3fU 91L & ©. & ecor A VOLUME I. LANSING, MICHIGAN, TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1896. NUMBER 9. GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. REPORTED BY O. C. HOLLISTER, 'S labor system as existing At t he good roads convention held in Lansing March 3, Gov. Rich, in a few well directed remarks, stated t he purpose for which t he meeting was called, directed atten in tion to the present road most of t he counties of this State, some of its apparent defects, the stand taken by many of our neighboring to states in t he m a t t er of roads, leaving t he convention say if they looking toward a bettering of our country roads, and called for nominations for a temporary chairman and secretary. In response to this t he Hon. W. L. Webber of Saginaw, and Mr. F r a nk Hodgman of Climax, occupied the posi tions. thould recommend any measures In t h at county interest was gathered. Upon vote t he convention deciding to form a per manent organization, the chair appointed a committee of five to draft a constitution. Pending this report t he question of roads was discussed quite largely by mem bers from the different localities. All seemed to agree t h at the labor system was inadequate to build and care for t he roads. From the Bay county delegation, m u ch of they are working under t he county road system, using t he pro ceeds from t he " Labor Tax " collected in money and an addition of one mill highway tax. Their work is carried t he direction of five commissioners elected on under one every year and holding for five years. In t he work they have expended about $300,000, which amount has built 63 miles of rock road, graded 30 miles more ready for the stone ballast and kept in repair in much better shape t h an under t he labor system, all the roads of t he county. In t he outset their roads cost in t he neighbor hood of $3,000 per mile b ut at present with t he benefit of the first few years experience they are building better roads at from $1,500 to $1,600 per mile. This in a county where all stone ballast has to be shipped in by rail and t he freight is half t he cost, speaks encouragingly for t he counties where stone is plenty along t he line of t he high way. It was also gathered t h at one man living eleven miles from Bay City was able to h a ul t he same amount of grain in four, on t he stone road that formerly required twelve days on t he dirt road. to act with The constitution as reported on by t he committee provided for t he name of t he association, T he Michigan League for Good Roads, an executive force of four officers, an executive committee of twelve members, one from each congressional district, the officers; t h at all present should be members of t he League, t h at all funds should be raised by contribution. It also pro vided t h at county and township leagues might be or ganized to act with the State League, and t h at when so formed the president of the County League should be a vice president of t he State League, ex officio, and in counties where no league was formed the President of t he State League should appoint a vice president from t h at county. t h at It was also voted the chair should appoint a committee of five to look over the existing road laws and their minds in appeared beneficial, to t he next meeting. recommend any measures, t h at After a collection which amounted to $35.47 t he con vention adjourned to meet at t he call of the President. Among t he M. A. C. men present were, D r. Beal, Profs. Vedder, Babcock and P a s h by of t he College, C. J. Monroe, with '61, of S o u th Haven, F r a nk Hodgman, '62, Climax, C. E. Hollister, '61, and O. C. Hollister '89, Laingsburg. WORK W I TH X R A T S. W. J. McGEE, '8 On February 26, Mr. G. N. E a s t m an and myself began experimenting with t he Roentgen or X rays. We directed our efforts merely towards getting a picture, or shadow, by t he rays, and not to the discovery of any new proper ties. At t he first trial we connected three cells of t he storage battery with a large Ruhmkoff coil, and t he coil we connected with a Crooke's t u be by means of fine cop per wires. Then taking an ordinary 5 x7 plate holder containing one Seed's plate, we set it directly under t he Crooke's tube and p ut around on it a lead pencil, latch key, nickel five cent piece, and silver q u a r t e r. T he slide of t he plate- holder was in, of course, and these articles rested on it, as also did t he Crooke's t u b e. We t u r n ed on t he current \ * and kept it on for about fifty minutes, after which we took t he plate to t he dark room and developed it. B ut there was only a faint trace on the plate to show t h at there h ad been any action of t he X rays. T h e re was a spot in one corner which offered some encouragement and also a couple of straight marks corresponding to t he metal guides inside the plate holder. We decided t h at a longer exposure should be tried t he next time. On February 28th we connected up t he coil with three cells of t he storage battery as before, b ut took a larger Crooke's tube. Then we took another plate holder and, wrapping it in about twelve folds of a black silk cloth, we placed it under t he Crooke's tube. This time we suspended t he t u be about three inches above t he plate. On top of t he cloth wrapped plate holder with a plate inside, we placed a pocket note book with a lead pencil in t he back, and a silver dollar in the ticket pocket. Near this we placed various other objects, viz , a couple of letters cut from sheet lead, a nickel five cent piece, and a die with a silver pin on top of it. This we exposed to t he action of t he rays about four hours. T he Crooke's t u be during action was filled with inter a pale greenish light which flickered and flashed mittently. T he distance between t he Crooke's t u be was about four inches. t he points in W h en we developed t he plate we found we h ad a very good "shadowgraph." The dollar and nickel were of about equal density, though t he nickel lay out on t he cloth while the dollar was inside the note book. The lead pencil showed up plainly, t he lead as a sharp line of black and the wood only as a thin shading. T he die showed up as a black square, b ut t he pin showed blacker. The die was of bone, and the pin of silver. We were quite well satisfied with t he results, b ut our desire for experimenting has not been satisfied yet, and we are planning to try to determine of the source of t he rays, also to try t he opacity