3U 911 & ©• geeoj. VOLUME I. AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MICHIGAN, TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1896. NUMBER 3. ECHOES FROM THE I N S T I T U T E S. P a r m a. The institute at P a r ma was bright, lively, and well attended. Numbers at meetings averaged 300 to £50. All t h at was said was sound, solid, and wholesome. We cannot too strongly commend t he way in which t he business was conducted. T he presiding officer knew his duties, t he secretary's reports were eminently lucid, comprehensive, and to t he point, and t he poople were well trained in parliamentary procedure. They knew, too, when they h ad something to say, and how to say it; a nd when they h ad said it they sat down. All due to the clubs. They are many and well organized in Jackson Co. of farmers'' training The ladies of the clubs fed about 200 people each in t he basement of t he church, and did it deftly, attract ively, and abundantly. T he entertainment committee was omnipresent and full of resources. In this respect t he institute was a model one. Organization and steady work did it. Farmers' clubs taught them how. ay A good suggestion t h at from Mrs. Chapel, of Concord, t h at competent youog men could earn a pretty penny during vacations by making accurate plats of farms in a given neighborhood at a reasonable price. Such plats are necessary for good farm bookkeeping. Our boys may make a note. Properly solicited, such work would take. " T he Senate of t he United States has no farmer in it; t he House of Representatives has only four."—Ex-Oov. Luce at Parma. W h at a power t he old Ex-Governor is among the farm ers. The house " rose at h i m" time and again. His words for the College were sound, temperate, and helpful. They were worth more to t he College among those farmers t h an whole speeches from dozens of professors. T he spell of t he old man's eloquence, and t he sturdy character t h at men know to be behind it, are as potent as ever in swaying audiences. " L o ve of t he horse has been a potent factor in devel oping t he societies for t he prevention of cruelty to animals."—A. W. Haydon at Parma. " T he horse contributes more to t he happiness, con venience, and comfort of man t h an any other factor."— A. W. Haydon at Parma. " There hasn't been a lawsuit between farmers in Branch county for t en years. They arbitrate."—Gov. Luce at Parma. Interest in t he College at P a r ma was strong, feeling not always friendly, b ut always intelligent and conserva tive. ! A d r i a n. T he attendance at Adrian was excellent as far as t he weather permitted, b ut on t he second day a hard sleet and rain set in, and reduced t he attendance somewhat. Here again we find a remarkably intelligent and ready body of men. T he questions asked and t he speeches made are pointed and well expressed. Here again, t he grange is a flourishing organization.. Draw your own moral. " There is more in t he feed and care of sheep than in t he breed."—H. W. Mumford at Adrian. " To secure returns in fattening we must have a quick- growing, early-maturing sheep."—H. W. Mumford Adrian. at The subject of rape elicited many questions, and a lively interest was developed. . " A friend and I stood upon Prospect Hill and looked with a glass over t he landscape outstretched. Of t he many lakes within view, we could see only t he one at t he foot of t he hill and t h at seemed indistinct and far away. T he green of t he distant forest was a mere blur and the lines of streams, and hedge, and high way made b ut a tangled web. W h at was t he trouble? F or we knew from long ago t he gorgeous beauties of t he view. Was it in atmosphere, or in eye, or in instru ment? We examined t he telescope, we lengthened and shortened it. By a happy chance we turued it end for end and then we saw. We had been looking through t he wrong end of t he telescope. T he pessimistic farmer is looking at farm life through t he wrong end of t he telescope. L et us be brave, hopeful, cheerful, and honor our calling."—IF. H. Moire of Palmyra, at Adrian. " Finally, farmers' institutes give t he dear men such Eliza, a good opportunity to air their opinions "—Mrs. beth Newton at Adrian. The Thursday afternoon session of t he institute was t he most lively and interesting attended so far on this m trip. These men are ready, armed and equipped, and they do not fear to set t he lance in rest. The institute h as been marked by several unusual events. T he county clerk yerterday sent a double mar riage party into t he court room to be married. Pro ceedings were suspended, t he marriages were solem nized, and t he young hearts were heartily cheered on their way. Today a ready talker took up a collection for t he seamen's Bethels. J. W. Helme, of Adrian, read a paper t h at was unique in its frankness of statement, on municipal, county, and state affairs. He nominated Geo. B. Horton for gover nor, and announced Pingree as his second choice. Mr. Horton has a right to feel proud of t he enthusiastic reception given his name. His strictures upon city and county officials were direct and scathing. S u ch a paper in other assemblies might breed serious ill feeling. T he paper concluded: " If you want to see how little patri otic effort is appreciated, just watch t he partisans climb on my collar during this discussion." " P a r t y i sm h as got this country by t he throat."— Mr. Quick, at Adrian. School Commissioner Keeler's paper was full of t h o u g ht and was well written, b ut was intemperate and sweeping in its statements, especially towards members of t he Legislature and t he Congress. Strong epithets h u rt without convincing. He " has no quarrel even with our Agricultural College, although periodical out breaks of trouble in faculty and board of control lay i t' open to criticism of friends and foes alike." T he tone througout was lugubrious, though t he t h o u g h ts were in t he main true and wholesome. Mr. Keeler's reply to some attack upon him, was admirable in every way. It was dignified, temperate, timely. He did credit to head heart alike. * * President Thomas' "Sermon " was a jewel in its way. "If t he iron be blunt, and ye do not whet t he edge, ye must p ut to it t he greater strength. * Today one must have knowledge and capital to set to farming. F a r m e rs must become a professional body of men, they m u st educate their men to loyalty and devotion to their profession. This is a day of specializing—the farmer m u st specialize in preparation for his life work. T he noblest way to make a living is on t he farm." We lift our h at to President Thomas for t he graceful and cor dial