shops, and the foundry; for t he practice in each one of these shops constitutes a trade, demanding for its acquire ment years of training. W h at we endeavor to accomplish in our shop course is the pointing out of t he relation of t he work in t he foregoing shops, and t he relation of t he whole to engi neering work in general, t he furnishing of a knowledge of t he general practice and machines used in such shops, and t he training of students in t he actual operations of t he shop, to as great an extent as time will permit. In t he M. A. C. shops students make patterns of machine pieces from their own designs, make castings from these patterns, and finally bring t he pieces to their finished or designed state in t he machine shop; also prepare tools in t he blacksmith shop to be used in machining t he pieces. It will be perceived t h at t he s t u d e nt is required to obtain a clear idea of t he sequence of shop work, and operations involved in making complete constructions, also to obtain some degree of skill as a workman along several lines. While we do not aim to give complete training in t he trades, still it is generally surprising to note t he proficiency acquired by young men, as mechan ics under the system followed, especially in t he case of those who are naturally inclined towards mechanical work. Inspection of the M. A. C. alumni catalog will show t h at many of the graduates of the mechanical course are successfully following lines of work calling for a know ledge of the various trades mentioned in this article, and t he success of these graduates, along such lines is some measure of t he efficiency of t he M. A. C. course in shop practice. Mechanical Department. M. A. C. T H I R TY I E A RS AGO. It is impossible for me to realize t h at nearly a genera tion has filled its place in the world's history since I entered t he college in t he spring of '66. It was a very different institution then from what it is today. There was, if I remember aright, about ninety students in attendance t h at year. T he faculty numbered six only, President Abbot, Dr. Kedzie, Dr. Miles and Professors Fairchild, Prentiss, and Cook. All faithful earnest workers and all living except President Abbot. There we.e in those days b ut two college buildings aside from barns, greenhouse and residences. One was a three story brick dormitory, since destroyed by fire. Kitchen, dining room and steward's rooms occupied the basement and first story. The second and t h i rd floors contained about twenty rooms for t he use of students, four usually being assigned to each room. those days The other was t he building known as College Hall. In it was usually spoken of as " T he College." T he Horticultural D e p a r t m e nt occupied t he first story basement for tool and storage rooms. The rooms were used for " T he C h a p e l" and t he chemical laboratory. T he second story contained, in addition to the two large class rooms, the apartments of Professor Cook and Professor Prentiss. The north two rooms of the third story contained, the east one, t he Library (which failed to fill one side of t he room) and t he west one, the Museum. Professors Miles and Prentiss used t he t h i rd story for class purposes. two south rooms of t he There was b ut one course, with no elective studies. of The college year commenced latter part t he F e b r u a ry and ended t he latter part of November, with a two weeks' intermission about J u ly 1st. Our daily routine was about as follows: Breakfast at seven t he first half year and at six during t he last half. All students were required to be present at t he chapel exercises, which occupied twenty minutes before recitations commenced. T he roll was called occasion ally and from t he luckless students who failed to answer to their names, prompt and trustworthy excuses to t he President were in order. F o ur hours were occupied with recitations, t he first half, and five t he second, of which each student h ad three of one hour each. From half past one to half past four was spent in labor upon t he farm or gardens, for which the workers received seven cents per hour. S u ch s t u d e n ts as desired to could frequently work until six and upon Saturdays, usually receiving twelve and a half cents per hour for this extra work. Societies there were none in those days either secret or public, and " hops " and class organizations were as yet undiscovered. "Athletics " was represented by a college nine which occasionally visited Lansing and t he surrounding vil lages, usually returning without honors. If I am not mistaken greater still will be Great has been the improvement at t he College dur ing these years in facilities for, and methods of instruc tion. its progress in t he thirty years to come. Since t he day of its foundation, it h as been t he leader among similar institutions. W i th in nearly all t he Agricultural Colleges of t he country and upon some of t he best