of different metals to t he rays. STANDARD BOOKS AT LOW P R I C E S. P E O F. A. B. N O B L E. Having some curiosity to know how far five dollars would go in t he purchase of standard literature, I have recently given some time to looking up prices in t he Publishers' Trade List Annual. I have not h ad time to go t h r o u gh t he unwieldly volume, b ut I have gone far enough to reach t he conclusion that, excluding copy right books, there are only a few well-known books of standard literature t h at cannot be h ad in fairly good paper, print, and binding for fifty cents or less. I have passed by all paper-bound books, also cloth-bound books t h at I had reason to believe were poorly made. F or t he prices quoted, t he books can be secured of any reputable dealer; indeed, it is not an infrequent occur rence to find t h em on sale at less t h an t he list price. F or thirty cents one may secure Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, House of Seven Gables, Twice-Told Tales, Mosses from an Old Manse, Wonder Book, or Blithe- dale Romance (" Salem " edition, Houghton, Mifflin & Co.). F or thirty-five cents each, one may get Adam Bede, Autocrat of t he Breakfast Table, Emerson's Essays (2 vols.), Felix Holt, Ivanhoe, J a ne Eyre, J o hn Halifax, Kenilworth, Oliver Twist, Our M u t u al Friend, Silas Marner, Sketch Book, and Vanity Fair ("Advance" edition, Donohue, Henneberry & Co.). At forty cents Henry Altemus publishes A Window in T h r u m s, Representative Men, Treasure Island, Tales from Shakespeare, Essays of Elia, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and some others already named, to list list fifty cents, t he When we get is greatly extended. To avoid repetitions, I omit books already mentioned at a lower price, also names of publishers. T he includes Auld L i c ht Idylls, Bleak House, Daniel Deronda, David Copperfield, T he Deemster, Dombey and Son, H e a rt of Midlothian, L a st Days of Pompeii, Lorna Doone, Mill on the Floss, Middlemarch, Nicholas Nickleby, Old Curiosity Shop, Romola, Robin son Crusoe, Heroes and Hero Worship, In Memoriam, Abbe" Constantin, Tartarin of Tarascon, Tartarin on t he an Alps, Bacon's Essays, Micah Clarke, Story of African F a r m, and Don Quixote. T he cheapest edition of t he poets t h at I should care to recommend is t h at published by Crowell & Co. at includes M a t t h ew seventy-five cents. This edition (probably Arnold, Browning includes only t he early poems on which copyright h as expired, and if so, is not to be recommended), Burns, (incomplete), Bryant Iliad," and Byron, Milton, Tennyson, and Wordsworth. It also includes Palgrave's Golden Treasury (a book of selec translations of Dante, tions admirably chosen) and Goethe, " F a u s t ," Hugo, " T he " T he Odyssey." F or those who can afford it, t he " Globe " edition, published, by D. Appleton & Co. at one dollar, is to be preferred in all respects save external appearance. Of Shakespeare, t he best cheap edition is probably t he Leopold Shakespeare ($1.50, Cassell P u b. Co.). T he American Poets—still copyrighted—can be had at t he same price ( " H o u s e h o l d" edition), or in t he cheaper " C a b i n e t" edition, for one dollar (Houghton, Mifflin & Co.). in good, attractive form Space does not permit me to name other standard books at seventy-five cents, or to say anything about sets of books. T he making out of a list of books t h at can be b o u g ht for five dollars may be left to t he reader. It is enough to say t h at five dollars will b uy ten books of standard literature, giving t he purchaser his choice o ut of t he writings of t he great novelists, Scott, Dick ens, ' Thackeray, George Eliot, and Hawthorne, some of t he great poets, and a few volumes from such a u t h ors as L a m b, Irving, Carlyle, and Emerson. A compar ison of these prices with t he price of t he ordinary s u b scription book, to say nothing of comparing t he merits of t he two classes of books, would show up in clear light t he outrageous price of the average subscription book, and ought to go far toward replacing it with a better class of reading. Those who can afford it may prefer to" get more ex pensive editions, b ut t h at is a matter of luxury, not of necessity. At t he prices quoted above, who cannot afford to b uy good books? English Department. Y. M. C. A. R E C E P T I O N. The usual spring term reception was given by the Y. M. C. A. in their parlors last Friday evening. These receptions are always pleasing affairs and this one was fully up to t he average. One could not help remarking t he unusually large number of ladies present—so much for t he hope of co-education; w h at will t he reality be? After t he opening exercises, which included s h o rt devotional exercises and a brief address of welcome by t he president of t he association, L. D. Sees, t he follow ing progrom was presented: Recitation, Practical Farming, by C. H. VanAuken; select reading, "Bill Nye on t he Steam Radiator," by W. J. McGee; music, man dolin and guitar by Messrs. P a r t r i d ge and E a s t m a n; recitation, T he Director's Visit to School, by Miss Bertha Wellman; a talk by Dr. Howard E d w a r d s; and music, guitar and two mandolins, by Miss Lizzie Tru man and Messrs. Partridge and E a s t m a n. Mr. F r a nk Yebina was then called upon for a song and gave one in his native J a p a n e se tongue. to find his answer and take The social hour which followed was not by any means t he least enjoyable part of t he evening. Sealed English walnut shells, each containing either a conundrum or its answer, were passed around, with t he injunction to each who got a conundrum, it into t he next room for refreshments. This diversion instead of being followed by after dinner speeches, was followed by a potato walk, in which t he contestants each picked up with a teaspoon five large potatoes, one at a time, and carried t h em to a pan in t he middle of t he room. Easy? Well j u st try it sometime when you It is worthy of note t h at t he married are in a hurry. ladies seemed more skillful at it t h an did t he bachelor girls, including improvements at Lectures in bacteriology began yesterday (Monday). The class in horse dissection also began work yesterday. Several additions, changes and the Veterinary Laboratory should be noted. T he depart m e nt has recently added to its equipment a considerable new apparatus for carrying on investigations in bacteri sterilizers, metal a nd glass cages ology, for and a large variety of glass vessels, all of which t he class will make use of during t he remaining weeks of t he term. T he wing- room, on for a dissecting floor, will be used room, and t he second floor room formerly used for t h at purpose will be fitted up for a work room in bacteri ology. rats and Guinea pigs, first T he committee to whom was referred t he matter of continuing t he class in physical culture, decided t h at t h o u gh such a class is desirable, no time could be spared for it this term. 2 T HE M. A. C. R E C O R D. M A R CH 10, 1896. 