way in which he seconded our efforts before t he It Was a knightly courtesy which we shall audience. not soon forget. P R E SS COMMENTS. G r e at I n t e r e st in E a r m e r s' I n s t i t u t es all Over t he S t a t e. After the I n s t i t u te at Harrisville, t he Review makes the following comments: " I n s t i t u t es are good things. " P u sh t h em along. " T he audience t a ke a lively interest and are not a b it backward about quizzing t he speakers. " T he college lecturers are mostly young men b ut they are bright and practical and most of them are farmers by birth, training and experience." The H a rt Journal says the Oceana Co. I n s t i t u te was " a grand success;" " t he slightest glance would dispel any theory of non-interest on t he part of t he farmers of this county." Continuing it says: " T he Women's Branch of t he F a r m e r s' I n s t i t u te con ducted by Mrs. Mary A. Mayo of Battle Creek was held on Tuesday afternoon at Temperance Hall at 2:00 o'clock with over 200 ladies in attendance. Mrs. Mayo in her greeting said it was very gratifying to meet so large ai audience, t he largest attendance of any meet ing t h at she h ad yet addressed since in t he I n s t i t u te work. Mrs. Mayo is a wide awake, inspiring speaker. * * * * * * It is desired by H a rt women t h at t he women's branch of t he F a r m e r s ' I n s t i t u te be kept in existence, and t h at Mrs. Mayo will again return and address them on like subjects." The Tuscola Co. Advertiser says of t he I n s t i t u te at Caro: I t 's a big success,—the initial Tuscola County F a r m ers' Institute. Attendance very large, and t he Insti t u te t he source of much valuable instruction. We clip also from the Free Press: Caro, Mich., J a n u a ry 18.—The first annual farmers' I n s t i t u te for this county closed today. To Mr. Gladden, t he conductor, Dr. Beal, and assistant professors from the M. A. C, is due the credit of presenting a successful and interesting program. F a r m e rs attended from all parts of t he county. Discussions were general and opinions hotly contested. T he Newaygo Co. I n s t i t u te at F r e m o nt was largely attended and abounded with good papers and s h a rp discussions. T he F r e m o nt News summarizes by saying: " This was, perhaps, t he most profitable I n s t i t u te ever held in Newaygo county." Well A t t e n d ed in K a l a m a z oo County. t he state today. institute Kalamazoo, Mich., J a n u a ry 22.—About 400 people attended conducted farmers' It was given by Prof. L. R. Taft, at Cooper under t he auspices of t he Kalamazoo county F a r m e r s' Club, W m. Strong, president. Dr. W. F. Sherman gave t he address of welcome. T he dairy and t he production of cream and b u t t er were subjects for this afternoon by J. H. Brown, Climax; A . J. Bliss, Silver Creek, and H. E. VanXorman, of Prof. Kedzie spoke of commercial fertilizers; Mrs. S q u i re Littie, of life on t he farm, and this evening Prof. A. B. Noble, of t he college, spoke of reading in t he farm home; and Prof. W. S. Holdsworth, also of t he college, of a rt on t he farm.—Free Press. t he Agricultural College. Good P a p e rs R e ad at I o n i a. Ionia, Mich., J a n u a ry 22.—A state farmers' i n s t i t u te It is being conducted is in progress in this city today. by Prof. W. B. Barrows, of t he Agricultural College, a nd participated in by all t he leading farmers in this vicinity. T he opera house was crowded to overflow today.—Free Press. Among t he local speakers at this institute were four of our alumni: W. W. Bemis, 7 6; E. H. H u n t, '77; L. B. Hall, '82, and A. R. Locke, '91, C. I. Goodwin, '77, is sec retary and treasurer of t he Ionia Co. F a r m e r s' Associa tion. T he Ionia Sentinel says t he address of welcome was omitted for lack of time. The program was opened by a selection of music and " a short opening address was then listened to by Prof. W. B. Barrows of t he Agricul tural College, who is conducting t he institute." T HE R O U N D - UP I N S T I T U T E. Gov. Rich will give t he opening address of t he round up institute at Grand Rapids, at 7:30 p. m., Tuesday, F e b r u a ry 11. The lectures for t h at evening will be given by Dr. Howard E d w a r ds of t he College, on " T he Purpose of the Agricultural College;" and by W. L. R^ssman, S t a te Analyst, on " F o od Adulterations." Wednesday will be devoted to fruit topics, including " T he Cultivation and Care of Peaches," by Roland Morrill; " M a r k e t i ng Peaches," by Hon. R. D. G r a h a m; and " P e a c h es in t he Interior of Michigan,'' by H. P. Gladden; "Bees and Horticulture," by Prof. W. B. Barrows; " C u r r a n ts and Gooseberries," by J. N . S t e a r n s; " S t r a w b e r ry Growing," by R. M. Kellogg; and " T he Value of Spraying," by Prof. L. R. Taft. T he 'evening session will be devoted to t he discussion of " T h e ' F a rm Home Reading Circle," by Prof. H. W. Mumford; " F o r c i ng Vegetables Under Glass," by Thomas Gunson; and "A P4ea for Unity of Action Among F a r m e r s ," by Hon. F. W. Redfern of Maple Rapids. Thursday will be stock and dairy day. Mr. H. W. Mumford will present "Economical Methods of Sheep Feeding;" Hon. W. E. Boyden will be asked to give a paper on " Will Feeding for Beef Pay in Michigan?" and Hon. W m. Ball will present " Practical Methods in Stock Breeding." Addresses on " T he Dairy Herd," b o th as to " B r e e d i n g" and " F e e d i ng and Care," and on t he " B a b- cock Tester," will be given by Prof. C. D. Smith and J. H. Brown. An illustrated talk on " Making Good But In t he evening Prof. t e r" will be given by G. H. True. Smith will discuss briefly " T he Michigan Experiment Station;" Prof. P. B. Woodworth will give a warm talk on " T he Boiling Point;" and Dr. Beal has an. illustrated lecture on " Forest Fires." Friday will be general crop day. Hon. A. C. Glidden is expected to present t he topic of " Water in t he Soil;" Prof. F. S. Kedzie, "Commercial Fertilizers—is their use Profitable for t he General F a r m e r? " Hon. I. H. But- terfield, " T he Present Standing of Ensilage as a Food for t he Various Kinds of Stock." Mr. I. N. Cowdrey will give a talk on " Growing Potatoes," and A. A. Cro- zier, of t he Agricultural College, will talk on " Forasre Crops." Dr. R. C. Kedzie will present his interesting In t he evening Prof- talk on " W h e a ts for Michigan." W. S. Holdsworth will entertain and t he audience with his " A rt on t he F a r m ," and Ex-Governor Luce will close t he institute with t he topic " T he F a r m e r 's contribution to Society." instruct This program is subject to change, both as to topics and lectures, b ut t he outline given above represents about what will be presented. F u r t h er announcements will follow. 