farms in Michigan, its reputation and usefulness will increase more and more as the years g o b y. its graduates doing it honor Tawas City, Mich., April 23. A. H. P H I N N E Y, '70. S U L P H UR IN MICHIGAN. O. W. SLA.YTON, '98. W h en sulphur, in the elementary state was, discovered in Michigan I do not know. The Geological Survey does not mention it; however it does exist, in t he native state in Michigan. L a st J u ne my father, C. M. Slayton of Grattan, Mich., visited t he quarries of " T he Michigan Stone Supply Co.," which are situated one mile west of Scofield, Mon roe Co., Mich.; he gives t he following description of the formation: " T he rock, which is crushed for macadamizing roads, lies in horizontal strata, two to four feet below t he sur face. T he upper s t r a t um is an impure limestone four to six feet thick; t h en comes a s t r a t um of calcareous sandstone two or three feet thick, which is filled with small cavities, some of them being large as a pail. These cavities contain celestite, dog-tooth spar, and black crystals of barite, which are mixed with m u d; and sometimes contain bright crystals of p u re aulphur. There was not enough sulphur to pay for gathering it up for shipment b ut t he company h ad collected several barrels." Specimens of native sulphur from this source are now in the chemical laboratory. ANOTHER ALUMNUS GONE. Died in Grand Rapids, Mich., April 19, Mr. E l i hu B u r r i tt Fairfield, of t he class of 1871. Mr. Fairfield was t he oldest son of E d m u nd B. Fairfield, former President of Hillsdale College, and was connected with t h at col lege for several years, as also with Oberlin College, Ohio, for a time. After completing t he sophomore year as a classical s t u d e nt in Hillsdale, and wishing to take a more thorough course in Chemistry t h an could be had either there, or any where else in this State, except in t he Michigan Agricultural College, he finished his It was during his course at M. A. C. course at M. A. C. t h at he formed t he acquaintance of Miss Mary L. Jones, daughter of Col. Whitney Jones, of Lansing, who after wards became his wife. The marriage took place on t he 1st of J a n u a r y, 1872. Their family has consisted of three sons, two of whom are living, t he older, Herbert L. Fairfield, being now a member of t he sophomore class in our College. Mr. Fairfield's life has been chiefly given to teaching. He has been Superintendent of Schools in Stanton, Mason, Howell, Tecumseh and G r a nd Haven. During these years he was often called to lecture and give instruction in Teacher's Institutes. F i n d i ng his work in teaching too confining for his best health, he entered I n s u r a n ce into t he service of t he North Western Life Company, and h as been a resident of G r a nd Rapids for t he last seven years. Mr. Fairfield became a member of t he c h u r ch early in life, and during his residence in Grand Haven served t he Congregational church, of which he was a member, in t he office of trustee, deacon, superintendent of t he Sunday school, and church treasurer. His character t h r o u gh all his life, was marked by t he most u n i m peachable integrity, so t h at he was always t r u s t ed w i th t he most unwavering faith by all who knew him. He seemed incapable of misrepresenting any thing. W h a t ever t he t r u th might cost him he was always ready to pay t he price. As a s t u d e nt he stood very high in every d e p a r t m e nt of study, mathematics, ancient languages, modern lan guages, science and metaphysics. Born in J u n e, 1848, in New Hampshire, where his father was then preaching, he came with his parents to Michigan, in October, of t h at year. Hence, Michigan has been his home almost all his life. F or t he last seven years he has been more or less of an invalid, b ut h as kept steadily at work up to one m o n th before he was called to " pass on and pass upwards." T HE PASSING OF T HE P I G E O N. P K O F. W A L T ER B. BARROWS. it is doubtful T he passenger pigeon or wild pigeon thou t he It no longer nests in communities, t he (Ectopides Miyratorius) is supposed to be on t he verge of extinc tion. Twenty years ago it nested in Michigan in such n u m b e rs as to cover scores of square miles with its nests, while its migrating hosts darkened t he sky for hours at a time. T he old birds were n e t t ed by sands and t he young killed, salted, and shipped by carload or boat-load. so far as known, and birds survive in t he entire United States to make a sin gle old-fashioned, good-sized Michigan flock. Even Btuffed specimens are few in m u s e u ms and collections, and skeletons and eggs are rarer still. O ur own mu seum is fortunate in having several good mounted speci mens, b ut more would be welcome. F ar better, how ever, would be a few pairs of t he living birds, either old or young, from which others might be bred, and so arti ficially, t he final extinction of the species might be