9%> 511. (21. ©. decora. well pleased with our college t h at she has decided to remain with us as a student. P U B L I S H ED W E E K LY BY T HE MICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE EDITED BY T HE FACULTY. ADDBESS ALL M A IL TO AGRICULTURAL C O L L E G E, M I C H. S U B S C R I P T I O N, 50 CENTS P ER Y E A R. Business Office with ROBERT SMITH & Co., State Printers and Binders, 406 Michigan Ave., East, Lansing, Mich. To be entered as second class matter at Lansing, Mich. the stillness of To one who has been at t he college the greater part of t he t he winter t he contrast between vacation and t he present bustle and life m u st bririg many and varied t h o u g h t s. All winter long t he walks and halls have been deserted. At long intervals a lonely footstep has waked t he startled echoes, b ut they have been as infrequent as those of t he miserable wanderers on t he banks of t he Styx. Now all over t he grounds one meets bright, young cheerful laughter and song, one feels t he pulsating energy of the It is t he contrast between darkness and h u m an spirit. light, between chaos and cosmos, between death and life. faces, one hears Our class rooms are filled with earnest workers. Our professors report t h at never was better work being done. There seems to be scarcely an idler among our students. Many have come back with high resolves against past errors and are earnestly striving to carry out their pur poses. It is well just at this point to remember t h at reforms t h at are worth anything cost pain and effort and steady persistence. H a b i ts are not made or unmade in a day. H a b it is effort crystallized by repetition. Time and effort m u st enter into its formation. At t he west end of Williams hall there is a stone threshold. Originally its upper surface was a plane. Thousands of restless, hurrying feet have passed over it and each, whether it danced its careless way to t he ball ground or bore a stunned and bleeding h e a rt to a motherless home, carried away particles of t he stone threshold; till today its center is sunken two inches below t he sides, and its is a curve whose equation even Mr. Pashby surface would shrink from attacking. Thus, repeated actions wear channels in our being, and t he courses of our very n a t u re are irrevocably determined. Good channels, bad channels; right courses, wrong courses—which shall it be? Habits of study are formed according to t he same law. He who has formed here, or shall form here, good habits of study, has reaped incalculable benefit from his course. It is better to learn t h at t h an a thousand other things combined. The central features of good habits of study, are abstraction and concentration—power to withdraw your mind from other things, and power to concentrate the whole attention on any designated sub ject. These are powers which angels might well covet, and yet they come to those who are diligent, determined and persistent. When you take up a given subject, keep t he mind steadily fixed on it; never let t he atten tion wander to anything else until you are t h r o u gh with t h at in hand. W h en t he attention does stray (and it will do this every few minutes at first), bring it back again all the more earnestly, and do this again and AGAIN and AGAIN, and still once again. Slowly, very slowly, you will recognize an added power. Then you may begin to rejoice. B ut never- let mere lip repetition take t he place of mental tension. AT T HE COLLEGE. Prof. Taft was in Monroe on business last week. Hon. C. J. Monroe was at t he College Wednesday. Mr. and Mrs. F u l t on are moving into t he herdsman's house. Two large cases for animals are being erected in t he museum. The M. A. C. Grange will hereafter meet once in two weeks, on Friday evening. Editor J. H. Dennis, of t he Hastings Journal, looked over our College last Tuesday. George W. Rose, with '95, TO., Benton Harbor, is renew ing old acquaintances at M. A. C. B. O. Longyear, Instructor in Botany, was on t he sick list a couple of days last week. The J u n i o rs are having forcing-house work with Mr. Dean, Assistant in Horticulture. Messrs. Crozier, True, and Yebina visited t he Wil- liamston Grange last Wednesday night. Miss Essie Singleton of Caseville, who was mentioned last week as a guest of Prof, and Mrs. Woodworth, is so A. W. Chase, with '94, and J. C. Adams, with '95, b o th of Detroit, were at t he College last Friday. Mr. Norris Vedder, of Sandstone, Jackson Co , Mich., was t he guest of Prof. H. K. Vedder last week. Some of the co eds are taking work in grafting, and are reported as being skillful at t he business. Sixty acres on t he farm were sown to clover seed last week, much of the work being done by students. We are glad to have Mrs. Babcock with us again, and to see her looking so well. She returned last Tuesday. Miss Carrie L. Holt of Lansing, and Mr. C. M. Kren- tel, a brother of A. C. Krentel, are among our new students. Those who heard the sermon of the Rev. K n i g ht of Saginaw, who preached in the chapel March 1, speak very highly of it. Mrs. M. L. Dean has returned from Grand Rapids, where she has been spending the past week with her mother and sister. O. C. Hollister, '89, Laingsburg, was one of t he dele the gates to t he good roads convention, and made College a visit t he next day. T he Detroit Journal of March 5 contains a c ut of t he photograph dents, McGee and E a s t m a n. taken by t he Roentgen system by our stu Mrs. E m ma A. Thomas, superintendent of penman ship in the Detroit city schools, and her sister, were visitors at t he College last week. Prof. P. B. Woodworth has just returned from a trip to Madison, Wis., where he has been examining Prof. King's equipment and methods in soil physics. The Board of Visitors was with us again last Wednes day. This is the first time they have had an oppor tunity of visiting us while school was in session. Mrs. Smith has recently