2 T HE M. A. C. R E C O R D. JANUARY 28, 1896. 3V 9TH. ®. ©• 9iecor4. PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE MICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE EDITED BY THE FACULTY. S U B S C R I P T I O N, 50 C E N TS P ER Y E A R. PRESS OF ROBERT S M I TH & C O ., LANSING, M I C H. t he from institutes. T he RECORD We devote a large p a rt of our space this week to intends echoes to make most prominent in its columns each week, t h at which h as been most prominent in t he activity of t he College population. At t he opening of t he present month, our men have come hurrying back from College a nd University, where they were writing, studying, and comparing, t h at their own work for t he coming year might be fresh, vigorous, and up-to-date; or from t he homes of dear ones far away, whose hearts had grown sick with longing, and whose frames h ad visibly ripened for t he grave during years of absence;"1, and like a well trained army at t he signal for battle, without a balk and with out a m u r m u r, under t he brilliant leadership of o ur Superintendent of Institutes, have taken their places and m et t he duties of t he h o ur with readiness, tact, and effect. T he College walks are deserted and t he halls are silent, b ut all over this broad state our men are at work and t he cause of agricultural education is advanc ing with great strides. It is a great Agricultural Col lege extension movement—this institute work—and as such our h e a r ts are in it. Side by side with our men, a nd striking giant blows for scientific methods and right principles for t he best interests of farmers a nd for broader and nobler living, are tried and chosen m en and women like Mor rill, of Benton Harbor; Kellogg, of Ionia; Brown, of Climax; Luce, of Coldwater; Ball, of H a m b u r g; Mrs. Mayo, of Battle Creek; Redfern, of Maple I t h a c a; Rapids; Sterns, of Kalamazoo; Cowdrey, of Graham, of Grand Rapids"; and a host of others—men and women whom it is a privilege to know and an honor to have as comrades. T he institutes have been marked by concord of feeling, and unity and harmony of action. The enthusiasm awak ened at every place has been phenomenal, and t he testi mony to t he solid good accruing to those attending has been uniform. Everywhere t he halls used have been crowded with t he most thorough-going, wideawake, progressive men and women in t he county. We con g r a t u l a te t he state, t he workers, and ourselves on t he success of so large a movement. T he RECORD is not an agricultural paper nor t he im mediate relative of one. Our hands are not the hands of E s au nor our voice even a distant^approach to t h at of Jacob, his brother. No farmer worthy of t he name will depend for a moment on us, even in connection with our bulletins, to take t he place of his weekly agricultural pa pers. He m u st have them for his markets, for his informa tion concerning professional interests, for his knowledge of what t he great agricultural world is thinking and do ing. These and a host of other things lie entirely outside of our province; b ut we conceive t h at there is for us a sphere of usefulness clearly and naturally dffined; a sphere which no publication now occupies or could occupy except by being just what We are. I h e re has been complaint t h at t he people, t he farmers of the state, know little or nothing about t he College; t h at they are expected to uphold and support an institution t h at they have no way of examining or becoming acquainted with except through stiff and formal reports at long intervals. t h at On our part there has constantly been t he feeling t he purpose, scope, and actual results of our work are in a large degree unknown, misunderstood, and posi tively antagonized for want of a direct means of com munication between our patrons and ourselves. Every other college has a definite constituency to which it can appeal for protection, for hearty encouragement, for direct support. uency which will at once suggest themselves to t he reader. T a ke t he Methodist College of this state, for instance. How large, earnest, capable, and widespread a body of men is it t h at day by day carries t h at school next to its heart, and is constantly working for it wherever there is need or opportunity. They know its men, they glory in its triumph, they eulogize its methods, they magnify it before t he people, until t he whole c h u r ch loves it as a child, and holds it as t he palladium of its faith. We, It commends itself to this constit various means of t h r o u gh communication, too, have a constituency, a great and noble one. B ut they do not know our men, they hear nothing of our successes and much of our failures, they receive only wild and mocking reports of our methods. We would change all this so far as our h u m b le power will enable us. Week by week we would come to the homes of our people and tell them what their boys are doing, how our men are thinking, talking, working, what th« men who bear t he imprint of t he College are accomplishing, until they may feel t h at they.know t he daily life of t he College, what its training is actually worth, where its weak points lie, and how welcome their kindly criti cisms will be. Is it a misuse of funds, after t he state has so liberally equipped and endowed a school of agri culture, to use time and money to let t he farmers know where t he school is and what it can do for them? We have had many delightful papers forwarded to us from t he institutes, and we only wish t h at our space would permit t he publication of all. As it is, we have had to select such as seem best calculated to serve t he purpose of the RECORD. Elsewhere will be found an excellent paper by professor J. W. Smith, of Ray City, t he contents of which we commend to t he attention of our readers. The question of degeneracy in t he rural districts is a startling one, and we are glad t h at our experience enables us heartily to concur with Professor question. Nevertheless, a culling Smith on t he farm out process is constantly going on among population, and we are thoroughly persuaded t h at t he atmosphere, t he methods, t he ideals of t he country school and its teacher favor t he tendency. An old saw asserts an intimate relation between twig bending and tree inclination. this We have an abiding faith, Brother Smith, t h at t he College will one day offer among its undergraduates and graduates, "schoolmarms" as thoroughly devoted to agriculture a nd as thoroughly familiar with