post poned and perhaps prevented altogether. is not improbable t h at t he Passenger Pigeon could be per manently domesticated. if enough of It Anyone who may be able to give information as to recent or present nesting places of this bird, even of a single pair, would confer a great favor by notifying t he writer at t he Agricultural College, or t he S t a te Game Warden, Mr. Chase S. Osborn, at S a u lt S te Marie. It should be borne in mind t h at t he state laws strictly prohibit, under heavy penalties, t he taking of pigeons alive, or their disturbance, or t h at of their nests or young, at or near their nesting places. Before a single pigeon can be lawfully taken alive, t he permission of t he State Game Warden m u st be obtained. All t h at is asked at present, however, is information as to nesting places or nests, and such information will be considered strictly confidential, and used only to further t he plan above mentioned, toward preservation and looking domestication of t he species. Zoological Department, 24,1896. April W I L L OW ROOTS IN S E W E R S. t he t r u nk sewer with The large willow trees in front of Abbot Hall have their penetrated t he joints of roots and have necessitated t he relaying of some sixty lengths. It was found t h at t he roots entered at points where the joints were imperfectly cemented, and in no case was it evident t h at they h ad penetrated t he cement, except where small lumps of clay h ad become mixed with t he gravel. In relaying t he sewer pipe' an endeavor was made to cement the joints as perfectly as possible, and t he col lars were then covered with coal tar. This is less likely to crack t h an t he cement, and it was t h o u g ht t h at t he roots could not develop in close proximity to t he tar, t he fumes of which are fatal to plant life. Some of t he joints were caulked with o a k um and then covered with, cement, b ut t he spaces between t he tiles did not admit of doing this in a very thorough manner. 2 THE M. A. C. RECORD. A P R IL 28, 1896. 3V 9T\- ®. ©• Accord. PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE MICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE EDITED BY THE FACULTY. ADDRESS A LL M A IL TO LOCK BOX 262 L A N S I N G, M I C H. SUBSCRIPTION, 50 C E N TS P ER T E A R. Business Office with ROBERT SMITH & Co., State Printers and Binders, 406 Michigan Ave., East, Lansing, Mich. Entered as second class matter at Lansing, Mich. In t he recent issue of a paper published in one of t he southern counties of t he State occurs this para graph, referring to M. A. C: " It is safe to say t h at less t h an five per cent of the graduates of this (Jollege have anything more to do with agriculture t h an to simply eat t he bread and t he pork a ud beanB grown by farmers whose only interest in t he College is to be taxed heavily for its support. This in stitution should be merged into t he State University, to t he end t h at the annual three million dollars tax may be whittled down. Were the voters of Michigan permitted to t a ke action upon t he m a t t er they would either vote for consolidation or the wiping out of t he expensive Lansing concern altogether." T he paragraph was called forth ostensibly by t he appearance in last week's RECORD under "News from Graduates and S t u d e n t s" of "22 individuals so classi fied not one of whom is engaged in agricultural p u r suits." In significant proximity t he Report of t he Grass Lake F a r m e r s' C l ub occurs this sentence: this paragraph in to " W. H. Smith t h o u g ht the men t h at followed agri culture had changed, and we appreciate our profession. Higher education is needed by t he farmer and family." The names of 23 persons at one time or another con nected with t he College appeared in t he division of t he RECORD above named in the issue of April 14. Of this n u m b er 14 were graduates and 9 are either at present s t u d e n ts at t he College or left t he institution without graduating. Of the graduates mentioned 5 are either actually engaged in farming or are managing some Two were mechanical agricultural undertaking. students, and finally, of the seven graduates remaining one is occupying a position in t he Department of Agri culture at Washington and four others at least are now teaching school with the express intention of buy ing a farm as soon as they can get together sufficient funds to warrant them in doing so. This leaves two agricultural students out of twelve mentioned who are permanently disassociated from farmiug. A committee of t he faculty recently examined the records as to the occupation of t he agricultural gradu ates of this College and have reported t h at 34 per cent of them are either actually farming or carrying on some is safe to say then branch of agricultural work. t h at t he statement t h at less than five per cent of the graduates have nothing to do with agriculture is abso lutely false. It for 1895 was $13,000.00; The