received a photo, of Mar the little daughter born to Prof, and garet Kennedy, Mrs. F. B. Mumford, Columbia, Mo., Dec. 11,1895. J. V. Kinsey, with '97, TO., was a caller at t he College t he 29th ult. He was on his way home to recruit from a severe attack of sickness contracted while canvassing in Ohio for "A Practical Book for Practical People." After trying both ends, Instructor Crosby has con cluded t h at he can get over the ice with less friction and bloodshed if he stays on the end where he wears his skates. Several times during t he past week he has been mistaken for an animated bill board, advertising " E n g lish Taffeta" court plaster. Gager C. Davis, instructor in Zoology, who with his in California, re wife has been spending the winter turned to M. A. C. March 2. Two days later he received a telegram from Redlands, Cal., announcing the birth of a daughter. Mrs. Davis and t he baby will not r e t u rn to M. A. C. until about t he first of J u n e. Dr. Grange returned Thursday from Pontiac, where test to a herd of about he has applied the tuberculin the 100 cattle, belonging to the Eastern Asylum for Insane, without finding a single case of tuberculosis. One cow coughed and showed other symptoms of tuber culosis, b ut a post mortem showed t h at she was affected with chronic bronchitis. Among t he visitors at M. A. C. last week were t he following: D. D. Walton, L a ke City; A. C. Bird, High land; H. Ries, Goodrich; Alex. McDonald, J e d d o; H. J. Trupp, Cedardale; R. H. Millteer, Stockbridge; Wm. Blow, Thornville; H. Poucher, Brooklyn; H. F. Shultz, Grand Ledge; J o hn Ure, Saginaw; Mrs. R. Henderson and F r a nk E. Sutton, Detroit; W. H. Canfield, Portland; R. E. Brackett and Rev. A. S. Zimmerman, of Lansing; Rev. Wm. Service, of Howell. T he College has purchased from the Western Union Telegraph Co. a second's beat self winding clock. T he clock is supposed to be one of t he best made. T he guarantee reads t h at t he clock must not vary more t h an fifteen seconds per month. T he clock is in t he Physical t he Western Laboratory, and is corrected daily by Union Telegraph Co, The clock is expected to keep Western Union standard time, and must not be ex pected to keep as.good tim.9 as various local chronome ters. The minute jumpers are controlled by t he self winding clock. raising poultry. An experiment is in operation at t he poultry yards to Three determine t he net profit in t h em an equal yards of equal dimensions have in n u m b er of t he in exactly fowls which are treated same manner as regards feed and care. They were weighed before beginning the work and will be again weighed at the end. A strict account is k e pt of all feed bought and eggs produced and t he three pens act ing as a check on each other will produce, it is hoped, comparable results. For some unknown reason one pen just at present is producing more eggs t h an either of the other two. T he outcome is looked forward to with interest by those in charge. FOR AGRICULTURAL S E N I O R S. The attention of t he Agricultural Seniors is called to t he following rules of the faculty in regard to theses: 1. E a ch Agricultural Senior, after consultation with t he bead of t he d e p a r t m e nt in which the subject he de sires to select appropriately belongs, shall h a nd in t he subject of t he thesis to t he chairman of t he committee on senior theses on or before March 1 of each year. 2. Within one week after March 1, t he committee shall pass upon t he subjects presented and assign t he s t u d e nt to t he proper instructor for guidance in t he investigations and t he preparation of conduct of the t he thesis. 3. T he thesps shall be completed and submitted to t he three weeks prior to com committee not later t h an mencement. 4. After approval, each thesis shall be typewritten on unruled paper, 8% by 11 inches in size and bound with cloth sides and leather backs and corners, t he color to be black or dark brown. T he cover shall bear t he in scription : T H E S IS ON BY 1 8 9 6. Will t he members of t he class of 1896 please attend to this m a t t er at once. C L I N T ON D. S M I T H, Chairman of Committee. NEWS FROM GRADUATES AND S T U D E N T S. * Students in Mechanical Course designated by " m." and specials by "sp." after name. E. J. Frost, with '90, TO, is a draughtsman at Jackson, Michigan. F r ed Stockwell, with '90, resides at Pontiac and travels for a Detroit dry goods firm. Jas. Adams, with '95, is in t he shipping department of Strong, Lee & Company, Detroit, Michigan. J o hn P. Finley, '73, first lieutenant 9th U. S. infantry, to F o rt Ontario, Oswego, N. Y., has been transferred F o rt Leavenworth, Kas. Wm. Petrie, '90 TO., until recently at Conneaut Lake, Penn., is now superintendent of t he St. J o h ns Electric L i g ht and Power Company, St. J o h n s, Michigan. The editor's desk today is graced with an elegant col lection of fragrant carnations, t he gift of F r a nk M. Paine Bay Eagle. t he South Side florist.—Traverse ['89], D. S. Cole, '93, TO., has recently been engaged by Berkey & Gay of Grand Rapids to assist in t he busi- n ess management and introduction of specialties in t he bicycle line. Prof. W. V. Sage '84 of t he D e c a t ur schools read a paper entitled "The Science Innovation Requires W h a t ?" at a recent meeting of t he Van Buren County Teacher's Association.^ A resolution endorsing S u p t. C. L. Bemis, '74, as candidate for member of t he S t a te Board of Education, was unanimously adopted by t he Ionia teachers at their late T. A.—Moderator. is one of t he best exchanges received by T he Mirror t he RECORD. It is published by t he pupils of Broadway H i gh School of West Superior, Wisconsin. William T. Langley, '82, is superintendent of sghools in t h at city. t he Geo. C. Nevins, '73, who has been principal of Otsego schools for t he past six years, placed his resigna tion in t he h a n ds of t he school board J a n u a ry 1, to t a ke effect at the close of t he present school year. Poor health makes t he change necessary. D. D. McArthur, '94, superintendent of t he O m a ha Agency of Nebraska, writes t h at he finds his work very pleasant. Five gentlemen and ten ladies are employed in caring for t he 100 pupils and t he superintendent's position is one of some consequence. His life is a busy one and he has no time to get lonesome. Loomis & Root, dealers in bicycles and bicycle sun dries, 307 Washington Ave. N. This is t he name and n u m b er of a new firm t h at began business in Lansing March 1. M. F. L o o m is was for some time with t he class of '94, TO., and O. J. Root graduated in '89 with t he first clase to graduate from t he mechanical department. Mr. Loomis will assume immediate charge of t he new MARCH 10, 1896. T HE M. A. C. RECORD. 