its ore as they will be with domestic economy—provided always t he demand for t h em as farmers' wives is not too urgent. We publish, this week, notice of a special civil service examination, which may be of interest to some of our graduates. We already have a large number of alumni in Washington, b ut there seems to be room for more. FURNACE SLAG F OR F E R T I L I Z E R. A few days ago I received t he following inquiry: " H as there ever an analysis been made by t he College D e p a r t m e nt of Agricultural Chemistry of t he slag from iron ore? There are large quantities of this slag, about the smelting furnaces in t he Northern Peninsula, which I have reason to believe, contain t he elements of a most excellent land fertilizer, and which may be cheaply pre pared for use. It is used for repairing roads about t he country where these furnaces are situated, as at New berry." form as caustic No analysis of slag from Michigan furnaces h ad been made, b ut I immediately sent for a specimen, which was : received from Newberry t h r o u gh t he kindness of R. C- Bradley, and t he same has been analyzed by T h o rn Smith, assistant in Chemical Department of t he Experi ment Station. This shows t h at 51.58$ of t he pulverized slag is insoluble in hydrochloric acid; t h at of materials of value as fertilizers t he slag contains 14.12$ of lime, 3.64$ of magnesia, and only a trace of phosphoric acid. I ts value therefore as a fertilizer is small, because lime and magnesia can be obtained much cheaper as marl, lime. Un and in a more active fortunately for t he farmer, b ut fortunately for t he iron makers, t he Michigan ores contain so little phosphorus t h at the Blag which contains t he impurities has almost no value as a fertilizer. T he iron ores of Germany con tain so large an amount of phosphorus t h at t he iron would be of poor quality if t he phosphorus were not separated; b ut t he slag ("Thomas Slag"), is quite valu able, being ground and sold for a fertilizer at $10 a ton. Some years ago t he question came up whether t he slag from t he Bessemer Converters, in which pig iron is purified to make fcteel, might not contain enough phosphorus to make a valuable fertilizer. A quantity of Bessemer slag was procured from P i t t s b u r g h, Pa., and analyzed, b ut it was too poor in phosphorus to be of any value for manure. Several years ago a thrifty company in Ohio under took to make a fertilizer by grinding furnace slag, adding to it some common salt, and brought large quantities into Michigan to sell under t he name of '• Western Reserve Fertilizer," t he retail price of which was $22.00 a ton. Some of this stuff was secured in North Lansing, a nd analyzed in this Experiment Station, when it was found t h at t he m a n u re value was 35 cents a ton. These results were published in t he Detroit Free Press, a nd t he sale of this fertilizer stopped suddenly. T he pro prietors promplly came to Lansing, bringing two law yers from Cleveland and engaging a prominent Lansing attorney, and threatened to commence suit for libel for $50,000 damages, claiming they had 800 tons in t he state for sale, and t h at my statement h ad stopped their sale entirely. They demanded an immediate retraction of my published statement, with t he alternative of a suit in U. S. court. No retraction was made, a nd they left with a promise to commence t he suit " as soon as they could arrange security for costs." T h e re m u st have t he security been some difficulty required, for no suit at law h as been commenced. T he sale of this ground furnace slag h as ceased in this s t a te entirely. in arranging for Michigan soils are too rich in lime and magnesia to justify any outlay for their insoluable silicates in t he form of furnace slag. T he very excellence of our iron ores forbids t h at there should be m u ch value in t h e ir slags. Road building is a Very suitable use of t h e m: R. C. K. CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION. An examination will be held under t he rules of t he Civil Service Commision F e b r u a ry 13 and 14, 1896, to fill t he position of E x p e rt Agriculturist in t he office of Experiment Stations, U. S. Department of Agriculture, at a salary of $1,500 per annum. T he examination will be open to men only and will include t he following sub jects: Theory and practice of agriculture, agricultural chem istry, French, German, abstracting of reports of agricul t u r al investigations, and essay writing. T he examina tion in t he theory and practice of agriculture will have special reference to field crops and will include m a t t e rs relating to t he history, general statistics, geographical distribution, species a nd varieties, culture, manuring, rotation, harvesting, curing a nd storage, and uses of farm crops, t he conditions of climate and soils affecting t he growth a nd improvement of cultivated plants, a nd t he methods and results of experimental investigations in agriculture. Persons desiring to t a ke should apply at once to t he Civil Service Commission, Wash ington, D. C, specifying what examination they propose to take, and where they would prefer to be examined. this examination A MECHANICAL MARVEL. An expert tool juggler in one of t he great English ' needle factories in a recent test of skill performed one of t he most delicate mechanical feats imaginable. He took a common sewing needle of medium size (length one and five-eighths inches) and drilled a hole t h r o u gh its entire length from eye to point, t he opening being just large enough to admit t he passage of a very fine hair. In t he beginning m an was created with a funny bone and to this day he laughs in his sleeve. He is t he only laughs except woman, who at present animal t h at laughs more t h an man, perhaps on account of h er sleeves.—Ex. Can you tell me t he signs of t he Zodiac? By Gemini I Cancer.