further statement t h at t he farmers are heavily taxed for the support of t he College is equally mislead ing. Within the past four years there has been appro priated to this College the sum of $56,725.00 or an aver age annual appropriation of $L4,181.25. The appropri ation The levies for those years in bers were $3,000,000.00 and $2,500,000.00 respectively. These figures mean t h at if t he assessed valuation of t he farm be $4,000.00 the owner would pay for the support of this College a little less t h an $.04 a year. Surely so small an item could not be a heavy burden on t he owner of a $4,000.00 farm. for 1896, $10,000.00. round num total tax Looking at this matter from another point of view we sae t h at of the 518,306 men over 21 years old en gaged in gainful occupations in this State 208,441 or 42 per cent are engaged in some form of agricultural work. Three-quarters of this n u m b er are farm owners or over seers. The total population of the S t a te whose occupa tion is given in t he last bulletin of t he census depart m e nt is 748,008 of which 31.8 per cent are engaged in agriculture. The gaiD in n u m b e rs of those engaged in agriculture since 1884 is 49,956 which is almost exactly equal to t he increase in n u m b e rs of those engaged in trade, transportation, manufacturing, mechanical and mining industries p ut together. T he fact evidently needs emphasis t h at t he general government recognizes t he importance of higher educa tion for the agricultural classes, in view of this growth a nd t he great number of people engaged in t he indus to each state annually a sum of try, by donating money sufficient to pay a large share of t he expenses of It is to be regretted an Agricultural College. t h at there are so many farmers and others who begrudge to t he institution sufficient funds to care for the buildings and grounds and to pay such other incidental expenses as funds do not derived from t he general government. t he legitimate use of t he lie within T he usefulness of t he Agricultural College of Mich igan, has been recently greatly extended by offering special courses in t he winter to young farmers and fruit growers. These are designed to teach t he art of dairy ing, fruit raising, and other special lines of work as well as founded. Every young farmer, every employe on t he farm who aspires to be a land owner, in fact every one connected with progressive agriculture is invited to make use of t he opportunities here presented. sciences upon which they t he are Again, t he board at its last meeting decided to offer courses in domestic economy and kindred subjects to ladies. These courses will be parallel with t he four years' course offered young men and will lead to t he same degree. A suitable dormitory will be provided and complete arrangements made for t he comfort and wel fare of t he farmers' daughters. The college now, as in the past, hopes to be helpfully near to every phase of agricultural life in t he state, and demands for its success t he hearty cooperation and enthusiastic support of every thinking farmer in the state. B I RD A R R I V A L S. P R O F. W. B. BARROWS. T he towhee or chewink was omitted from our last list by mistake; it appeared as early as April 3, and became very a b u n d a nt about the 10th. This species occasionally winters here, b ut not in any numbers. On April 7 t he first turtle dove or mourning dove was seen, and on the 11th they were numerous. The 11th, or r a t h er t he night of t he 10th, was evidently a time of activity among migrants, for on t he following morning flickers or high-holders were here in scores, and t he sap-suckers or yellow-bellied woodpeckers were equally plentiful though not so noisy. Chipping sparrows also became a b u n d a nt t he same day, though some had been Been for a day or two previously, t he first report, by T. L. Hank- inson, being April 8. Purple martins were common in Lansing on t he 12th, and very likely came with the "bird-wave" of t he night of the 10th. Other records are: Louisiana Water T h r u sh and Savanna Sparrow, in pairs April 13; ruby-crowned April 12; Kingfisher, kinglet, same day; catbird and rose-breasted grosbeak, April 16, swamp sparrow, wilson's snipe, spotted sand piper, least fly-catcher, yellow warbler, palm warbler, and brown thrasher, April 18; Baltimore oriole, chimney swift, blue-gray gnat catcher, and yellow-throated vireo, April 19. Crows, crow-blackbirds, robins, blue jays, phoebes, song and chipping sparrows are nesting already. White-bellied their young. Since April 19, no new species have been noted and little northward movement. While there has been chimney swifts and orioles have become more numerous, neither catbirds nor rose-breasted grosbeaks have been seen a second time. The first garter snake (Eutainia) was taken on t he l l th of April, and three species of tortoises, (Chrysemys), Blanding's tortoise(Emys), painted tortoise and snapping turtle (Chelydra), were noted on t he same date, though all b ut the last h ad been seen earlier. nuthatches are feeding T HE T H R EE NEW W H E A TS FOR MICHIGAN. No. 2. The B u d a - P e s th W h e a t. R. C. K E D Z I E. Continuing the history of t he new wheats I call at tention to the Buda-Pesth wheat imported from Buda- Pesth, H u n g a ry by C. G. A. Voigt of Grand Rapids, in 1892. It has been well known to our millers and flour mer chants t h at the flour made at Buda-Pesth was consider- the best flour in t he world, commanding $2.00 a barrel in more t h an the price paid for any other flour t he leading m a r k e ts of Europe. This great superiority could only come from one (or both) of two sources: 1. Better kind of wheat. 