Jiw 9iL a  ©. sUooj. 

VOLUME  I. 

AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE,  MICHIGAN,  TUESDAY,  FEBRUJ 

4,  1896. 

NUMBER  4. 

ECHOES  FROM  I N S T I T U T E S. 

P e t e r s b u r g. 

One  of  t he  new  and 

interesting  points  brought  out 
at  this  institute  was  t he  success  attained  in  t he  raising 
of  crimson  clover  in  some  parts  of  Monroe  county. 

This  plant  has  not  been  a  success  in  other  parts  of  t he 
state,  b ut  here  near  L a ke  Erie  on  rich,  loamy  soil  it 
withstood  t he  d r o u th  of  last  season  remarkably well  and 
yielded  abundantly. 

One  field  of  it  south  of  P a r ma  was  also  reported  as 

yielding  a  large  crop  of  most  excellent  hay. 

The  weather  was  anything  b ut  pleasant,  yet  old  Mon 
roe  county  t u r n ed  out  a  large,  intelligent,  and  enthusi 
astic  crowd. 

The  college  was  represented  by Robert  Gibbons  of  the 
J.  I.  Breck,  Deputy  Dairy  and  Food 
Michigan  Farmer; 
Commissioner;  A.  W.  Hayden,  the  horseman;  and  Pro 
fessors  Edwards,  Hedrick,  Mumford  and  Smith. 

life 

A  paper  by  the  County  Clerk  of  Monroe  county,  Hon. 
H.  W.  Campbell  of  Monroe,  demonstrated  the  advan 
in  t h at  favored  county,  near  both 
tages  of  farm 
Detroit  and  Toledo.  The  discussion  developed  t he  fact 
t h at  b ut  about  26$  of  t he  farms 
in  t he  county  were 
under  mortgage  and  t h at 
these  claims  were  largely 
owned  by  other  farmers  and  accrued  for  t he  purchase 
price  of  the  farms  themselves. 

The  discussion  of  the  paper  on  " How  to  meet  t he 
d r o u t h"  brought  out  several  fruit  raisers  from  near 
L a ke  Erie. 

The  area  in  peach  orchards  in  this  p a rt  of  Monroe 
county  is  rapidly  increasing  from  year  to  year.  The 
trees  are  healthy,  the  crops  a b u n d a nt  and  regular,  and 
t he  markets  unexcelled.  Monroe  county  is  a  friendly 
rival  of  t he  west  shore  b ut  caters  to  a  different  market. 
T he  Crawfords  both  early  and  late  are  t he  leading  varie 
ties  though  of  course  the  Elberta  is  being  largely  set 
out  this  year. 

T he  dairy  industry  is  one  of  t he  leading  activities  of 
t he 

t he  county  and  received  considerable  attention  at 
institute. 

In  seeking  for  a  sample  of  really  bad  outter  to  be 
used  for  illustration  at  the  institute  it  was  found 
im 
possible  to  discover  a  sample  of  really  poor  b u t t er  in 
Petersburg.  Uncolored  b u t t er  was  plentiful  but  bad 
b u t t er  did  not  exist. 

Farmers  organizations  have  existed  in  Monroe  county 
for  thirty  years.  They  have  borne  good  fruit.  Nowhere 
else  in  the  State  have  t he  questions  presented  been 
more  intelligently  discussed. 

An  acquaintance  with  public  speaking  was  manifest. 

Mount  Clemens. 

it 

fruit.  At 

The  weather  was  steadily  unfavorable,  b ut 

is 
not  often  t h at  we  are  permitted  to  address  an  audience 
so  broad  minded,  unsoured,  intelligently  receptive,  as 
t h at  at  Mt.  CJemens.  The  attendance  was  not,large, 
b ut  t he  interest  displayed  was  good  and  t he  work  done 
will  bear 
the  afternoon  session  of  J a n.  25 
t he  noticeable  feature  was  the  absence  of  ladies,  and  the 
It 
large  preponderance  of  solid,  middle  aged  farmers. 
is  to  be  regretted  t h at  t he  number  of  papers  from  local 
talent  at  this  institute  was  small.  As  a  rule,  t he  largest 
amount  of  enthusiasm  at  institutes  develops  over  local 
papers. 
In  the  n a t u re  of  the  case,  t he  local  paper  is 
better  able  to  deal  with  individual  conditions  and  sur 
roundings;  it  handles  local  issues  with  direct  reference 
to  local  needs  and  circumstances,  and  is  successful 
in 
engendering  discussion  based  on  known  data.  Our 
effort  should  be  to  encourage  and  enlarge  this 
feature 
in  all  institutes  and  to  give  it  prominence  and  emphasis. 
Mr.  K.  L.  Butterfield's  address  on  " Plows  and  Politics  " 
was  well  received.  He  strongly  presented  the  disorgan 
ized  condition  and  distrustful  state  of  mind  prevailing 
in  most  farming  communities  and  urged  union  and  con 
centration  on  three  measures: 
(1)  More  stringent  pure 
food  laws;  (2)  Equalization  of  taxes;  (3)  The  Redfern 
liquor  commission  bill.  This  bill,  introduced  at  t he  last 
legislative  session,  has  not  received 
it 
deserved,  and 
its  purpose  has  been  little  understood. 
I ts  purport  was  to  create  a  commission  to  ascertain  and 
liquor 
faithfully 
traffic;  (2)  its  social  effects,  with  especial  reference  to 
insanity  and  crime;  (3)  methods  of  control  in  this  and 
other 
t h at 
such  an  inquiry  would  be  eminently  desirable.  The 
clash  of  mere  opinion  based  on  vague  and  unsubstan 
tiated  estimates  is  t he  wild  confusion  of  t he  waves  on 
in  nothing  constructive. 
a  stormy  sea. 

report  on  (1) the  dimensions  of  t he 

It  would  seem 

their  success. 

It  can  result 

the  attention 

lands,  and 

- s __ 

: 

: 

• 

to  known  a nd  indisputable 
B ut  when  we  can  appeal 
faets,  then  the  agitation  unifies  and  crystallizes  public 
opinion,  and  results  in  organized  action. 

At  t he  evening  session  t he  graphophone  was  intro 
duced,  and  the  audience  was  delighted  with  a  variety  of 
selections  of  music  rendered  by  t he  best  talent  of  the 
country.  The  encores  were  frequent  and  enthusiastic. 
The  instrument  was  greatly  encouraged  and 
flattered 
and  its  polished  oak  case  blushed  to  a  mahogany  red. 
" T he  young  man  has  forcibly  and  accurately  ex 

pressed  my  thoughts.  He  is  all 
Dawson 
at  Mt.  Clemens 
address. 

after  Kenyon 

right."—Mr. 

Thos. 
Butterfield's 

P o n t i a c. 
The  noticeable  features  about  the  institute  were  the 
It  com 
in  interest  and  attendance. 
steady  growth 
menced  r a t h er 
tamely  on  Monday  morning,  b ut  by 
Tuesday  afternoon  t he  meeting  had  developed  into  t he 
most  crowded  and  intensely  interesting  of  all  those  on 
this  circuit.  T he  weather  during  both  days  was  ideal. 
Here  we  met  some of  the  college  boys,  George  Starr,  '96, 
F.W.  Herbert,  '96, TO., and  J.  Y. Clark,  '85. The  last  took 
t he  audience  by  storm  with  his  paper  on  " Prospects  for 
the  Young  Farmer,"  which  we  publish 
another 
column. 
It  is  an  eminently  thoughtful,  suggestive  and 
timely  paper.  We  have  rarely  seen  a  paper  awake  such 
enthusiastic  applause,  and  t he  fact  affords  us  especial 
pleasure  as  t he  achievement  of  one  of  our  college  boys 
among  farmers  and  on  our  especial  line  of  work. 

in 

Ex  Gov.  L u ce  (at  Pontiac): 

"I  raise  small  fruit  only 
on  a  very,  very  email  scale "  [remark  from  t he  audience] 
" w i th  a  spoon,  I  suppose." 

Ex-Gov.  Luce  (at  Pontiac): 

" Only  the  best  of  us  lec 
turers  get  three  dollars  a  day;  these  college  fellows 
don't  get  anything." 