—Ex. AT T HE COLLEGE. Prof. Weil's office is being papered a nd painted. A new brick floor has been laid in t he boiler room. H. A. Sprague, of Fowlerville, sp. m. in '95, is work- here in t he machine shop. Miss Tena B. Wellman will be married to Mr. Archie A. Parsons tomorrow at noon. We now have excellent lettuce and radishes on o ur forcing result of sub-irrigation in o ur tables—the houses. We are sorry to learn t h at Mr. Foreman is not enjoy ing his vacation as well as he might. He is just recov ering from a week's tussle with t he grip. L a st week an a t t e m pt was m a de to improve t he ice for skating on t he pond by flooding from t he drain in No. 6, b ut t he water was so warm t h at it melted t he ice. In t he machine shop new iron lagging h as been p ut on both low a nd high pressure cylinders. T he lathes are also being overhauled and repaired. T he JANUARY 28, 1896. THE M. A. C. RECORD. ehaper is finished and is doing excellent work. T he whole interior of the shop is being painted. t he wood shop guards are being made to cover the belts and pulleys, also cases for lathe tools. In The Horticultural Department is preparing p a c k a g e s\ containing several varieties of flower seeds each, which j will be sent to t he rural schools of t he S t a te for school- v_yard adornment. Prof. Babcock was at last week. He came up from Ann Arbor for t he purpose of moving his furniture out of the rooms t h at will be occu pied by Mr. and Mrs. Dean. the College a few days The Misses Wheeler gave a party to their friends, t he Misses Gibbs, Renner, O'Connor, Steel, and Bertha and Mamie Baker, Monday afternoon of ^ •"delicious" time is reported. last we Prof. Holdsworth has had new for instruments, also a case for s t u d e n t s' drawings and descriptive geometry models, so t h at these models can be kept in the Mechanical laboratory. lockers made One of the best forage plants tried at the Grayling sub-experiment station was "sheep feeque." The Col lege, is now preparing to send out sample packages of t he seed of this plant to be tested on the sandy plains in various localities of our State. Acting President Wmthrop E. Stone of P u r d ue Uni versity, spent last Friday visiting at M. A. C. Professor Stone was a classmate of Prof. Taft at Amherst and is professor of chemistry at P u r d u e, b ut for over a year, during Pres. Smart's illness, he has been acting presi dent. Among the passengers who were on t he Santa Maria while it was frozen in the ice of Mackinac straits for 36 h o u rs a couple of weeks ago, were two of our institute workers, Prof. H. W. Mumford and Mr. J. H. Brown of t he Michigan Farmer. Prof. Mumford reports t h at they had t he last square meal on the boat when relief t a k en came. Mr. Brown declared t h at it was the longest ride he had ever taken for 50 cents. J. F. Merkel returned to College a week ago to spend t he remainder of the vacationtat work. At home he has been amusing himself and others by indulging in theat rical performances; taking t he p a rt of t he "Bailli" in t he " Chimes of Normandy" recently presented by local t a l e nt in Manistee. After he and eight others of t he t r o u pe had taken a t u rn with pneumonia as a result of t h e ir efforts on t he stage, Jo9 concluded t h at starring in winter was not his forte. NEWS FROM GRADUATES AND FORMER STUDENTS. Students in Mechanical Course designated by " m." and specials by " sp." after name. S. L. Ingerson, '97, is teaching at South Monterey, Mich. E d. B. Wallace, '98, will be with us again in the spring. F. A. Golling, with '97, m., is clerk in his father's hotel at Alpena. M. W. Stutz, with '96, w., is teaching at F l at Rock, Wayne Co., Mich. M. P. Thompson, with '96, m., is working for the G r a nd Rapids Cycle Co. R. E. Bateson, with 96, TO,*[is a s t u d e nt at P u r d ue University ,Lafayette, Ind. Dustin C. Oakes, '74, leaves Coopersville today for a t en days' trip to New Orleans. F r a nk F. Stephenson, sp. in '94, is teaching in t he public schools at Tawas City. " Food Adulterations " contains some very interesting as well as valuable information. Phil Porter, '99 m., expects to change from t he Mechan ical to t he Agricultural course in t he spring. H. R. Parish, '95, m., is spending t he winter at home, b ut expects to go on t he lakes again in t he spring. Geo. W. Rose, with '95, ra., has t u r n ed horticulturist and located on a fruit farm near Benton Harbor, Mich. Lew W. Spaulding, '90, m., is teaching Mathematics and' Manual Training in a private school at Hillside, Wis. Wm. A. Ansorge, with 95, m., is assistant business manager of the Elliot Button Fastener Co. of Grand xiapids. In the J a n u a ry Business World appears a c ut of J. W. Perrigo, '93, m., who is connected with t he Detroit Business University. P. S. Rose, with '96, ra., is principal of schools at Old Mission, Mich. He will return to M. A. C. at the open ing of the summer term. J o hn P. Churchill, '95, ra., is in t he employ of t he Illi nois Central R. R. as inspector of piles. His address is 5434 Wabash Ave., Chicago. J. R. Petley, with '96, visited in Lansing last week. He is in business with his father, superintending his shirt factory in Milwaukee, Wis. W. W. Tracy, '67, has a large and growing collection of Indian relics. We notice t h at he is at present adver tising for additions to his collection. David Bcehringer whom those who were here in '92 will remember as a s t u d e nt and as assistant to Mr. Gunson, has a thriving business as florist in Bay City. Guy H. Frace and J. G. Veldhuis, both of '95, are students at the Detroit Medical College. Z. Veldhuis, with '96, ,«p., will graduate from t he veterinary depart ment of t he same college at the end of this year. Clifton B. Charles, '79, of Bangor, Mich., is one of the progressive farmers of t h at section. He will t a ke p a rt in the long institute at S o u th Haven, Feb. 3 to 7, having for his subject " Rural Schools." He is enthusiastic in his praise of the Alumni Catalogue. Ray Sessions, '79, took a very active part t he F a r m e r 's I n s t i t u te at Mancelona. He read a paper at t he institute and at t he business meeting was elected It might also be men Secretary of the association. tioned t h at Mr. Sessions is t he proud father of three fine little girls. in While Profs. Weil, Chamberlain and Wescott were in Bay City recently they were very pleasantly entertained by A. C. McKinnon, with '95, m., who also aided t h em very materially in making t he acquaintance of t he me chanics of t he city. While there they called on Capt. J a m es Davidson, shipbuilder, who presented the College a very fine photograph of the " R a p p a h a n n o c k ," t he engines of which were tested by our mechanical seniors, Goodenough and Parish, last July, L. C. Colburn, '88, professor engineering and mathe matics of t he University of Wyoming at Laramie, writes: is spreading rapidly in this part of t he Mining fever country. I have surveyed one large placer claim com prising 1,400 h u n d r ed acres of ground, and have laid o ut 2% miles of ditch. The company have made a small test, sluicing 27 cubic yards and got out $29 in "dust." I made several panning tests and got on an average 3% cents per pan of dirt, counting 160 pans to the cubic yard you can see t he claim is rich. figuring on a big electric power plant for a group of mines, can get 450 feet fall in V-/2 miles and a good supply of water —estimate 1,600 horse power. I have been Ray A. Latting, with '96, sp., of St. Johns, is taking T HE NEEDS OF OUR D I S T R I CT SCHOOLS. t he law course at the U. of M. J. B. Dimmick, '93, m., is surveying on t he new line of t he Detroit & Mackinaw R. R. R. J. WHSOD, with '96, sp., is draughtsman for a man ufacturing firm in Massilon, Ohio. R. S. Welsh, '94. 