2. Better milling. The millers not being willing to concede greater skill to t he H u n g a rian millers, it was determined to test the quality of t he Hungarian wheat to see whether this would explain t he superior quality of Buda-Pesth flour. Mr. Voigt at his own expense imported six bushels of this wheat in 1892, at a total cost of $48, when received in New York. He obtained t he wheat t h r o u gh t he good offices of Louis Gerster, U. S. Vice Consul at Buda- Pesth. This wheat was given out in half-bushel lots to a dozen farmers near Grand Rapids, and t he raising of this wheat has been mainly in t he immediate neigh borhood of Grand Rapids. ANALYSIS. T he imported wheat was analyzed, t he wheat pro duced by sowing this seed, and t he wheat raised from t he Michigan grown seed, to determine w h e t h er t h e re would be a falling off in the quality of t he wheat in con sequence of t he change in soil and climate. No deteri oration of this kind is found, and t he excellent quality of this wheat seems to be inherent, and not dependent on soil and climate. BREAD MAKING QUALITY OP T HE FLOUR. T he flour from this wheat was thoroughly tested as t he to its bread-making quality, and baker was excellent, and t he bread was of t he best grade. The miller, t he baker and the eater unite in praising this wheat. report of t he N A M E. Some inquiries have been made as to t he H u n g a r i an name of this wheat, b ut Mr. Voigt writes me "the Buda- P e s th wheat never h ad any other name t h at I know of." this State B u d a - P e s th in wheat, it may as well continue to bear t he name Buda- Pesth Wheat. As it has been called W H E RE TO OBTAIN T HE S E E D. As t he wheat has been raised only in t he vicinity of Grand Rapids so far as this S t a te is concerned, farmers will have to look to G r a nd Rapids for t he seed, A number of farmers have fields of this wheat now grow ing, and will be able to furnish t he seed after harvest. Mr. W. N. Rowe, of t he Valley City Mills of Grand Rap twenty acres t he entire crop from ids, has engaged and will for seed. it at a moderate Mr. Voigt will also have control of a considerable quan tity of t he wheat for seed. furnish price F or further information write to C. G. A. Voigt. Chemical Department. A P R IL W I LD F L O W E R S. C. P. W H E E L E R. The continued heat during t he t h i rd week of April in a quarter of a has made a record not exceeded century. in troops Consequently the flowers have come forth file. T he where they usually straggle along in single Blood-roots (Sanguinaria in such haste t h at the flowers could not wait for the leaves t h at fold about t h em in the bud to unfurl, reminding a country boy of a young partridge running from the nest with egg-shell on its back. came forth Canadensis) (Erythronium The yellow Adder's-tongue Ameri- canum) and its handsome relative, W h i te Dog's-tooth Violet (E. albidum),theToothwort and the Pepperwort (D. diphylla), have joined t he pro cession. The long sinuous root stocks of t he pepper- wort, called Crinkle-roots by New York boys and girls, are eaten with great relish. (Dentarialaciniata), The called Service-berry Among t he trees now in flower are t he Large-toothed and t he Cottonwood Aspen (Popului graniidintata), (Amelanchier (P. monilifera). Canadensis), in New E n g l a nd June-berry and Shad-bush, because there it does not usually blossom till J u ne and t he shad are is a sign, so called, t h at ascending the rivers, here shows its masses of white in April and flower ing trees before t he coming of the Dogwood. t he most conspicuous of our is The Blue or Water Beech is now in modest flower, a useful b ut not showy member of the procession. Flowering shrubs are becoming numerous, among which t he willows, four or five sorts, are most common. The Spice bush (Lindera Beizoin), is frequent in d a mp woods with its slender branchlets covered with clusters of yellow flowers of curious construction. T he b a rk flavor. The Leatherwood has a delicate, aromatic (Dirca palustris), is showing its little clusters of yellow flowers in t he midst of the dark green b ud scales cov ered outside with a dark hairy winter coat. Violets, blue and yellow, are now