In 

the  discussion  on  " Beautifying  F a rm  Homes," 
special  reference  was  made  to  t he  beauty  and 
refined 
taste  found  at  the  home  of  our  honored  board  member, 
W.  E.  Boyden.  Especial  attention  was called  to  t he  tree 
grouping  around  his  home. 

" My  daughter,  after  repeated  appeals  to  me,  finally 
took  t he  matter  in  her  own  hands  and  surprised  me  one 
day  on  my  r e t u rn  home  with  t he  sight  of  my  front  yard 
fence  strewn  over  the  lawn.  The  front  lawn  should  not 
be  disfigured  with  a  fence."—Hon.  Peter  Voorhees, 
at 
Pontiac. 

"  Use  for  shade  fruit  trees  rather  t h an  forest  trees."— 

Mrs.  Divine,  at  Pontiac. 

" K e ep  t he  shade  trees  from  in  front  of  t he  house; 
group  them  at  t he  sides  and  have  a  cool,  green  lawn  in 
front."—Geo.  Starr,  at  Pontiac.' 

T he  afternoon  session  of  t he  second  day  lasted  over 
four  hours  with  house  crowded  and  interest  u n a b a t ed 
till  t he dismissal.  We  have  rarely  seen  an  audience  so 
inspiring  and  with  such  staying  powers.  The  original 
poem,  with  which  t he  meeting  concluded,  evinced  re 
markable  responsiveness,  tenderness,  and 
truthfulness 
of  sentiment  on  t he  p a rt  of  the  writer,  and  did  honor  to 
the  Oakland  County  I n s t i t u t e.  It  celebrated  in  natural, 
the 
simple  verse 
to 
triumphs  of  the  pioneer  men  and  women.  We  hope 
give  the  poem  entire  in  an  early  issue  of  the  RECORD. 

t he  privations,  the  pleasures,  and 

STATE  M I L L E R S'  ASSOCIATION. 

its 

The  State  Millers'  Association  held 

annual 
meeting  in  Lansing  at  Hotel  Downey,  on  J a n u a ry  14,  a 
large  delegation  being  in  attendance  and  t he  proceed 
ings  very  interesting.  Naturally  a  large  p a rt  of 
t he 
business related  to matters  of  interest  to t he  millers  only, 
to  farmers  as 
b ut  there  were  some  points  of  interest 
well  as  millers.  The  question  of  foreign  markets  for 
our! winter  wheat  flour  attracted  much  attention,  and 
two  valuable  papers  were  read  on  t he  subject,  " P l a in 
Duties  of  the  Michigan  Delegation  in  Congress," by W. B, 
Kirby  (with  '84), manager  H a rt  Milling  Co.,  N.  Lansing; 
and  "Reciprocity  with  t he  West  Indies,  S o u th  America 
and  European  Countries," by C. B. Chatfleld,  of Bay  City. 
Another  subject  which  commanded  t he  attention  of 
the millers  and  which  is  of  equal  interest  to  farmers  was 
t he  introduction  of  new  and  better  varieties  of  wheat 
for  cultivation  in  our  state.  Dr.  Kedzie  read  a  paper  on 
ten 
" Experiments  with  Foreign  Wheats,"  exhibiting 
kinds  of  Russian  wheats  which  he  h ad  obtained 
from 
t he  department  of  Agriculture,  and  two  kinds  which 
imported  from  Germany.  He  also 
Prof  Smith  had 
exhibited  Buda-Pesth  wheat  of  three  successive  years' 
growth,  and  Dawson's  Golden  Chaff  of 
two  years' 
last  year  in  K e nt  Co. 
growth,  and  a  new  wheat  found 

All  of  these  wheats  are  now  being  tested  on  t he  college 
their  hardiness,  productiveness  and 
farm  to  determine 
t he persistence of their  good  qualities, and  later  on to  find 
their  milling  and  bread  making  properties.  The  chem 
ical  analysis  of  all  t he  older  varieties  of  wheat  grown  in 
this  state  was  shown  on  charts;  also  analysis  of  all  t he 
new  varieties,  and  then  comparison  made  of  t he  gluten 
in  all  these  kinds  by  graphic  illustration  which  enabled 
t he  millers  to  see  at  a  glance  t he  relative  value  of  all 
these  varieties  of  wheat. 

The  interest  centered  around 

the  Buda-Pesth  wheat, 
because  Mr.  C.  G.  A.  Voigt  h ad  secured  twenty  bushels 
of  this  wheat  for  grinding 
in  a  roller  process  mill,  and 
t h us  exhibited  its  milling  quality.  He  had  sent  flour  to 
a  n u m b er  of  millers  who  b r o u g ht  bread  made  from 
this 
flour,  and  the  comparison  of  these  loaves  and  tasting  of 
t he  bread  secured  t he  practical  "proof  in  the  eating." 
The  millers  were  delighted  With  Buda-Pesth  wheat,  and 
t he  praise  of  t he  bread  was  in  every  m o u t h. 

Attention  was  also  called  to  t he  desirability  of  secur 
ing  some process  of  milling  to  find  out  the  flour  producing 
and  bread  making  quality  of  a  new  wheat,  without  hav 
ing  to  wait  till  twenty  bushels  can  be  spared  for 
t he 
roller  process  method  of  grinding,  as seen  in  this  exper 
iment  with  Buda-Pesth  wheat.  T he  Australian  method 
of  securing  a  baby  roller  mill  in  which  a  pound  of  wheat 
could  be  as  effectually  milled  as  in  t he  large  mills,  and 
the  milling  quality  determined  early  in  the  history  of  a 
new  wheat,  and  varieties  of  small  promise  promptly 
thrown  aside,  while  those  of  excellent  promise  can  be 
carefully  cultivated  and  t he  years  of  preliminary  experi 
menting  shortened,  struck  a  responsive  chord  in  every 
miller's  breast. 

Attention  was  also  directed  to  t he  method  of  improv 
ing  wheat  by  cross  breeding,  which  has  been  so  success 
fully  carried  on  by  Mr.  William  F a r r er  of  New  S o u th 
Wales.  Ten  kinds  of  cross  bred  wheats  have  been 
received  from  Mr.  Farrer,  sown  on  the  College  farm  by 
Prof.  S m i th  and  placed  under  t he  care  of  Mr.  Crozier. 
T he  results  of  this  cross  breeding  will  be  watched  with 
interest. 
It  may  end  in  disappointment,  b ut  we  look 
forward  with  hope. 

The  spirit  of  t he  papers  and  discussions  disclosed  a 
disposition  on  t he  part  of  the  millers  to  cordially  coop 
erate  with  the  farmers  in  securing  t he  best  kinds  of 
wheat  for  our  state;  best  for  t he  farmers,  most  hardy 
the  millers,  in  milling  and 
and  productive:  best  for 
blending  quality;  and  best  for  the  consumers  in  afford 
ing  a  light,  palatable  and  nutritious  loaf. 

It  was  voted  to  p r i nt  in  pamphlet  form  5.000  copies 
of  t he  paper  on  experiments  with  foreign  wheats,  with 
Mr.  Voigt's  report  on  Buda-Pesth  wheat,  for  distribu 
tion  among  farmers. 

An  account  of  t he  experiments  in  wheat  culture  at 
the  Experiment  Station  will  appear  in  the  next  issue  of 

the  R E C O R D. 

M I L I T A RY  D E P A R T M E NT  NOTES. 

/  It  is  probable  t h at  a  course  in  physical  culture  will  be 
/Offered  to  students  during  the  spring  term.  While  t he 
/ w o rk  cannot  now  be  definitely  outlined  an  endeavor 
will  be  made  to  make  it  suitable  to  particular  needs  of 
our  students. 

Probably  by  t he  opening  of  t he  new  term  t he  old 
wrought  iron  field  pieces  will  be  replaced  by  modern 
guns  such  as  are  used  in  the  regular  service.  These 
pieces  are  of  steel  throughout,  mounted  on  steel  car 
riages  and  are  breech  loaders.  They  are  fully  up-to-
date  g u ns  and  have  no  superior  in  any  army  in 
t he 
world. 

The  equipment  in  t he  armory  will  be  further  increased 
six  non-commissioned  officers' 

t he  addition  of 

by 
sv.ords  and  belts. 