'was very active in promoting t he interests of the institute at the Soo. It is reported Tthat Carl H. Van Auken, with '98, is on a fruit farm near White Cloud, Mich. E. M. Ranter, with ^S, m., has a position as salesman in a machinery supply house in Detroit. Manning Agnew is teaching at Parshallburg, Mich., a nd will be two weeks late in t he spring. Wm. L. Rosstnan, '89, S t a te Analyst, has been doing i n s t i t u te work for some time past. His last report on [Read at the Bay County Institute, Bay City, J a n. 13, by Prof. J. W. Smith of Bay City.] A few months ago a writer in one of our first-class magazines came to the conclusion t h at the people in our rural districts are, intellectually speaking, degenerating. He declared t h at t he present fathers are, as a rule, less intelligent than were their fathers, b ut t h at they are superior to their sons. Shortly after reading this article an ex superintendent of one of our city schools, a man who has had large experience both in t he city and in t he country, gave me as his opinion t h at t he writer was corrt, t in his conclusion. A few days since one of the most learned, and also one of t he ablest, of the University professors recalled for my benefit an address of General Garfield in which he quoted a distinguished writer as this saying, ti at we could not expect to preserve in t h at country oar intelligent farming communities, b ut in t he course of time, say in a century or so, t he free, independent, American farmer will be a thing of t he past, and in his place will be a class of peasants similar to those we now find in t he countries of the old world. The line of t h o u g ht here advanced is to me very startling. We have been so accustomed to hear o ur farmers spoken of as t he bone and sinew of the S t a t e, as the salt without Which our political system would long since have lost its savor, t h at we are at first dis posed to give our emphatic dissent from t he t r u th of t he conclusion above cited. The difficulties in t he way of safely drawing any such conclusions are certainly great. Any theory which promises to fix t he s t a t us of t he American farmer of today as occupying a lower or a higher scale t h an did the preceding generation, or which undertakes to prophesy from present conditions w h at will be his state in the future, to be of any value m u st be based upon a careful investigation of past conditions, and a wide observation of t he present. If my early life was not, strictly speaking, spent upon t he farm, this at least is true, t h at some of t he warmest friends I ever had, and now have, were, and are, farmers. Lately I. made a short visit to the home of my boyhood in Central Michigan, and with my mind full of t he con versation above quoted, I asked one of my friends, a country physician enjoying a large practice, if, in his opinion, t he present generation of farmers was greatly inferior t he children. T he reply was, that, possibly, t he first state ment might have some t r u th in it, but, he said, t h a t, so far from being inferior to their parents, t he rising genera tion gives great promise of being their superiors in every way. This was encouraging, b ut of course it is no more conclusive than the contrary opinion above expressed. fathers, and how it was with their to to t he broad-mindedness of T he educational system of this S t a te owes a great t he early pioneers. debt They were certainly a remarkable class of men. It was the'very elect of t he eastern communities who should ered their axes, loaded their wives, children, and house hold goods into those old prairie schooners and started for Michigan. These able, energetic, daring pioneers took upon themselves a great task, for in addition to t he labor involved in t u r n i ng a wilderness into fertile fields, they were also called upon to lay ihe foundations of t he social state. As an aid to this they built school- houses, entering heartily into the spirit of t h at clause in the ordinance of 1787, which declares t h at "Religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good gov ernment and t he happiness of mankind, schools and t he means of education shall be forever encouraged." F r om t he very n a t u re of the case t he pioneer school- house was not an elaborate affair, and it was illy provided with those appliances which are now considered indis- these schools lacked in pensible. Nevertheless, what mechanical aids was more t h an made up by the great interest which our forefathers took in t he school itself. It was this school sentiment, this determination on t he p a rt of t he pioneers t h at their children should, as far as limited possible, enjoy all t he advantages which their means could procure, t h at made the pioneer school in in spite of all its disadvantages, far more successful proportion than is our modern rural school. is not t he abundance of maps and t he elegant building, or t he free text-books t h at constitute-' a charts, or even good school. room of a live, progressive teacher t h at accomplishes t he result. All these are valuable, t he last mentioned being these advantages m u st be the most t he supplemented and energized by t he presence school district of an educational sentiment t h at will not tolerate a poor school. It is not even the presence in the school important, b ut in It is, so is t he school." And The first place for this educational sentiment to find expression is in the selection of the school officers. The old maxim t h at " as t he teacher is, so is the school," in a to read, great many instances might well be changed " as the school board this again could often well be altered to read " as the com munity is so will the school board be." An intelligent community, one fully alive to its school interests, will always fill its school board with its best citizens. T h en a good school board will exercise great in t he selection of a teacher, and when one has been selected, will give a loyal support. No greater clog can be p ut upon a teacher t h an to place t he school in charge of a set of inefficient officers. Very often by t h e i r ' p e t ty intermeddling and lack of intelligent conception of what constitutes a good school, they will paralyze t