frequent. The D u t c h m a n 's (Caulo- Breeches (Dicentra Cuoullaria), Blue Cohosh grandi- phyllum t he flora), be little Wind-flower and possibly others noticed. t he Wake Robin (Trillium t he Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflorum), thalictroid°s), should Botanical Department, April 23. Several important changes will be made in t he bac teriological work-room soon. Lockers will be put up, in which each student will keep his apparatus and material. A partition will be p ut across t he wide hall on second floor, and t he north half will be fitted up into a work room for Dr. Grange. While these changes are being made t he class will t a ke work in Pasteurization of milk under Prof. Smith. A P R IL 28, 1896. THE M. A. C. RECORD. 3 NEWS FROM GRADUATES AND STUDENTS. Fred. H. Yaple, with '98, is now a law s t u d e nt at- t he University of Michigan. C. B. Collingwood, '85, Lansing, was a masonic pilgrim to the Saginaw " exemplification " last Thursday. E d w a rd R. L a k e, '85, is t he republican nominee for including Benton and in t he district representative Lincoln counties, Oregon. E. J. Mahan, '98, TO., is night machinist with Illinois Steel Company, of Chicago. He expects r e t u rn to college in t he near future. t he to W. Matsura, with '96, TO., is head d r a u g h t s m an in t he large establishment of Frazer & Chalmers, Chicago, engineers and manufacturers of heavy machinery. Norton J. Miller, with '97, TO., has accepted a position as bookkeeper with t he Wolverine Box Co., Detroit, of which J. N. Estabrook, '88, is one of t he partners. Zachary Veldhuis, ap., '93, who graduated as a V. S. from t he Detroit Medical College recently, will locate at Overisel for t he present. He was a recent caller at t he college. W. J. Goodenough, '95, TO., has gone to D u l u th where he will report for duty on the Northwest, t he magnifi cent passenger steamship-plying between D u l u th and Buffalo. W. S. Kedzie, '83, of Ouray, Colorado, nominated by t he t he Republicans for alderman, was defeated at polls. The Populists held t he fort and it was impossible to scale t he embankment. E d w a rd Bradford, sp., t he Detroit Medical College with t he degree of M. D. the latter part of t he t h at college two years ago. veterinary department at this month. He graduated from '90, will graduate from The Pedal, a St. Louis bicycle publication of April 11, devotes a column and a half to the Central Cycle Company of which P. G. Towar, '85, is t he founder and senior partner. An excellent portrait of Mr. Towar accompanies t he article. Rolla J. Cleland, '89, h as moved his stock of jewelry to Coopersville, where his father will carry on t he business for him. Mr. Cleland has accepted a position with the F u r n i t u re Commercial Agency of G r a nd Rapids, and leaves Lansing this week. T he sad news has reached t he College of t he death of '87. May (Case) Redman, wife of Edwin W. Redman, S he died at Pasadena, California, April 9, where she had been for some time past in t he hopes of regaining her health. Mr. Redman has t he sympathy of his many college friends. The following letter is self explanatory: Arrived at 2221 15th St., N. W., Washington, D. C, April 21, 1896, a Junior Seed Expert, Gilbert Henry Hicks, Jr., weight 9 pounds. First arrival after 13 years of married life, exploding t he 13 unlucky number theory. Signed— His Dad, '92. The Rural Northwest of recent date, presents an article on " A Model Spraying Outfit," by Prof. U. P. Hedrick, '93, of the Corvallis, Oregon, Agricultural College. An accompanying cut shows t he professor mounted on t he t a nk wagon operating t he nozzle of t he spraying p u m p. recently issued by " Our City's, Breathing Places " is the title of a small t h e ." All Souls Unity It contains some well chosen '70, of It is a strong plea for the establishment and pamphlet Club," of Grand Rapids. remarks on City P a r ks by Chas. W. Garfield, t h at city. beautifying of the city's natural resources. At Cornell University each year a prize of $100, known as t he " Woodford prize," is awarded to t he best speaker in t he senior class. Members of the class submit their productions to a committee of judges who choose six of to t he best compositions and demonstrate t he fortunate six so selected this year is M. G. Kains, '95. t he writers their abilities as orators. Among require AT T HE COLLEGE. J o hn King, of the Cleveland Linseed Oil Company, visited t he College last Wednesday. A boy at t he terrace—came Saturday evening—has joined t he regular army under t he command of Lieut. E. A. Lewis. A Brown-Swiss calf attracts no little attention at t he stables. T he Brown-Swiss are noted for their beauty while young, and this one is no exception. W. Z. Hutchinson, Flint, Mich., editor of t he Beekeep ers Review, and secretary of t he State Beekeepers Asso ciation, which met in Lansing last Friday, visited t he college for t he purpose