3 business, while Mr. Root will remain for a time with t he LansiDg Iron and Engine Works, where he is now superintendent. J. R. Sayler, with '96 m., left college last fall, going to Chicago where he secured employment in t he shops of Fraser & Chambers, t he day after his arrival. He finds the work interesting a nd profitable a nd hopes to con t i n ue in it for some time. J o hn Churchill, '95 m.,is now rooming with h im at 368 Washington Boulevard. Charles E. St. J o h n, '87, who spent t he past year as a e t u d e nt at Heidelburg University h as recently presented his thesis for a doctor's degree, which appears in t he c u r r e nt n u m b er of Annalen. It t r e a ts of t he excep tional amount of light emitted by t he Welsbach burner. It is a paper of exceptional merit a nd a credit to its author. T HE W I L S O N - S Q U I RE B I L L S. PROF. C. L. WEIL. Two bills have recently been introduced in corjgrees to promote t he efficiency of o ur naval service—one by Senator Squire of Washington, t he other by Represen t a t i ve F r a nk H. Wilson of Brooklyn, N. Y. Both these bills a re drawn, in t he main, on t he same lines, and have for a principal feature t he proposal t h at t he gov e r n m e nt establish and aid in maintaining courses of instruction in naval engineering at t he several scientific a nd technological schools of t he United States. Other interesting features of these bills are t he proposals t h at t he government detail an engineer officer from t he navy school department, as professor, which shall u n d e r t a ke to provide education in naval engineering and furnish such schools with models and p l a ns of ships and naval machinery. to every scientific By t he provisions of t he Wilson-Squire bills t he grad uates of scientific and technological schools t h at main tain, with t he assistance of t he government, courses in naval engineering, may be appointed as engineer cadets in t he United States navy and when so appointed are to be givtn first a year of practical naval engineering in struction on board a war vessel, t h en a year of practical engineering instruction at a government navy yard, or a year of advanced work at a post-graduate school; they will t h en be permitted to compete with similarly trained graduates from t he United S t a t es naval academy for appointment to t he engineering corps of our navy. In view of t he fact t h at modern methods of conduct ing naval warfare demand t he services on each ship of a large body of highly trained and skilled engineers, and t h at of t he graduates from our naval academy b ut a small number are commissioned, each year, as assistant engineers—in t he neighborhood of t en men j early—it would seem t h at t he Wilson-Squire bills deserve most careful consideration on t he part of congress. More over, according to those who have made a study of t he condition of naval affairs in this country, our present engineer corps is overworked, and is constantly being depleted by resignations on t he p a rt of men who desire to escape t he hardships of an inadequately supported service. is a very different In considering t he necessity for increased opportuni ties along t he line of naval engineering education in our country one m u st bear in mind t h at t he modern war ship from t he wooden frigate employed at t he time of F a r r s g u t, and t h at such advances are being made in marine engineering at t he present time t h at those who direct and aid in t he manipulation of t he enormous machinery of a medern battle ship will in t he near future, in all probability, comprise nearly one-half t he entire crew. affair Undoubtedly, as held by some educators, t he course of instruction at t he naval academy would be stimulated by bringing t he academy into friendly competition with other schools of learning. In case such courses of instruction as described should be undertaken in t he various scientific a nd technological schools of this country a nd t he number of available graduates of these courses should be in ex cess of t h at demanded by o ur navy t h en a portion of such graduates could be utilized in t he development of a reserve of naval engineers who would be ready for duty in time of emergency or war, and who would, dur ing times of peace devote themselves, being specially qualified, to industrial pursuits. The plan proposed by these bills h as received t he approval of t he leading technical educators of o ur country as it contemplates t he conferring of benefits upon engineering education in general and t he promo tion of t he industrial development of t he country. We believe, considering t he existence at t he Michigan Agricultural College of a mechanical engineering course which is supported in t he greater p a rt by t he federal government, and t he n a t u r al advantages offered in t h is State by t he proximity of t he lakes, for practical naval engineering instruction on board ship, also t he require ments along our border in time of war, t h at t he Wil son Squire bills merit t he approval of t he people of Michigan. Mechanical Department. CHEMIST OR F A R M E R. R. C. KEDZIE. Among t he many sensational questions of t he day, t he newspapers discuss t he startling question, " W ho shall feed t he future race, t he chemist or t he farmer? " S u ch a question would naturally arouse curiosity and awaken discussion—two points for t he news man. T he products of t he soil have so long fed man and beast t h at any suggestion about t he supply coming from a different Bource will excite ridicule. Yet chemistry h as done so much to modify t he condi tions of living, may do so m u ch in t he future, and its possibilities are so great, b ut unknown, t h at persons stop to consider this absurd question. important Sensational statements a re often sprung upon t he public apparently for t he purpose of creating an interest a nd filling t he columns of newspapers. F or this reason persons will often read t he startling head lines, y et t u rn away from t he body of t he article because it is sensational. B ut when a chemist of world wide reputation comes forward w i th t he deliberate statement t h at t he chemist of t he future