T he  great  need  of  t he  department  is  a  firing  ground 
/ for  rifle  practice,  where  a  range  of  at  least  600 yards  is 
t he 
obtainable.  W i th  such  a  range  our  facilities  for 
instruction  of  the  infantry  soldier  will  compare  favor 
ably  with  those  of  any  other  agricultural  college. 

AN  I N T E R E S T I NG  O P E R A T I O N. 

Dr.  Carrow  performed  a  delicate  and  interesting  ope 
ration  S a t u r d ay  which  may  be  new  to  medical  students. 
The  case  was  t h at  of  a young  man  afflicted  with  a  disease 
which  caused  the  complete  loss  of  sight  in  one  eye. 
In 
order  to  prevent  t he  contagion  spreading  to  the  other 
eye  a  small  watch  crystal  was  inserted  beneath  t he  lid 
of  t he  unaffected  eye. 
It  is  expected  t h at  t he  flesh  will 
knit  so  closely  around  t he  glass  t h at  no  impurities  will 
be  able  to  enter.  T he  patient  is  able  to  see  very  satis 
factorily  t h r o u gh  his  novel  eye  glass.— U.  of  M.  Daily. 

2 

T HE  M.  A.  C.  R E C O R D. 

. 

FIBOTAEY 4,1896. 

3%>  5I\J  @.'  ©.  d e c o r a. 

been  a  devoted  friend  of  education.  He  made  generous 
donations  to  Olivet  College,  and  their  largest  dormitory 
is  named  Parsons  Hall  in  honor  of  him. 

almost  over  r un  with  students—389,  t he  greatest  num 
ber  in  proportion  to  t he  inhabitants  of  t he  State  of  any 
Agricultural  College  in  t he  Union." 

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 SMITH &  CO.,  LANSING,  MICH. 

We  are  indebted  to  our  Russian  student,  Vadim 
Sobennikoff,  for  an  excellent  article  on  Russian  peasant 
"When  the  American  farmer  compares  his  own 
life. 
life with  t h at  of  t he  Russian  peasant  it  seems  as  though 
he  m u st  congratulate  himself  t h at  his  condition  is  no 
worse. 

We  have  received  many  compliments  from  our  ex 
changes  for which  we are  duly grateful.  We are sorry  we 
cannot  acknowledge each one of  t h em  personally, b ut  our 
exchange  list  is  already  so  large  t h at  to  do  so  would 
take  up  most  of  our  space,  and  we  are  sure  our  con 
temporaries  would  rather  have  news. 

We  consider  ourselves  fortunate  this  week  in  being 
able  to  present  Mr.  Clark's  excellent  paper  on  " Pros 
pects  for  t he  Young  Farmer."  Mr.  Clark  strikes  a  clear 
line  and  then  hews  close.  American  farmers  have  for 
a  long  time  recognized  the  fact  t h at  organizations  were 
working against  them.  Now  they  are  beginning  to  real 
ize  t h at  they  m u st  " meet  organization  with  organiza 
tion,"  not  for  the  purpose  of  controlling  production,  b ut 
for  t he  purpose  of  controlling  markets.  This  paper 
should  be  read,  learned,  absorbed  by  every  American 
farmer.  We  feel  assured  t h at  those  who  do  read  it  will 
treasure  it,  and  more  especially  will  this  be  true  of  our 
Alumni,  for  it  comes  from  one  of  their  number. 

Mrs.  Westcott  and  " t h at  boy"  who  have  been  spend 
ing  the  winter  in  Toledo,  O.,  returned  to  College  last 
week. 

Mrs.  Edwards  and  her  sons  Norman  and  Bland,  who 
have  been  spending  t he  winter  in  Virginia,  returned  to 
M.  A.  C.  last  Friday. 

A  special  meeting  of  t he  Board  was  held  last  Thurs 
routine 

day  evening  and  Friday  forenoon,  b ut  only 
business  was  transacted. 

Kalamazoo  College  h aa  applied  for  admission  to  t he 
Michigan  Inter-Collegiate  Athletic  Association,  which 
now  includes  Hillsdale,  Albion,  Olivet,  and  Michigan 
Agricultural  Colleges  and  t he  S t a te  Normal. 

NEWS  FROM  GRADUATES  AND  FORMER 
S T U D E N T S. 

Students  in  Mechanical Course  designated  by  "  m."  and  specials 

by  "sp."  after  name. 

Clarence  E.  Smith,  '84,  is  police  judge  at  Waukegon, 

111. 

^ 

Dewice  H.  Phillips,  with  '76,  is  a  farmer  at  Medina, 

Ohio. 

Dan  Smith,  with 

'94,  spent  Sunday,  J a n.  26,  at  M. 

A.  C. 

F r ed  Hadsell,  with  '69, is  a  farming  at  Dailey,  Cass 

county. 

C.  M.  Hallock,  '98, TO., does  not  expect  to r e t u rn  in  t he 

spring. 

A.  W.  Chase,  with  '94,  is  traveling  in  Colorado  for  D. 

OUR  EXCHANGES. 

M. Ferry  & Co. 

When  students  r e t u rn  they  will  be  pleased  to  find  on 
our  exchange table  in  t he  reading room  their  local  news 
papers  with  news  fresh  from  home.  Our  exchange  list 
already  includes  over  sixty  publications  including  t he 
following: 

A t l a n ta  Tribune,  Ann  Arbor  Courier. 
Bancroft  Commercial,  Bellevue  Gazette,  Bronson 

Journal. 

Cheboygan  Tribune,  Chelsea  Standard,  Charlotte 
Leader,  College  World,  The  (Adrian),  Coopersville  Ob 
server,  Clio  Star. 

Dundee  Reporter,  Dowagiac  Republican.  Dexter 

Leader. 

Eaton  Rapids  Journal. 
F o rt  Gratiot  Sun  (Port  Huron), F r e m o nt  News,  Grand 
Rapids  Democrat,  Houghton  Co.  Progress  (Hancock), 
Hudsonville  Republican,  Hermean  Herald  (Ironwood). 
Hillsdale  College  Herald,  Hudson  Republican. 

Imlay  City  Record,  Isabella  Co.  Republican  (Shep 

herd),  Ingham  County  News. 
Jonesville  Independent. 
Kalkaskian,  The. 
L a ke  Ann  Wave,  L'Anse  Sentinel,  Litchfield  Record, 

Local  Republican  (Leslie). 

Milan  Leader,  Michigan  School  Moderator,  Marlette 
Leader,  Middleville  Sun,  Mackinaw  Witness,  Morley 
Tribune,  Memphis  Bee,  Missaukee  Republican  (Lake 
City). 

N o r th  Lansing  Record,  North  Branch  Gazette. 
Oakley  News,  Olivet  Optic. 
People's  Alliance  (Hartford),  Petoskey  Record,  Pinck-

ney  Dispatch. 

Richmond  Review. 
St.  Ignace  Enterprise,  St.  Ignace  News,  Semi-Weekly 
Democrat 
(Ludington),  St.  Charles  News,  Scottville 
Enterprise,  Sanilac  Recorder  (Deckerville).  Soo  Demo 
crat. 

Tekonsha  News,  Traverse  Bay  Eagle  (Traverse  City). 
U.  of  M.  Daily,  Unionville  Crescent. 
Vidette,  The  (Homer). 
Warren  Watchman,  Weekly  American 

(Owosso), 
Weekly  Courier  (Coldwater),  Weekly  Review  (McBride), 
Workman  (Grand  Rapids). 

Yale  Expositor. 

AT  T HE  COLLEGE. 

G.  N.  Eastman,  with  '96, TO., is  visiting  at  M.  A.  C. 

Mrs.  Gunson  visited  at  P l y m o u th  several  days  of  last 

week. 

New  lockers  for  students'  unfinished  work  are  being 

made  for  t he  iron  shop. 

Hon.  Philo  D.  Parsons,  who  died  in  Detroit  recently, 
was  a  member  of  t he  Board  of  Agriculture  in  1861-63. 
In  t he  course  of  his  long  and  busy  career  he  has  always 

Niles  E.  Dresser,  with  '92,  is  assistant  postmaster  at 

Litchfield,  Mich. 

J o hn  Watson,  with  '93,  is  with  t he  Fletcher  Hard 

ware  Co.,  Detroit. 

W.  J.  Cummings, 

'96,  TO.,  is  in  A.  W.  Buckley's 

architect  office  in  Chicago. 