he well directed efforts of t he best teacher the sun ever shone upon. care t h at Another aid to t he district school is a personal ac quaintance on the part of t he parents with t he teacher. My actual experience as a teacher in t he district school dates back more t h an twenty years, at which time t he in vogue. Un custom of boarding around was still doubtedly t he present custom of having t he teacher board in one place has its advantages, b ut t he old plan 4 T HE M. A. C. R E C O R D. JANUARY 23, 1896. teacher, h ad at least one thing to recommend it. T he on the one hand, obtained a good knowledge of t he h o me life of t he pupils; while, on t he other hand, b o th t he parents and t he pupils became b e t t er acquainted with t he teacher. If t he teacher was worthy of respect, t h is m u t u al acquaintance could not fail of being mutu ally beneficial. The teacher was in a much better position to fit his discipline and his instruction to t he peculiar wants of t he child, while t he parents often be came personally interested in t he teacher. F r om this personal contact, it has not seldom happened that friend ships were formed which lasted t h r o u gh life. The pioneer schoolhouse, with all its sacred mem ories, has passed into history; or perchance if one still remains, it reminds us of Whittier's lines: " S t i ll sits the schoolhouse by the road A ragged beggar, sunning." • Gone, also, is t he pioneer schoolmaster, and in his place stands a representative of t he second, or even of the third, generation of some one of his pupils. We owe a great debt of gratitude to these old schoolmasters, for with all their traditional harsbnees, which is largely a myth, they educated a class of men and women who have bravely and successfully fought life's battles and i have made t he name of Michigan an honored one in t he sisterhood of states. If you will inquire into t he his tory of t he principal men in any community, those who have attained wealth or political distinction, you will find t h at their early ambition was first kindled by t he wise counsels and t he kindly interest taken in t h em by their old pioneer schoolmasters. Some of these masters themselves attained distinction. We have one of t h em still living in our midst who as a lawyer, a jurist and a citizen, for more than sixty years has served his county and his state with distinguished ability. I refer to t he Hon. Sanford M. Green—all honor to him and to t he inspiring lesson which his Eoble and useful life has t a u g h t. And this is the great function of t he teacher—to in spire his pupils.- General Garfield once said' in sub stance, t h at a log would be a good enough schoolhouse for him, if upon it sat Mark Hopkins as a teacher. Of course we cannot hope to have a Mark Hopkins or- a Sanford M. Green in every schoolhouse, b ut a district board should, none t he less, carefully consider t he per sonal qualities of the one1 who makes an application for t he school, and should never employ a teacher, if it can be avoided, who is destitute of this ability to inspire. A child may count that day happy when it brings to him a young man or woman, whose cultivated mind, refined tastes and high aspirations will lead him to look beyond his narrow surroundings, and will e n k i n d l e in his imma t u re mind an ambition to lead a broader and a better life. There are teachers in the schools of every county who ought not to occupy t h at responsible position for a single day. Very largely these teachers have received only such instruction as t he district school affords, their minds and tastes have never received t he invigorating influence which comes from personal contact with highly cultivated people, and they have no personal qualities which s t r o ng recommend them. They are teaching simply for theTlroney; they are unfit to inspire and instruct our youth; ffi ployed in t h at capacity. they ought never to be em Our district schools not only need better teachers, b ut they need a greater proportion of male teachers t h an they now have. If our district schools are not as good in some respects as they used to be, it is because so many young girls are employed as teachers. The pioneer teacher was a schoolmaster, not a schoolmis tress, and although in polish he might have lacked "some, nevertheless his virile strength gave a tone to the school which is always beneficial, especially in the case I would not exclude our ambitious of the older pupils. young ladies from t he work of teaching, b ut I also would not allow them to entirely supplant our ambitious young men in this work of instructing t he young. If you say t h at t he young men who graduate from our high schools do not wish to teach in the district schools, I answer then, it is because you offer them no inducements; while it is well known t h at every winter a large proportion of the undergraduates of the Agricul • tural College desire to spend their vacation as teachers in t he district schools. It is t r ue t h at t he greater part of these candidates are" without experience, b ut it is also t r ue t h at by reason of their superior mental training they are m u ch superior to t he majority of t he teachers now employed. F a r m e r s' boys ought, at some time in their school life, to come under t he influence of t he profess ors, or t he graduates, or at least an undergraduate of Michigan's F a r m e r s' College. five h u n d r ed or a thousand of t he undergraduates could, during t he win ter vacation, be scattered through t he district schools of Michigan, great good could not fail to result. T he ambitious boys, finding how comparatively easy it is for even a poor boy to get an education, when he is really If determined to do it, would often be induced to go to college; while t he farmers themselves would be bene fited by t he information which they could gain from t he teacher upon t he science of agriculture. Another criticism upon our district schools is t h at there is no attempt made to adapt t he character of t he instruction to t he peculiar wants of the farming com munity. The course of study is now, and always has to any other pursuit been, organized with reference rather than t h at of farming, At present a teacher who has spent all his life in t he city, and has a tfe n d ed only a city school, finds himself entirely at home in - he district" school where conditions of life are very differ In the one place as in t he other, our arithmetics ent. deal in stocks and bonds, longitude and time, domestic and foreign exchange, b ut never a word is said as to how you would combine different foods to make a pro fitable