will displace t he farmer; t h at t he food of t he future will come from t he laboratory a nd n ot t he farm, and gives facts and upon which to base his statements, we raise figures t he question, Is this possible? In April, 1894, t he great F r e n ch chemist, M. Berthe- lot, in an address before t he Society of Chemical and Mechanical Industries in Paris, publicly announced his theory of t he coming suppression of agriculture and t he chemical manufacture of food products to t a ke i ts place. T he following excerpt gives a fair idea of t he newspaper presentation of this new gospel of food: M. Berthelot, t he new F r e n ch minister of foreign affairs, is now about 68 years old. In his special domain of chemical knowledge he ranks among t he first of his contemporaries. Chemical synthesis—the science of artificially p u t t i ng organized bodies together —may be said to owe its existence to him. T he practi cal results expected to flow from his experiments and discoveries are enormous. Thus, sugar h as recently been made in t he laboratory from glycerine, which Prof. Berthelot synthetic first made direct alcohol. Commerce h as now taken up the question, and an invention h as recently been patented by which sugar is to be made upon a commercial scale from two gases at something like one cent p er pound. M. Berthelot declares he has not t he slightest d o u bt t h at sugar will eventually be manufactured on t he largest scale synthe tically, and t h at t he culture of the sugar cane and t he beet root will be abandoned because they have ceased to pay. from The chemical advantages promised by M Berthelot to future generations are marvelous. He cites t he case of alizarin, a compound whose synthetic manufacture by chemists h as destroyed a great agricultural industry. It is t he essential commercial principal of t he madder root, which was once used in dying wherever dying was carried on. T he chemists have now succeeded in making pure indigo direct from its elements, and it will soon be a commercial product. Then t he indigo fields, like t he madder fields, will be abandoned, industrial laboratories having usurped their place. B ut these scientific wonders do n ot stop here. Tobacco, tea and coffee are to be made artificially. N ot only this, b ut t h e re is substantial promise t h at such tobaccos, such teas and such coffees as t he world h as never seen will be t he outcome. Theobromine, t he essential principal of cocoa, has been produced in t he laboratory. Thus, synthetic chemistry is getting ready to furnish t he three great non-alcoholic beverages in general use. T he t ea plants, coffee s h r u bs and cocoa trees m u st some day follow t he lead of madder a nd indigo. Tobacco will be obtained in a similar fashion. Prof. Berthelot h as obtained pure nicotine, whose chemical constitution is perfectly understood, by treating salo- mine, a natural glucoside, with hydrogen.—Philadelphia Record. In an interview in September, 1894, he elaborated this chemical source of food more fully, claiming t h at our staple foods, starch, flour, meats, milk, sugars, etc., will soon be made so m u ch better, purer and cheaper by t he chemist t h at t he farmer and stock grower will soon be " o ut of a job." It is t r ue t h at t he chemist has done much to purify and refine t he products of t he field and fit t h em for use on t he table, and has done m u ch to furnish t he materials and appliances for cooking and preserving food. T he chemist h as done wonders in evoking from most repulsive materials (like coal tar) t he most brilliant and beautiful colors, h as made unnecessary t he madder crop by making t he alizarin, i ts coloring material. I h a ve in my laboratory oil of Spiisea (Meadow Sweet) w h i ch I m a de from Salicin, a nd oil of pears and of apples m a de from fusel-oil, and vanilla t h at never saw a vanilla pod. T he chemists are daily making h u n d r e ds organic of such material b ut always out of some substance. No chemist has ever made out of inorganic m a t t er an ounce of flour or a pound of beef; he never will make a peach or a pear. He appears to have made at enormous cost per pound some materials t h at have some of t he properties of sugar, b ut it is n ot certain t h at these can be digested even if made at moderate cost. A process h as lately been p a t e n t ed for making chemical sugar, b ut it would cost a dollar a pound. T he chemist h as changed t h o u s a n ds of tons of starch into glucose by adding a molecule of water, b ut h as never succeeded on a commercial scale in changing t h o u gh t he chemical change glucose to cane sugar, seems simpler. The fatal defect in this scheme of t he chemical manu facture of food supplies is t he element of cost. T a ke an illustration t h at every chemist a nd most people can readily understand. W a t er is made of oxygen and hydrogen. Every tyro in chemistry has made hydrogen by placing some zinc clippings or iron nails in dilute sulphuric or muriatic acid, and i ts manufacture is t h us very easy. He knows t h at hydrogen is inflammable, and when b u r n ed in air, t h at water is formed. To form water therefore is a very simple process and requires no complex apparatus. Taking this for our starting point and yoking together Bellamy's " L o o k i ng Backward " and Berthelot's looking forward, let us see what is t he outlook for o ur race u n d er t he guidance of these " busy B's." The great want of t he past season h as been water. This S t a te lost millions of dollars from t he drouth. Other parts of our c o u n t ry have suffered from t he suffer same cause, a nd other p a r ts of o ur country from this cause every year. Look at t he vast sums ex pended for irrigating purposes. Yet t he largest p a rt of " t he American d e s e r t" is left a barren waste for w a nt of water. Now comes t he beneficent chemist with h is hydrogen a p p a r a t us to form t he needed water whenever and wherever required. No more dependence on evasive cloud or fickle wind. We can m a ke o ur own water, and no t h a n ks to anyone. How simple and beau tiful become t he problems of civilized life under such a scientific dispensation. You shake your head! W h a t 's t he trouble? T he water t h us formed would cost a dollar a pound and t he wealth of t he nation would n ot pay t he cost of such water to irrigate our western plains for a single year. If we cannot bear t he expense of making so simple a material as water, how about t he cost of