B.  F.  Halstead,  with 
University  at  Bloomington. 

'97,  is  attending  t he  Indiana 

Milton  St.  John,  '83, is  traveling  salesman  for  D.  M. 

F e r ry  & Co., from  Yates,  N.  Y. 

Walter  Flynne,  '99, TO., is  working  in  Michigan  Cen 

tral  car  works  at  St.  Thomas,  Ont. 

Hale  H u gh  Miller,  with  '75, is  pastor  of  t he  M.  E. 

church  at  Vandalia,  Cass,  Co.,  Mich. 

W.  E.  Palmer,  '92, has  left  t he  Aermoter  Co.,  and  is 

now  with  an  electrical  concern  in  Chicago. 

L.  A. Clinton,  '89,  assistant  agriculturist  at  Cornell, 

writes  t h at  his  work  is  pleasant  and  plentiful. 

F.  B. Phillips  applies  for  his  old  room  and  will  finish 

with  '96.  He  says  McKinnon  will  be  here  too. 

We  are  glad  to  welcome  among  our  exchanges  t he 
Litchfield  Record,  published  by  A.  M.  Meyers,  with  '93, 
TO. 

Wm.  Anderson,  with  '96,  m.,  left  for  Ishpeming  last 
Monday  to  accept  a  position  with  t he  L a ke  Superior 
Iron  Co. 

Tom  S.  Major,  '92, Centreville,  is feeding  400 sheep  for 
the  market  this  month.  He  sold  200 for  t he  Christmas 
market. 

We  have  on  our  exchange  list  t he  People's  Banner 
is  published  by  Clement 

Grand  Ledge,  which 
Strang,  '78. 

of 
J. 

O.  C. Wheeler,  '87,  finding  his  duties  as  manager  of  a 
creamery  at  Coopersville  too  arduous,  has  returned  to 
his  farm  near  Lansing. 

F.  P.  Clark,  '93, is  one  of  the  law  firm  of  Cropsey  & 
raising 

Clark,  Vicksburg,  Mich.  He  is  talking  of 
poultry  as  a  diversion. 

W.  F.  Pack  of  Centreville,  a  student  at  M.  A.  C.  early 
in  t he  eighties,  was  a  guest  of  Mr.  Pashby,  Instructor 
in  Mathematics,  last  week. 

F.  M.  VanAuken,  '97, TO., returned  to  M.  A.  C.  last 
Wednesday.  He  has  been  working  in  Allegan  county 
for  the  West  Michigan  Telephone  Co. 

Prof.  U.  P. Hedrick,  '93, writes from  Oregon:  " We  who 
have  just  come  to  Corvallis  from  M.  A.  C.  find,  it  a 
t he 
pleasant  place  to  live.  The  people,  climate,  and 
work  are  all  congenial.  The  college  here  is  prosperous 
t he  state.  We  are 
and  well  appreciated 

t h r o u g h o ut 

L,  Gilbert  Nichols,  with  '95, and  J a s.  W.  Gordon,  with 
'75,  have  formed  a  partnership  and  are  in  the  real  estate 
and  insurance  business  in  Battle  Creek. 

F r ed  E.  Smith,  with  '78, who  took  a  special  course  in 
surveying,  is  County  Surveyor  of  Cass  Co.  and  h as  been 
for  t he  past  few  years.  Address  Penn,  Mich. 

L a st  Monday  Thos.  L.  Bradford,  with  '92, TO., made  a 
flying  trip  home  from  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  where  he  is  assist 
ant  uperintendent  of  t he  Ames  Iron  Works. 

H.  F.  Hall, '90, (Barney) is now  superintendent  of  shops 
t he 

and 
Pennsylvania  Ry.,  with  headquarters  at  Philadelphia. 

t he  Philadelphia  Div.  of 

rolling  stock 

for 

J o hn  Taylor  Bregger  and  the  RECORD  will  celebrate 
J o hn 
t he  same  birthday  anniversary—Jan.  14,  1896. 
Taylor  is  t he  oldest  son  of  Louis  A.  Bregger,  '88, and  he 
began  life  with  ten  pounds 

Lory  F.  Newell,  with  '94, TO., surprised  his  brother  by 
walking  into  t he  shop  one  morning  last  week.  He  was 
on  his  way  from  Cincinnati  to  Reed  City  where  he  takes 
a  position  in  a  machine  shop. 

Victor  H.  Lowe,  '91, a father—girl —born Dec.  23,1895. 
Congratulations  should  be  sent  to  Geneva,  N.  Y.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lowe  were  in  Lansing  t he  25th  ult.,  on  their 
way  to  Jackson  and  Lapeer  to  visit  parents. 

Thomas  Dearden,  with  '89, TO., served  his  apprentice 
ship  at  t he  Brooks  Locomotive  Works,  Dunkirk,  N.  Y., 
and  is  now  foreman  of  t he  erecting  gang  in  t he  G r a nd 
T r u nk  Railway  shops  at  Battle  Creek,  Mich. 

Chas.  A.  Sturges,  '75,  after  graduation 

for 
some  time  at  Warsaw,  Ind.,  was  afterwards  elected 
clerk  of  St.  Joseph  Co. for  three  terms,  and  is  now  prac 
ticing  law  at  Sturgis,  Mich.  He  is  unmarried. 

t a u g ht 

Of  t he  eleven  S t a te  certificates  granted  as  a  result  of 
the  recent  examination  in  Lansing,  four  were  granted 
to  M.  A.  C.  students  and  alumni,  viz.:  L.  H.  Baker,  '93, 
H.  W.  Lawson  and  H.  E.  Ward,  '95, and  R.  E.  Doolittle, 
'96. 

C.  P.  Close,  '95, takes  t he  place  of  Wendell  Paddock, 
t he  Geneva  Experiment  Station  during  Mr. 
'93,  at 
t he 
Paddock's  absence  at  Cornell  University  where 
latter  gentleman  will  take  a  t h r ee  month's  course  in 
mycology. 

A.  L.  Pond,  with 

'97,  TO.,  has  a  position  in  E a st 
Orange,  N.  J.,  with  t he  Sprague  Electric  Elevator  Co. 
He  is  wiring  machines  and  as  soon  as  he  is  proficient  at 
t he  business  will  be  sent  out  by  t he  firm  to  do  wiring 
wherever  their  machines  are  sent.  He  iB  very  m u ch 
pleased  with  his  position. 

A  letter  from  R.  S.  Welsh,  '94, whose  address  is  box 
160,  Sault  Ste. Marie,  contains  t he  following: 
"I  hope 
t h at  the  RECORD  will  meet  with  the  success  of  which 
it  is  deserving  and  t h at  it  will  not  be  a  rival  of 
t he 
1 Spec.'  At  present  I  am  teaching  t he  mathematics  in 
t he  Soo  high  school.  The  results  of  t he  institute  held 
at  this  place  are  already  apparent,  as  t he  farmers  who 
attended  have  organized  themselves  into  a  cooperative 
association.  T he  plans  for 
t he  commencement  of  a 
cooperative  supply  store  are  well  nigh  perfected.  They 
will  direct  their  attention  to  other  lines  later  on." 

W.  S.  Delano,  '81, of  t he  Delano  Seed  Co., Lee  P a r k, 
Neb.,  writes  that  he  is  pleased  to  see  t he  RECORD.  Mr. 
Delano  is serving  his  third  term  as  delegate  from  Ne 
braska  to  the  Farmers'  National  Congress.  He  was  del 
egate  from  Nebraska  to  the  Pan-American  Agricultural 
Congress  which  m et  at  Atlanta  last  October  and  pre 
sented  a  paper  on  " Irrigation."  He  was  also  one  of  t he 
commissioners  from  his  state  to  t he  Atlanta  exposition. 
This  week  he  presents  a  paper  on  " Seed  adulteration— 
its  Remedy  "  before  t he  S t a te  F a r m e r s'  Institute. 