is no where required, and the principles of agriculture is a subject equally conspicuous by its absence. T he faculty of our Agricultural College ought to have some voice in pre t he character of t he instructon which our scribing is not only farmers' boys shall pursue. Agriculture t he in an art, b ut a science. There growth of a hill of potatoes t h at is not discernable to the uneducated eye. L et us educate our farmers' boys at home so t h at they shall understand the art, and in the district school, and in t he Agricultural College, so t h at they may understand the science of farming. Then indeed will we hear less complaint because they desire to leave the farm, and th/fe ogre of an ignorant peasantry will be forever banished. ration. Agricultural is a beauty chemistry W h at t he district schools of nearly every township in this state need just now is to be reduced to a system. At present they are little more t h an a disjointed collec tion of schools, some good, some bad, b ut whether good or bad, they have no chain of interdependence and nothing to look forward to for t he next step in a higher In t he same course t h an t he neighboring city school. sense in which a city system of schools may be said to exist, there is no such thing as a system of district schools in Michigan. Some attempt has been made of late years, towards reducing t he district schools to a system, by the introduction of a graded course of study extending through eight grades and bearing a close resemblance to the course of study found in the average city school. But beyond t h at nothing is even attempted. There ought to be, and under proper conditions there would b e , e n o u gh pupils in every township containing four or five h u n d r ed children of school age to give employment to at least one teacher, who should give all his time to t he more advanced classes. For t he accom modation of these pupils there should be erected in t he center of t he township, as nearly as may be, a school known as the township high school. T he course of instruction should contain all those branches t h at are necessary to prepare t he pupils to enter t he S t a te Agri cultural College. The pupils who graduate from this township high school should be given diplomas enti tling them to enter t he Agricultural College without further examination. One of the wisest steps ever taken by t he University from of Michigan was t he admission of graduates It has approved city high schools upon their diplomas. induced hundreds of students to enter t he University who would otherwise have stayed at home; it has induced hundreds of other students to graduate from the high schools who would Eever have done so under other circumstances; it has created an educational sen timent in t he cities of the state t h at has been of incal- cuable benefit to t he cause of education. It has raised t he character of our high school teachers to such an extent t h at they are now almost entirely college grad uates; and, in short it has inspired superintendents, teachers, pupils and parents alike with an interest in higher education which cannot fail of being productive of t he greatest good in t he future. All this is well and we greatly rejoice at it. B ut this system, excellent as it is, has had comparatively little effect on t he district schools. W h at t he University has done for t he city schools, t he Michigan Agricultural College should be allowed to do for our district schools. F r om t he time the child enters t he city school until he leaves it, he has held constantly before him t he idea t h at he ought to graduate from t he University of Mich igan. When the Michigan Agricultural College shall occupy as large a place in the school life of every pupil in t he district schools of Michigan as does our noble University in the life of the city child, then there will be no cause for regret t h at its halls are comparatively empty of students, b ut they will be filled to-ove- Iiowing with farmers' sons. And t h at is a consummation de voutly to be wished. F or when t h at day shall arrive, t he direful forebodings, t he Cassandra-like nrophecies quoted at the beginning of this paper, will te found to have no foundation to rest upon. ARE YOU GOING = \\ ^COLLEGE To this question QQ p gp g g r j^ Of those who expect to be up to date, twentieth century men - ^- WILL ANSWER " Y E S" To What College Are You Going? *7C Pfkf • *? */*** ^ C " *- (2f*tlt those who expect ^ t0 go somewhere DO N OT K N OW WHERE TO GO. To these we have a few words to say in favor of t he flIMcbigan Bgr (cultural College We have a better equipment for Scientific and Practi cal Investigation along Agricultural and Mechanical lines t h an any similar Institution in the country. We have a teaching force of THIRTY PROFESSORS AND INSTRUCTORS We have a L i b r a ry c o n t a i n i n g- o v er 1 8 , 0 00 equipped. V o l u m e s, E i g ht L a b o r a t o r i es T h r ee L a r ge D o r m i t o r i e s, all located in fully ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL P A R KS IN MICHIGAN We h a ve t wo c o u r s e s: AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL F o ur Y e a rs a re R e q u i r ed to C o m p l e te E i t h er C o u r s e. T he C o u r s es E m b r a ce AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, CHEMISTRY, BOTANY, ZOOLOGY, VETERINARY SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL ENGI NEERING, CIVIL ENGINEERING, DRAWING, ENGLISH LANGUAGE and LITERATURE, FRENCH, GERMAN, HISTORY, POLIT ICAL ECONOMY and MILITARY TACTICS. T he work of t he class room is supplemented with practical work in field, garden and shop; and t h is together with military drill, gymnasium practice and line athletics promotes vigorous health A street car connects us with t he city, t h us giving us exceptional social and religious privileges. Expenses are Reasonable to residents of t he State; $5.00 p er T u i t i on F r ee term to non-residents. Board in clubs costs about $2.50 per week. You can get board and rooms in t he city if you desire. T he students maintain S ix O p en L i t e r a ry S o c i e t i es and T h r ee F r a t e r n i t i e s. Our next term begins Monday, F e b r u a ry 24, '96. The next College Year begins Monday, August 24, '96. And now, if you are interested in getting an educa tion, an education t h at is broad and practical, one t h at does not develop the intellectual at the expense of t he physical, one t h at does develop the skilled farmer and mechanic, send us your name and let us furnish > you with catalog and further particulars. ADDRESS "THE SECRETARY," Agricultural College, Michigan.