of learning how to mount speci ;?x mens for an herbarium, which he will prepare for his own use, of t he leading honey producing plants of t he State. J. M. Perkins of Harvard University, President of t he American Republican College League, has appointed B. A. Bowditch, '96, department chairman for Michigan and Ohio. The class of '97 is contemplating t he publication of a class annual similar to t he Harrow. A committee con sisting of Messrs. Sanderson, Munson and Fulton, has been appointed to look into t he feasibility of t he plan. A fig tree a t t r a c ts considerable attention in t he east forcing house. Several blossoms have been noticed on It is attaining quite a t he tree, b ut all have fallen off. size, and without d o u bt will produce fruit in a short time. A large number of trees are being shipped this spring to prominent growers They will report t he progress and grade t he different varieties. Reports will be made to the department at stated times and t he best varieties t h us selected. T he Horticultural department has recently received a n u m b er of raspberry-strawberry plants for trial. The to be a hybrid between t he straw plant is supposed berry and raspberry, and t he outcome is looked forward to with no little interest. Recent additions to the equipment of the mechanical draughting room are t he Amsler solid arm planimeter, a patented 15 inch adjustable curve ruler, one volume each of Elements of Machine Design, parts I. and II., and of Kent's Hand-book for Mechanical Engineers. Clarence E. De P u y, instructor in t he machine shop thorough of Chicago Manual Training School, made a inspection of our mechanical department last Thursday. He is getting new ideas to take with him to t he Lewis Training School which- will be established in Chicago next September. '71, will remain at M. A. C. only until H. L. Fairfield, '98, TO., son of t he late E. Burritt Fairfield, t he close of t he summer term, and during t he intervening time will take special work in chemistry and mathe matics. He and his family will then move to Arizona, where they will make their future home. Another breed of fowls, t he Partridge Cochin, has been added to the poultry department. This makes a total of twelve breeds. Something over one h u n d r ed eggs is at present t he daily product. The junior class is at present engaged in studying t he characteristics of the various breeds, how to score fowls, how to test eggs, and in fact everything t h at may be of value to t he expert chicken grower or t he general farmer. T he work is very practical and is much enjoyed by t he students. At the recent meeting of M. I. A. A. directors at Albion, it was decided to hold the next A n n u al Field Day at Albion, J u ne 4, 5 and 6, provided Albion raise a bonus of $175 within two weeks. Hillsdale p ut up a bonus of $275, b ut as field day was held there last year it was t h o u g ht best to give Albion a chance. Among other things done, fencing was thrown out of t he list of sports. A. M. Flagg of Olivet was given t he privilege of getting up a souvenir program, and the Victor base ball was adopted as t he official ball. T he next meeting of directors will be held at Ypsilanti, May 2. The game of ball between M. A. C. and the Mich igan Military Academy last Saturday was a much better article t h an was shown the week before. Our boys have not played together long enough to know all there is about ball, b ut it is gratifying to note t h at there is marked improvement. They batted steadily and well, and outclassed t he visitors in stealing bases. Several brilliant plays gave t he crowd an opportunity to exer cise their lung power. The visitors were especially strong in team work and made a very good impression by their gentlemanly conduct. Score: 5 Innings 8 M. M. A. 12 M. A. C. T he game was called in t he seventh inning to allow 2 0 10 1 0 4 3 0 6 2 4 5 7 * 10 0 2 15 t he visitors to catch a train. STUDENT E X P E R I M E N T S. [Under this head will be given from time to time brief reports of experimental work done by students of the College on the farm, the garden, or in the laboratory.] A Selection E x p e r i m e nt in C o r n. BY H. E. VAN NORMAN. In t he spring of 1894 t he College obtained t h r o u gh t he originator, Mr. Benjamin Hathaway of Little Prairie Ronde, Mich., sufficient seed of Hathaway's yellow dent corn to plant t he main crop of corn upon t he College farm. T he corn h ad been grown by one of t he neigh bors of Mr. H a t h a w ay and appeared to be about an average sample of t h at variety as grown in southern Michigan. T he crop obtained from planting this corn showed, however, considerable variation. The cobs were ordinarily red, b ut out of 319 cobs inspected t en were pure white. T he dented condition was also not quite uniform. In an average bushel saved for seed, which was of course better t h an t he average of t he crop, there were 55 ears t h at would be called well