Prof.  Charles  E.  Bessey,  '69, professor  of  botany  in  t he 
University  of  Nebraska,  is  well  known  in  t he  scientific 
world  through  his  " Essentials  of  Botany."  He  is  now 
reading  t he  proofs  of  a  thorough  revision  of  this  work, 
which  is  to  appear  next  summer.  He  h as  recently 
completed  t he  revision  of  t he  botanical  articles  for  t he 
new  edition  of  Johnson's  Cyclopedia,  of  which  Dr.  Asa 
Gray  was  formerly  botanical  editor. 
last  at 
Denver  he  was  elected  president  of  t he  Department  of 
Science  of  the  National  Educational  Association,  also 
President  of  t he  Botanical  Society  of  America  at 
its 
meeting  in  Springfield,  MassJ  Since  J u ne  he  h as  held 
the  position  of  Dean  of  t he  Industrial  College  of  t he 
Univereityof  Nebraska  to  which  position  he  was  elected 
in  place  of  Prof.  C.  L.  Ingersoll,  '74,  who  resigned  on 
account  of  failing  health. 

In  J u ly 

F E B R U A RY  4,  1896. 

THE  M.  A.  C.  RECORD. 

3 

T h at  the  ties  of  kinship  are  b ut  little  stronger 

t h an 
those  of  college  friendship  is  attested  by  the  following 
from  George  Richards,  403  Security  building,  Chicago, 
who  thirty  years  ago spent  two  years at  M. A. O:  "  I  h ad 
the  pleasure  of  attending  your  College  during  1865-66. 
Immediately  after  leaving  I  went  south  and  lost  track 
of  all  my  old  schoolmates. 
I  am  now  located  here  and 
would  very  m u ch  like,  if  not  too  much  trouble, for  you 
to  send  me  a  catalogue  of  t h at  year  and  m a rk 
those 
you  t h i nk  are  residing  here.  S.  M.  Tracy  and  F.  Story 
Sleeper  were  my  roommates." 

Mr.  Richards—Catalogues  of  1865-66  are  not  now 
available.  Your  roommates  both  graduated.  F.  Story 
Sleeper  followed  farming  at  Galesburg,  Mich.,  until  his 
d e a t h,  which  occurred  March  25,1884.  S.  M.  Tracy  is 
t he  position  of  Director  of 
alive  and  filling  with  honor 
Experiment  Station  at 
t he  Mississippi  Agricultural 
College.  Geo. F.  Beasley  and  F r a nk  S.  Burton  are  both 
attorneys,  t he  former  at  403-5 Hammond  Bldg.,  Detroit, 
t he  latter  at  30 Elizabeth  st.,  west,  Detroit.  F r a nk  P. 
Davis  is  engineer  of  sewers,  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
resides 46  I  st., N. W.  Alfred  G. Gulley  is  Horticultural-
ist  of  Experiment  Station,  Storrs,  Conn.  Dwight  A. 
Henderson  resides  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  and  is  traveling 
salesman  for  Farrand,  Williams  &  Clark  of  Detroit, 
Mich.  William  D.  Place  is  a  farmer,  Ionia,  Mich. 
J o hn 
Swift  is  landscape  gardener,  farmer  and  surveyor,  Har-
feor  Springs,  Mich.,  and  Warren  A.  Wells  is  a  teacher  in 
Chicago  (Chicago  Lawn). 

P R O S P E C TS  FOR  T HE  YOUNG  F A R M E R. 

Read  at  the  Pontiac  Farmers'  Institute,  Jan.  29,  1896,  by 
James  Y.  Clark,  '85. 

W h en  I  received  a  program  for  this  institute,  t he  first 
t h i ng  I  noticed  was  t h at  t he  horse,  sheep,  and  young 
f a r m er  were  all  p ut  in  one  class  and  their  discussion 
strictly  limited  to  one  hour.  And  I  naturally  came  to 
the  conclusion  t h at  t he  young  farmer  was  not  of  so  very 
m u ch  importance  after  all.  And  when  I  discovered  t h at 
strawberries  and  raspberries  were  allowed  double 
t he 
taken  back,  and 
l e n g th  of  time,  I  was  completely 
t h o u g ht  he  was  scarcely  worth  mentioning  at  all. 
I 
finally  concluded  t h at  he, like  most  other  farm  products, 
m u st  be  in  a  state  of  great  overproduction,  and  there 
fore  fallen  in  value. 

B ut  being  requested  to  portray,  as  nearly  as  possible, 
his  condition  as  future  years  will  find  it,  we  will  be 
compelled  to  sort  him  out  from  among  t he  other  ani 
mals  with  which  he  is  associated,  and  to  deprive  him 
for  a  short  time  of  their  company—after  which  he  may 
retire,  perhaps  never  to  be  heard  of  again. 

T he  farmer  of  t he  future  will  tread,  to  a  large  extent, 
in  t he  paths  worn  deep  by  his  ancestors,  with  t he  same 
-elements  of  earth 
to  wrestle  with,  the  same  laws  of 
n a t u re  to  guide  him,  and  the  same  atmospheric  condi 
t i o ns  to  bless  or  blight  his  labors. 

He  may  harness  to  his  plow  t he  lightning  bolt  of 
Franklin,  and  transport  his  crops  in  mighty  ships  of 
air,  b ut  these  little  innovations  will  not  be  allowed  to 
d i s t u rb  t he  calm  routine  of  his  life,  which  will  proceed 
m u ch  as  in  t he  days  gone  by. 

B ut 

t he  web  of  t he  future  is  so  inseparably  inter 
woven  with  t h at  of  the  present,  the  one  t he  result  of 
a nd  arising  from  t he  other,  t h at  no  adequate  forecast  of 
h is  future  can  be  made  until  we  have  ascertained 
t he 
e x a ct  condition  and  tendencies  of  his  present  environ 
ments. 

L et  us  then  consider  him  first  as  he  now  is. 
He  is  a  creation  of  past  circumstances  and  t he  devel 
o p m e nt  of  300 years  of  colonial  and  national  life.  He  is 
t he  heir  and  embodiment  of  t he  richest  legacy  t h at 
history  can  bestow—liberty  of 
liberty  of 
speech,  liberty  of  action.  T he  blessings  of  a  common 
school  education  are  guaranteed  to  him,  and  colleges 
and  universities  stand  with  open  arms  to  receive  him. 
Scientific  researches  of  the  highest  authorities  are  fur 
nished  free 
to  assist  him  in  his  chosen 
occupation.  His  are  t he  advantages  of  rapid  transit,  of 
high  class  cheap  literature,  and  the  near  prospect  of 
free  distribution  of  rural  mail. 

to  his  hand, 

thought, 

And 

influ 
these  powerful  agencies,  extending  their 
ence  into  the  future,  will  still  continue  to  expand  him 
mentally,  morally,  and  socially.  And  the  typical  Ameri 
c an  farmer  of  the  future,  as  in  the  present,  will  still 
continue  to  be,  in  all  the  aspects  of  his  home,  his  social, 
a nd  his  national  life,  a  person  t h at  cannot  be  paralleled 
among  tillers  of  the  soil  of  any  other  country  on  t he 
globe;  a  m an  among  men,  with  trained  powers  of  mind 
a nd  body,  keenly  alive  to  public  and  private  affairs,  and 
a  s t u d e nt  of  markets,  conditions,  and  events. 

B ut  when  we  come  to  his  financial  prospects,  both  in 
t he  present  and  in  t he  future,  we  must  pause—for  in 
t h is  respect  he  is in  such  straits  t h at  it  would  take  the 
united  efforts  and  all  the  complicated  machinery  of  the 
s t ar  gazers  and  prophets  of  old  to  successfully  evolve 

him*  This  country 
making  it  fast. 

is  making 

financial  history,  and 

t he  grave  consideration  and 

On  all  sides  are  great  national  questions  and  business 
conditions  severely  affecting  agricultural  interests,—con 
the 
ditions  t h at  demand 
organized  action  of  a  class  of  population  who,  t h us  far, 
have  been  unable  either  to organize or  to  stop  producing. 
It  will  be  wise  for  the  young  farmer,  who  is  seeking  a 
solution  of  problems  t h at  will  affect  his  interests  for  all 
financial  conditions  of 
time  to  come,  to  tabulate 
agriculture  as  they  exist  at  t he  present  time,—and  if  he 
does  so, he  will  note  in  the  inventory  t he  following  facts: 

the 

T h at  this  is  an  era  of  low  prices  and  high  taxes. 
T h at  nearly  all  the  staple  products  of  t he  farm,  such 
as  wheat,  oats, barley,  corn,  and  rye, are produced  largely 
in  excess  of  t he  needs  of  the  home  market;  and  t he  sur 
plus,  being  sold  abroad  in  competition  with  products  of 
cheap  lands  and  ill  paid  labor,  fixes  a  ruinous  price  for 
t he  markets  at  home. 