making t he more complex and costly materials for t he food of t he race? t h an those In t he choice words of Prof. Wiley: " E v en if food products c an be formed in t he crucible t h e re is no reason whatever for supposing t h at they can ever play any role in an economic sense. T he untold billions of laboratories which n a t u re builds a re infinitely cheaper in construction and operation filled with platinum and porcelain. T he sun ignites t he crucibles of n a t u re at an expense far less t h an attends t he use of t he city gas works. T he director of nature's laboratory depends upon no endowment nor legislation for h is salary, and his bills for supplies are n ot disallowed by any board of auditors on t he score of economy, Night and day his patient, faithful assistants work w i t h o ut thirst for fame, without hope of reward. They fight not for priority of discovery and their anonymous papers a re printed in rich profusion in t he great Berichte of t he universe. T he chemistry of t he chlorophyl cell is far more wonderful t h an any of t he achievements of Lavoisier, Berzelius or Fischer." T he promise of t he infinite F a t h er in t he infancy of our race still holds good: While t he e a r th remaineth SEEDTIME AND HARVEST, a nd cold a nd h e a t, a nd s u m m er a nd winter, and day and night shall n ot cease. Chemical Department. HUSKING CORN BY MACHINERY. W. F.- WIGHT, '94. T he article in t he RECORD of F e b r u a ry 25, by Prof. Weil on "Mechanical Engineering and Agriculture" con tained a sentence which suggested t he following: P e r h a ps t he husking of corn might be mentioned as one of t he operations of t he farm concerning which t he farmers "twenty years ago" said "could never be done profitably by machinery." A nd I dare say t h at t he suc cessful operation of such a machine was very m u ch doubted t en years ago. Even so late as 1894 and '95 farmers came for miles to see t he " h u m an sausage grinder" as it is called in consequence of i ts having per-, formed a few amputations. Today I know of three firms manufacturing corn huskers, a nd their extensive u se particularly in t he west t he p a st t wo years proclaim t he success of t he machines. T he Keystone Mfg, Co., of Sterling, 111,, have perhaps 4 THE M. A. C. RECORD. MARCH 10, 1896. and t he frame left closed up for a day or two, until t he soil is thoroughly warmed through, when seeds can be sown. While plants seem to enjoy more heat in this t h an in any other way, it is not advisable to let t he temperature get m u ch above 60° unless with sunlight. A piece of board twelve inches long and six inches wide, cut diagonally in two, and attached to t he back of t he frame with a cord to ventilate with, is a better and more efficient way t h an t he practice of pulling the sash up and down, especially during t he early spring days. By having t he two Bash, a temporary division can be made in t he center with a piece of board, so t h at plants requiring different temperatures can be given some thing like their natural condition. S u ch a frame will require two sash, 3 ft x 6 ft, which will probably cost two dollars each. T he whole ex pense need not exceed five or six dollars, and will, if well managed, be worth to t he average farmer, in one season, many times its first cost. Greenhouse. FARM CROPS FOR 1 8 9 6. P R O F. C. D. S M I T H. The College farm serves two purposes, it furnishes t he laboratory for teaching practical field agriculture and incidentally grows the feed for the farm stock. This is one phase of its utility. Again, it is the forum on which our field experiments are tried. On farm t he educational feature is necessarily t he dominant one. The distribution of the crops for t he current year will t he RECORD. T he be interesting to accompanying t he represents present arrangement of the fields. T he lane r u n n i ng north and south divides t he main part of the farm in the fields on either side 94 rods t he middle, making long. diagram graphically t he general readers of t he been most successful in their efforts, and as I have operated one of their machines t he past two years I will endeavor to describe it briefly and point out a few of its advantages. T he stalks with t he ears of corn on them are fed to t he machine. T he feed rollers crush t he stalks and snap off t he ears. T he stalks pass on to t he shredder or cut ting head (either is furnished as desired) which shreds or cuts the stalks when t he carrier elevates t he fodder to the mow. The ears drop below t he feeding table to t he hu-iking rolls. Thesa are iron rollers grooved and tear off t he husks and silks set with short pins t h at which are thrown into t he fodder. The ears drop into t he elevator and are delivered to the wagon. By this method t he corn crop is secured in a few days; an advantage which those who have seen t he a m o u nt of corn standing in t he shock t he past winter in nearly every part of t he state will appreciate. The value of the fodder ha9 been estimated to be a b o ut one third greater t h an of u n c ut fodder; some place it even higher. Prof. Henry of t he Wisconsin station tested t he value of cutting corn fodder by feed ing one lot of cows upon u n c ut fodder and another lot of equal milking qualities had fodder from t he same mow cut in pieces one half inch long. As m u ch milk was obtained from 721 pounds of cut fodder as from The stalks from one of 1,133 pounds of u n c ut fodder. these machines are however better t h an those from the ordinary h a nd cutter as t he stalks are crushed and torn in small bits as well as cut. T he machine I have has a 20-inch cutting head and two pairs of husking rolls. The amount of work which it will do varies m u ch with the condition of t he fodder as to moisture and t he yield per acre. In good corn, and when the stalks are not too dry, it will husk 350 or 400 bushels per day. There is much to learn in handling the crop, as fod der prepared in this way is as difficult to keep as in t he old way, though not more so I think. The fodder with ears on is also awkward to handle, though the use of corn harvesters may obviate this. I predict t h at in t he fruit section of this State, where some corn is grown, b ut where so little stock is kept t h at t he silo is not in use, t h at this machine will find favor. W h e t h er it will do away with t he silo in other portions of the State is a question for the future to de cide. Chicora, Allegan Co. HOT BEDS. T