dented and 65 which were somewhat smooth. A typical ear m i g ht be described as having kernels of good d e p th a nd thickness, set firmly on t he cob, with a distinct dent at t he top, b ut having only slightly developed t he pointed apex or roughness at t he t ip of t he kernels often found in d e nt corn and especially characteristic of certain southwestern "horse tooth" varieties. F r om t he above type or average condition t he corn varied in one direction into more strongly dented ears, one occasionally being seen of t he extreme " horse tooth " type referred to, with long ker nels set loosely on t he cob. More commonly, however, the variation was in the opposite direction into ears hav ing short, hard, and comparatively smooth kernels which were of smaller size. E a rs of this latter type are not ordinarily selected for seed, and t he question arose whether or not t h e re is any influence in our soil or cli mate, or any special tendency in t he variety itself, lead ing to the continual production of such ears. Accordingly, there were selected in the spring of 1895, from t he crop grown on t he College farm t he proceed ing year, two ears representing t he opposite conditions found in this variety; one was a small, compact ear with shallow and nearly smooth kernels; t he other was a medium sized ear with firm b ut well dented kernels which were of good b ut not extreme length and had a prominent apex. It was an excellent type of well dent ed corn. T he corn on each ear was planted in a plot by itself, far removed from any other corn. E a ch cob how ever was reserved with a couple of rows of kernels upon it for comparison with t he crop which should be pro duced. At husking time t he plot from t he well dented ear t u r n ed out 142 ears; of these 8 closely approached t he type planted, one being even more strongly dented larger kernels; 18 had well dented, sharp and with pointed kernels, b ut with these points less developed t h an in t he ear planted, making a total of 26 fairly well dented ears. There were three nearly smooth ears of t he glossy degenerate type. T he rest of this lot of ears, numbering 113, were of comparatively uniform charac ter and scarcely differed from t he main field crop of t h at variety. T he kernels were of moderate length and thickness and were distinctly dented b ut were nearly or quite lacking in t he sharp points. The plot planted from t he smooth or degenerate ear produced 241 ears of which 15 were sufficiently dented to be included in t he first two classes of t he preceding lot; 22 were of t he type planted, and t he remaining 204 of average character like the majority in the preceding lot. Reducing these figures for b e t t er comparison to tabular form and a percentage basis we have: Type planted Total ears in crop Fairly well dented. Smooth Percentage of fairly well dented ears. Percentage of smooth ears. Well dented. Nearly smooth. 142 241 26 15 3 22 17.6 6.2 2. 9. F r om t he above figures it appears t h at whichever kind of ear was planted by far t he larger share of t he product was of t he general type of the variety and not of the particular ear planted. T he last two columns of t h at t he table however are significant. They show the while the variety itself has t he stronger influence individual character of t he seed planted has also a distinct effect upon t he crop and t h at therefore a care ful selection of seed tends to bring about t he desired result. They also seem to show t h at t he tendency to lose its dented character is no stronger in this variety here t h an t he tendency in t he opposite direction. Another experiment connected with t h is also shows t he direct influence of t he seed upon t he crop. It was Btated above t h at in the corn from which t he two repre for separate planting were sentative ears selected chosen, there were ten ears having white cobs out of a total of 319 ears. One of these white-cobbed ears was also planted in a remote plot by itself. The product was 158 ears, of which 25 h ad white cobs. In other words there wa3 in t he original stock a little over t h r ee per cent of white-cobbed ears and in t he crop grown from a white-cobbed ear nearly sixteen per cent. It was also noted in the product of t he other two plots above described, both of which were planted from red there were no white-cobbed ears cobbed ears, t h at whatever. 4 THE M. A. C. RECORD. APRIL 28, 1896. I F Y O U A R E T H I N K I N G O F S T U D Y I N G E N G I N E E R I N G OBTAIN AN M. A. C. CATALOG And note the instruction offered in the MECHA/NieAL COURSE. The work is carried on in the following departments: Mechanical Engineering, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Civil Engineering, Drawing, Chemistry, LITE'RATU'RE A MD L A N G U A G E S. EXCELLENT SHOP AND LABORATORY EQUIPMENT. Moderate Admission Requirements. I/Ow Expense. For Catalog address College Year Begins Sept. 14,1896. "THE PRESIDENT."