T h at  the  surplus  is  enormously  inflated  by  grain  t h at 
germinated  only  in t he  grain  gambler's  imagination,  to 
be  bought  and  sold  in  t he  markets  of  the  world  in  com 
petition  with  t he  genuine  product. 

T h at  t he  beef  products  are  depressed  below  t he  plane 
of  general  profitable  production, t h at  t he  sheep  industry 
has  been  almost  at  t he  point  of  extermination,  while  t he 
m a r k et  for  pork  products  is  subject  to  great  and  uncer 
tain 

fluctuations. 

T h at  potatoes  and  other  root  crops  are  not  protected 
by  their  perishable  n a t u re  from  the  evils  of  overpro 
duction. 

T h at  in  t he  matter  of  wool  and  even  of  eggs,  t he  for 
eigner  has  met  and  conquered  us  in  t he  markets  of 
the 
first,  and  t he  American  hen  is  making  great  strides 
toward  supplying  t he  deficiency  of  the  last. 

Nor  must  be  ignore  t he  fact  t h at  500,000  immigrants 
are  yearly  swarming  upon  our  shores,  nearly  40 per  cent 
of  whom  are  farmers  whose  products  come  into  direct 
competition  with  our  own,  and  t he  alarming  proportion 
of  50 per  cent  of  whom  are  classed  as  " no  occupation," 
and  add  finally  to  the  burdens  of  taxation,  very  largely, 
of  agricultural  communities. 

That  according  to  government  statistics,  there  rests 
on  every  farm  in  all  this  broad  land  an  average  debt  of 
1,288  dollars  and  on  every  home  a  debt  of  924  dollars. 

And  if  this  does  not  sufficiently  encourage  him,  let 
him  watch  500,000  dollars  in  gold  as  it  daily  leaves  our  • 
shores,  never  to  return,  and  disappears  in  t he  banks  of 
Europe.  And  consider  also  t he  fact,  t h at  while 
the 
whole  amount  of  available  money  at  t he  present  time  in 
this  country  amounts  to  slightly  over  23 dollars  per  cap 
ita,  it  is  not  circulating  to  any  great  extent  in  his  direc 
tion,  and  t h at  t he  farmer's  quota  under  present  condi 
tions  is  growing 
less  and  less,  until  it  is  estimated,  by 
the  middle  of  t he  20th  century,  he  may  be  able  to  do 
without  it  entirely  and  resort 
to  the  primitive  colonial 
method  of  barter  and  exchange. 

He  will  realize  t h at  capital  is  hiding  itself  in  national, 
state,  municipal  and  railway  obligations,  having  a  cer 
tain  fixed  rate  of  interest,  to  t he  enormous  amount  of 
22,000  million  dollars,  being  drawn  from  t he  channels  of 
trade,  commerce,  and  manufacture  by  falling  and  fluc 
tuating  priceB  and  uncertain  profits,  t h us  throwing  mil 
lions  of  workmen  out  of  employment  and  largely  cur 
tailing  the  home  m a r k et  of  the  American  farmer  for  his 
food  products. 

He  will  observe  t h at  gold  is  steadily  appreciating  in 
value  over  its  companion  metal,  and  t h at  all  values,  be 
ing  always  determined  in  terms  of  t he  dearer  metal, 
have  fallen  and  are  still  falling  in  a  like  ratio;  t h us  hav 
ing  t he  double  effect  on  t he  farmer  of  requiring  yearly 
more  and  more  of  his  agricultural  products  to  secure 
one  dollar  in  money,  and,  at  the  same  time,  depriving 
him  of  his  markets  among  manufacturing  people. 

In  short,  an  inventory  of  present conditions  reveals  t he 

following  facts: 

T h at  our  present  coinage  and 

financial 

system 

is 

greatly  detrimental  to  t he  interests  of  t he  farmer. 

T h at 

this  is  a  period  of  much  overproduction  and 
great  underconsumption,  when  a  general  normal  yield 
of  our  staple  agricultural  products  forces  t h em  below 
t he  point  of  profitable  production. 

T h at  this  last  named  evil  will  increase  rather  t h an 
t he 

diminish,  as  our  surplus  multiplies 
wants  of  our  consumers. 

faster 

than 

T h at  while  the  salaries  and  taxes  we  pay  are  steadily 
increasing,  and  mortgages,  given  in  a  season  of  prosper 
ity, are  resting  heavily  upon  our  farms,  fully  one-half  of 
our  debt-paying  capacity  has  been  taken  from  us  since 
t he  year  1880, and  this  through  fio  fault  of  t he  farmer, 
b ut  unjust  tariff  and  monetary  legislation  being  mainly 
responsible. 

•> 

It  is  with  such  environments  as  these  t h at  the  young 
farmer  approaches  t he  dawn  of  t he  20th  century.  As 
they  are  settled  against  him  or  in  his  favor,  so will  his 
future  be. 

A  great  change  has  been  taking  place  in  t he  material 

affairs  of  this  country,  and  will  continue  to  do  so  for  a 
long  time  to  come, and  t he  tiller  of  t he  soil  in  t he  future 
m u st  adapt  himself  thereto. 

He  is  not  privileged,  as  were  his  fathers,  to  hew  from 
t he  unbroken  forest,  purchased  from  the  government  at 
a  merely  nominal  sum,  a  home  and  a  landed  estate. 
He  can  not,  as  did  some  of  his  ancestors,  with  little  or 
no  capital  invested,  raise  enough  of  the  golden  grain  to 
clear  his  indebtedness  in  a  single  year. 

He  must  resign  himself  to  the  proposition  t h at 

t he 
era  of  high  prices  for  staple  farm  products  has  gone 
never  to  return,  unless  it  be  temporarily  in  t he  event  of 
a  great  national  crisis. 

He  must  take  into  account  the  natural  subdivision  of 
estates  among  heirs  and  his  decreased  ability  to  pur 
chase,  and  accept  the  position  of  small  land  owner  like 
a  philosopher. 

He  can  accept  t he  situation  t h us  far  as  being  the  nat 
ural  consequence  of  t he  development  of  a  great  n a t u r al 
agricultural  country  like  ours,  and  as  being  among  t he 
things  he  can  not  prevent. 

" W i th  farm  lands  continually  decreasing 

He  has  now  come to things  he  can  and  should  prevent. 
Says  Worthy  Master  Horton  of  t he  Michigan  State 
Grange: 
in 
value, many  men  who  own  good  farms,  borrowing  money 
to  pay  taxes  thereon,  mortgages  increasing  in  n u m b e rs 
and  amounts,  farmers  unable  to  employ  farm  and  me 
chanical  labor,  land  owners  growing  less  and  farm  ten 
ants  increasing,  it  is  pertinent 
for 
every  farmer  to  ask  himself,  is  this  land  of  ours  destined 
to  follow  in  t he  same  historic  p a t hs  of  t he  countries  of 
in  absolute  centralized 
t he  old  world,  and 
wealth 
t he 
and  power, 
individual  farmer  as  a  land  owner,  by  a  tenant  peas 
antry.  There  are  conditions  existing  and  working  today 
t h at  seem  to  be  forcing  us  dangerously  near 
such 
results." 

t he  displacement  of 

to  consider,  and 

result 
and 

T he  American  agriculturist  has  arrived  at  t he  parting 
of  two  roads  and  upon  his  selection  depends  t he  welfare 
of  future  generations. 

On  the  one hand  are  the  forces  of  concentrated  wealth 
and  power  and  corporate  greed,  and  down  t h at  pathway 
has  traveled  many  a  nation,  t he  condition  of  whose 
farmers  may  be seen  in  t he  beasts  of  burden  in  the  sem 
blance  of  men,  who  are  tilling  t he  plains  of  Europe 
today—mere  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  for 
capital,  political  nonentities,  and  socially  exterminated. 
On  t he  other  h a nd  are  summoning  us, all  the  honored 
traditions  of  our  calling,  and  t he  end  of  t h at  road  is 
political,  industrial,  and  financial  independence  and  full 
American  citizenship. 