H O S. GUNSON. Every farmer, whether his acres be few or many, should have a hot bed to aid him in t he work of grow ing at least w h at vegetables are needed in his family, and thess should be of sufficient variety and quantity to supply his table with t he home grown product every day in t he year. The exparience gained in t he work of caring for seeds and plants in a hot bed will be of value to htm in the larger operations -in the field. As this is t he season of the year when t he regular duties of t he farm are not so pressing, time can be spared for getting ready to garden operations. this simple and useful auxiliary Select a well sheltered spot, facing t he south, and as near the house as CDnvenient, and commence by laying on its edge a plank 2 inches thick by 12 inches wide, and not less t h an 6 feet and 1 inch in length for t he back. The front plank should be set 6 feet from t he back, and should be 2 to 3 inches narrower, and let into t he ground so t h at its upper edge will be 5 or 6 inches lower t h an t he back, so as to carry off t he water. E nd pieces should then be fitted. A piece 1 inch by 3 inches is laid across the center and dovetailed in so t h at its surface is flush with t he upper edges of t he In the center of this is nailed a strip back and front. 1 by 1% inches • so as to keep t he sash independent of each other. A strip should also be nailed on the ou t- eide of t he ends so as to keep the sash from slipping off when pulled up or down. Proceed to dig out t he soil at t he back to a d e p th of at least 18 inches, and at t he front to 12 or 15 inches, laying t he soil against t he outside of the frame, so as to protect the sides and ends in severe cold weather. One good wagon-load of horse m a n u re thrown loosely into a conical pile for a day or two until it gets thor oughly heated, will be sufficient to fill such a place as we have described. The manure should not be too rough, and when possible a few oak leaves may be added, to keep t he manure from heating violentlv, and its period of usefulness. The m a n u re to should be made as solid as possible by thorough tramping, and good rich soil to t he depth of six inches should be spread over t he surface. When finished t he soil should not be more t h an four or five inches from t he top of t he frame. The sash should t h en be p ut on lengthen As indicated on the chart t he fields bearing t he even numbers are on t he west side of the lane. North of t he river t he land is given up to experimental plots and to t he small lots for convenience in handling stock in summer. South of t he river and east of t he lane the fields will be in meadow except No. 9 which was sown to wheat last fall. Field 6 contains 27 acres. Field 7,17 acres. Fields 8, 9,10 and 11 each contain nearly 24 acres, while 12 and 13 have respectively 34 and 30 acres. T he total arable land on t he farm exclusive of t he Horticultural Department, includes approximately 330 acres. Tests of various grasses alone and in mixtures are being conducted in field 13, which on account of its variety of soils affords special facilities for this kind of work. We are much interested in testing t he availabil ity of fowl meadow grass (Poa serotina) and t he taller In t he corner next the railroad fescue grass on muck. and t he lane a few acres of t he heavy muck is sown to These grass plots will be suitably orchard grass. labeled and t he attention of visitors and students is> invited to Nature's solution of the interesting questions involved. The side of field 6 nearest the lane is sown to foreign wheats, to test their relative hardiness and to afford opportunity for t he selection of plants of special vigor and promise. Here too are sown in successive rows winter oats, varieties of rye and American wheats. In t he corner by„the river and t he lane is an acre of Alfalfa, t he now fresh and vigorous, and whose behavior during season will be watched with m u ch interest. West of these plots is an area to be devoted to forage and soiling crops to be planted and cared for by t he sophomores in student labor. Still farther west comes t he corn on which also will be tried a variety of experi ments. In Fields 8 and 10 will be sown to oats. Field 12 is- already sown to wheat and rye. No. 14, j u st south of t he Grand T r u nk R. R., will grow at t he west end some t he northeast corner will be 6 or 8 acres of rape. three acres devoted to three varieties of orchard grass, two kinds grown from seed imported from Vilmorin & Co., Paris, France, and one American variety. T he excellence of one of t he foreign varieties of orchard t h at grass designated as " small seeded " lies in t he fact it is later in maturing t h an our common variety and hence fits more aptly with clover. South of t he orchard grass will be experimental plots for testing t he economy of keeping breeding ewes on limited areas of land by t be use of various forage crops. No. 16 has lain in pasture for many years. T he s t u m ps are not yet all out, b ut t he swamps were drained last fall. It will be planted to corn this year, and sub l a ne sequently farther cleared up and leveled. The will be extended and graded to t he D. L. & N. R. R. S o u th of this railroad t he land has been cleared west of a line extending south from t he end of t he lane. T he swamp in the extreme southwest corner of t he farm, 6 acres, was thoroughly burned over last year and sown to it rape which made a magnificent growth. This year will be planted to potatoes. T he remainder of t h is tract will be pastured with sheep. It will be remembered of course t h at 17 is now a It permanent wood lot and is being managed as such. contains approximately 75 acres. By recent action of t he Board we are authorized to set out in t he spring two rows of white pine trees from t he river to the south line of t he farm along the west line. This will afford in coming years a protection from t he violent west and southwest winds, and will be at t he same time an attractive feature of t he farm. Agricultural Department. For Entrance Examinations to The Questions M. A. a Have been placed in the hands of the Pnnnry ^ School Commissioners If you wish to enter the College, go to the Spring Teachers' Examination in your County and ask for M. A. C. Entrance Examination Questions Third Grade Teachers' Certificate also admits without further examination. Next Term Begins May 25 FOR CATALOGUE ADDRESS, "THE SECRETARY/' Agricultural College, Michigan.