W h en  we  reflect  t h at  many  of  our  present  ills,  result 
ing  from  n a t u r al  causes,  while  they  can  not  be  pre 
vented,  at  least  may  be  greatly  alleviated,  and  t h at  a 
great  majority  of  our  misfortunes  result  alone  from  our 
isolated  positions  and  divided  forces,  is  it  not  a  warning 
to  us  more  fully  to  organize? 

We  are  surrounded  by  organizations  whose 

interests 
are  antagonistic  to  ours.  Shall  we  not  meet  organiza 
tion  with  organization? 

W h en  one  street  in  New  York  has  more  influence  in 
our  legislative  halls  t h an  an  agricultural  population  of 
40 millions,  when  t he  manufacturer's  interests  are  pro 
tected  as  against  those  of  t he  producer,  when  honest 
competition  no  longer  comes  forth  to  bid  for  your  pro 
duce,  b ut  instead,  you  are  compelled  to  seek  and  accept 
t he  dictates  of  an  organized  army  of  middle  men  and 
grain  gamblers,  when  they  have  gained  t he  power  to 
depress  your  prices,  while  raising  them  to  t he  consumer, 
does  not  the  situation  demand  wholesale  organization 
among  farmers  to  protect  their  own  interests? 

It  is  idle  to  talk  of  attempting  to  further  reduce  t he 
cost  of  producing  a  bushel  of  grain;  and,  with  our 
present  economical  methods 
farm 
machinery, it  is  almost  an  insult  to  t he  farmers  to  do  so. 
It  is  folly  to  a t t e m pt  to  add  to  your  income  by  produc 
ing  more,  when  you  are  already  producing  too  much,  for 
the  means  adopted  will  finally  defeat  its  own  object. 

improved 

and 

And 

if  we  should  by  any  method  accomplish  s u c h-
results,  does  not  t he  organized  force  which  now  controls 
our  produce  stand  ready  with  opportunity  and  power  to 
absorb  any  element  of  profit  we  may  have  created? 

The  great  question 

is,  not  how 

to  produce  more 
to 

cheaply,  not  how  to  increase  production,  b ut  how 
m a r k et  b e t t er  t h at  which  we  already  produce. 

in 

T he  only  remedy  for  t he  present 

ills  of  agriculture 
lies 
t he  direction  of  education  and  organization. 
Individually  we  are  helpless,  collectively  all  things  are 
possible. 

And  we  t h i nk  the  prediction  is  a safe  one,  t h at  within 
a  single  generation,  t he  American  farmer  will  find  him 
self  in  one  of  two  positions—either  on  t he  downward 
p a th  of  agricultural  dependence,  of  poverty,  of  property 
qualification  to  impair  his  voting  franchise  and  silence 
his  voice  in  legislation,  of  land  tenantry,  evictions  and 
social  ostracism,  as  it  exists  in  England  today. 

He  will  either  have  taken  t he  first 

irrevocable  steps 

firmest 

towards  such  abhorrent  conditions,  or  on  t he  other 
hand,  he  will  find  himself  k n it  in  the 
farmers' 
organization  t he  world  has  ever  seen,  one  t h at  will  pro 
through 
tect  his  interests  every  day  in  t he  year,  and 
which  most  of  his  business  will  be  transacted.  An  or 
ganization  legally  incorporated  for  t he  purpose  of  rais 
ing  farm  produce  and  marketing  t he  same,  one  t h at 
can  lend  money,  contract  debts,  issue  bonds,  execute 
and  foreclose  mortgages,  and  has  all  t he  rights  and  can 
lawfully 
perform  all  the  acts  t h at  an 
have  and  perform,  an  organization  with 
rules  and 
regulations  of  t he  farmer's  own  fashioning,  and  with 
compulsory  powers  over  its  own  members  for  t he  en 
forcement  of  t he  same,  one  t h at  can  protect  its  weaker 
members,  and  withhold  their  produce  until  the  market 
is  in  fit  condition  to  receive  it. 

individual  may 

The  farmer  would  then  be  in  a  position  to  face 

t he 
world.  He  would  be  in  t he  same  position,  for 
lawful 
purposes,  as  are  t he  members  of  t r u st  companies  at  t he 
present  time. 

Are  we  doing  our  duty  when  we  allow  an 

immense 
army  of  middlemen  to  station  themselves  at  all  points 
where  produce  is  bought  and  sold,  to  dictate  prices  and 
absorbe  t he  income  from  crops  already  scarce  worth  t he 
raising? 

Is  not  the  farmer  almost  criminally  negligent,  when 
t he  hands  of 
he  allows  his  produce  to  pass  through 
t he  consumer, 
several  go-betweens  before 
resulting  very  often  in  depressing  t he  price  to  the  one 
below  the  living  point,  and  of  so  immensely 
increasing 
t he  cost  to  t he  other  t h at  multitudes  are  starving  for 
bread  in  this  land  overflowing  with  food  products? 

reaching 

We  hear  much  of  the  farmer's  heavy  burden  of  taxa 
tion.  But  here  is  a  needless  drain  upon  him,  whose 
enormity  exceeds  t h at  of  his  State,  county  and 
local 
taxes  combined—a  tax,  aside  from  transportation  and 
other  charges,  of  from  20  to  30  dollars on every  thousand 
bushels  of  wheat  he  sells, and  an  equal  or  greater  sum 
on  all  other  cereals,  potatoes  and  other  root  crops.  Hay, 
wool,  eggs  and  butter  suffer  even  more  heavily,  while 
t he  dealer  levies  a  tax  of  from  25  to  50  cents  on  every 
hundred  weight  of  live beef,  pork  or  m u t t on  he  carries 
to  market.  These  are  conservative  estimates,  and  many 
times  could  be  truthfully  increased  rather  t h an  dimin 
ished,  and  represent  the  aggregate  sums  collected  by 
t he  several  go-betweens  for  transacting,  for  the  farmers, 
t he  farmers'  own  business. 

And  these  enormous  taxes  are  surreptitiously  exacted, 
t he 

not  once  b ut  at  all  seasons  of  t he  year,  not  upon 
advalorem  b ut  upon  the  specific  plan. 

We  predict  t h at  t he  future  will  evolve  an  organiza 
tion  through  which  the  farmer  will  transact  his  own 
business  through  his  own  paid  agent,  when  he  will 
remain  in  full  ownership  of  his  produce  until  it  passes 
into  the  hands  of  the  wholesale  consumer.  An  organi 
zation  t h at  will  eliminate  all  needless  intermediaries 
between  the  farmer  and  his  customer,  and return  to  him 
t he  whole  income  from  his  crop  less  actual  carrying 
charges.  An  organization  t h at  will  gradually  become 
national  in  its  character,  because  of  being  a 
financial 
benefit  to  every  farmer  t h at  joins 
it—one  t h at  will  in 
crease  in  a  ten-fold  ratio  the  farmer's  potency  in  legisla 
tion,  and  forever  remove  mere  questions  of  business 
from  t he  realm  of  partisan  politics. 

And  when  such  an organization  comes, as it must  come, 
if  the  farmer  is  not  to  become  a  mere  cipher  in  our  body 
politic,  then  will  t he  wall  t h at  has  melted  away  and 
compelled  us  to  compete  with  cheap  lands  and  pauper 
labor,  rise  again.  Then  will  the  parasites  who  fatten  on 
t he  misfortunes  of  the  farmer  be  removed  from  the  car 
rying  trade  of  his  produce—then  will  our  financial  sys 
tem  expand  broad  enough  for  the  needs  of  the  poor  as 
well  as  t he  luxuries  of  t he  rich,  and  t he  agricultural 
interests  of 
in  a 
measure  commensurate  with  their  importance. 

this  country  obtain  consideration 

The  Grange  and  other  organizations  have  performed  a 
noble  work  in  t he  uplifting  and  education  of  t he  farmer. 
. The  abuses  they  have  corrected  and  t he  reforms  they 
have  effected  have  been  many  and  great.  They  are 
worthy  our  constant  and  united  support  for  they  stand 
today  as  t he  only  factors  working  for  the  especial  bene 
fit  of  t he  farmer. 

B ut  we  have  arrived  at  a  juncture,  in  our  history 
when  t he  very  instinct  of  self  preservation  calls  for  or 
ganization,  not  alone  for  educational  and  social,  b ut  for 
financial  benefit  as  well.  Not  of  one-hundredth  part 
nor  one-quarter,  b ut  of  t he  whole  of  our  producing  pop 
ulation.  Not  for  spasmodic  effort,  b ut  for  the  daily  sup 
port  and  protection  of  the  farmer  in  his  social  and  bus 
iness  life. 

And  we  believe  t h at  t he  man  or  set  of  men  who  will 
grasp  in  its  full  import  the  condition  of  t he  farmer,  and 
carry  out  this  idea  to  its  full  fruition,  whether  it  comes 
t h r o u gh  t he  machinery  of  organizations  already  exist 
ing  or  through  another  t h at  shall  expand  and  absorb 

^^ 

THE  M.  A.  C.  R E C O R D. 

FEBRUARY  4,  1896. 

t h em  all,  will  receive 
generations. 

the  fervent  blessings  of 

future 

Nearly  three  h u n d r ed  years  ago  Divine  Providence 
planted  on  the  stern  New  England  hills  a  new  idea  in 
t he  minds  of  men,  an  idea  t h at  t he  world  had  never 
heard  of  before.  Aristocracy  scoffed  at 
it,  monarchs 
trembled  at  it,  and  oppression  tried  to  throttle  it,  b ut  it 
would  not  down. 
It  fired  t he  heart  of  t he  settler  in  t he 
unbroken  forest,  it  guided  t he  pen  of  Jefferson  and 
breathes  forth  in  every  line  of  our  Constitution,  and 
has  descended  to  us  as  a  precious  heritage  for  our  safe 
keeping. 
It  was  the  idea  of  self  government,  govern 
ment  near  t he  people,  t he  common  people, of  t he  people, 
for  t he  people,  and  by  the  people. 

As  it  has  been  in  the  past  so  will  it  continue  to  be  in 
t he  future,  a  place  of  refuge  and  a  bulwark  of  strength 
against  all  threatening  evils.  And  the  young  American 
farmer,  the  living  exponent  of  t he  idea  and  foundation 
of  all  t r ue  national  greatness,  shall  still  be  worthy  to  be 
called  " the  uncrowned  king." 

ARE  YOU  60IN6 

=\ 

\ 

^COLLEGE? 

To  this  question 

QQ  p g |> 

( J 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? 

RUSSIAN  PEASANT  L I F E. 

Occupations  a nd  System  of  L a nd  O w n e r s h i p. 

yE 

*^ 

Pfkf 

CZftfl't 

Of  those  who  expect 

^  *  wCTi-ff.  to  go  somewhere 

[Written  for  the  RECORD  by  Vadim  Sobennikoff,  '96.] 
The  Russian  empire  occupies  a  continuous  area  of 
land  over  eight  and  one-half  millions  of  square  miles  in 
extent.  This  enormous  territory  is  inhabited  by  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  millions  of  peoples  belong 
ing  to  one  hundred  and  ten  nationalities. 

The  popular  idea  of  average  Americans  or  Europeans 
about  the  Russian  empire,  as  an  enormous  snow-covered 
plain,  is  quite  erroneous; for,  owing  to her  vast area,  Rus 
sia  has a  variety  of climates  and  physical  characteristics. 
The  only  way  I  can  account  for  t he  existence  of  such  an 
idea  in  America  or  Europe  is  this:  Americans  get  their 
knowledge  from  western  Europe.  Until  now  Russia  is 
little  known  and  understood  by  western  Europe,  and 
was  almost  unknown  a  century  ago.  T he 
first  great 
European  explorers, who  made  quite  an  intimate,  though 
somewhat  one-sided  acquaintance  with  Russia,  were 
Charles  X II  and  Napoleon  I. 

These  explorers  and  their  comrades,  whose  names  are 
legion,  received  a  sufficiently  strong  impression  of  t he 
snow  covered  plains of  Russia  to  h a u nt  popular  imagina 
tion  down  to  our  own  times. 

The  t r u th  is  t h at  the  climate  of  Russia  can  satisfy 
even  t he  most  fastidious.  There  are  some  sufficiently 
cool  places  to  keep  cool  even  the  most  hot  headed  of  the 
Russian  people,  as  for  example,  some  river  valleys  near 
Yakoutsk  with  an  average  temperature  in  J a n u a ry  of 62° 
Fahr.,  below  zero,  and  occasionally  drops  down  to  80°. 
B ut  we  have  places  with  African  heat,  as  Merv  in 
Turkestan  with  a  mean  temperature  in  J u ly  of  90°. 

Besides  these  real  and  imaginary  snow  clad  plains,  we 
have  places  where  any  member  of  t he  Alpine  Club 
can  find  a  good  test  of  his  abilities;  we  have  K h an 
Tengri,  some  24,000 feet  above  sea  level,  which  is  higher 
than  any  mountain  in  North  or  Central  America. 
In 
Turkestan  we  have  another  extremity,  depressions  some 
85 feet  below  sea  level. 

Soil  and  vegetation  present 

some  variety.  Sandy 
deserts  of  Turkestan,  grassy  steppes  of  Western  Siberia, 
black  land  of  Little  Russia,  frozen  " t u n d r a s ,"  (swamps) 
of  t he  far  North,  gravelly  steppes  of  Transbaikal,  and 
forest  clad  mountains  and  valleys  of  Southern  Siberia. 
After  all  t h at  has  been  said  it  is  clearly  impossible  to 
make  any  broad  generalizations  for  t he  whole  Russian 
Empire,  with  regard  to  climate,  inhabitants, 
industries 
or  systems  of  agriculture. 

But  Russia  possesses  an  enormous  territory,  having  a 
striking  uniformity  of  its  general  features,  its  climate 
and  physical  characteristics. 
It  is  a  plain,  intersected 
mendianally  by the  low  Ural  chain, stretching  from  Po 
land  to  the  Yenisei River and  from  t he  t u n d r as of  t he  far 
north  to  the  Black  Sea,  Caucasian  mountains  and  Turk 
estan  deserts.  This  is  our  agricultural  zone,  empire  of 
"  moojik"  (peasant),  where  is  concentrated  a  really 
Russian  population—Great,  Little,  and  White  Russians. 
Here  live  about  85 per  cent  of  t he  population  of  Russia, 
of  whom  about  90 per  cent  are  agriculturists. 

This  vast  plain,  wooded  in  t he  Northwest,  becomes 
treeless  toward  t he  Southeast.  Over  t he  whole  of 
its 
area  it  has  a  decidedly  continental  climate,  character 
ized  by  intense  cold  in  winter,  high  temperature 
in 
summer  and  rapid  changes  of  seasons.  Over  a  greater 
part  of  this  plain  there  is  lack  of  moisture  in  spring  and 
summer.  W i th  regard  to  agriculture  this  region  may 
be  roughly  subdivided  into  North  Region,  Black  E a r th 
Region  and  Steppe  Region. 

[To  be 

continued.] 

The  University  glee, banjo  and  mandolin  club  cleared 
in  money  and  $1,000  in  experience  and  fun  during 

its  tour  this  year.—  Ex. 

DO 

N OT  K N OW  WHERE  TO  GO. 

To  these  we  have  a  few  words  to  say  in  favor  of  t he 

/IIMcbtQan 
B$rtcultural 
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 h e f 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. 

in  field,  garden  and  shop;  and 

The  work  of  the  class  room  is  supplemented  with 
practical  work 
t h is 
together  with  military  drill,  gymnasium  practice  and 
athletics  promotes  vigorous  health.  A  street  car 
line 
connects  us  with  t he  city,  t h us  giving  us  exceptional 
social  and  religious  privileges. 

"^ 

Expenses  are  Reasonable 

to  residents  of 

T u i t i on  F r ee 
t he  State;  $5.00  per 
term  to  non-residents.  Board  in  clubs  costs  about  $2.5 
per  week.  You  can  get  board  and  rooms  in  t he  city  i 
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  t he  expense  of  t he 
physical,  one  t h at  does  develop  the  skilled  farmer  a nd 
mechanic,  send  us  your  name  and  let  us  furnish  you 
with  catalog  and  further  particulars. 

ADDRESS  "THE  SECRETARY/' 

Agricultural  College, 
Michigan.