MICHIGAN AG'L COLLEGE.

Carpenter Shop, Farm Implements, Etc.

In the carpenter shop there are a couple of
large closets like cupboards without shelves,
six or seven feet high, five feet wide and sixteen inches deep. A narrow strip runs up
and down the front side, to which are attached two locks to hold the doors. Within
are fastened pegs, cleats, and various little
devices for supporting the saws, squares, bits,
augurs, planes, &c. Upon the surface back
of where the implement belongs is painted a
black figure just the shape and size of the
tool, so any one can see at a glance what is
absent and where to put it when returned.

A farmer could, if he chose, have one
such place for carpenter tools and another
for heavier, coarser implements, such as iron
wedges, crow-bars, chains, pickaxes, shovels
and the like. The large number of students
make it necessary to have one employed to
look after the tools, repair them and see that
they are kept in the proper place. Everything taken out is charged on the book to
the person using it, and credited to him when
returned. Written near by on a post in the
the center of the shop are these words, "All
tools remained charged until returned in
good order." On the inside of the closet
door would be a proper place for a small
slate or memorandum for every farmer to
keep a record of tools lent to neighbors or to
be taken away for any length of time. It
seems impossible for some people to live according to any system, but those who attempt it get along with much less confusion
and trouble. Here boys are taught these
things, and soon it becomes easy and natural
to keep every article where it belongs. It
appears to me this is one of the most important things for farmers to learn-better order,
definite plans, more head work and tact in
changing plans according to circumstances;
here they learn to think, to lay out farms,
ditches, lanes, to build roads properly, and
hundred of other things for which they must
not always give plans, but reasons for their
plans. For farm use it is necessary to have
about sixty axes, sixty hoes, twenty-five
corn cutters, numerous rakes, scythes, hay,
dung and digging forks, pick-axes, cross-cut
saws, &c. There are a half a dozen or more
different kinds of harpoons and forks to use
by horse power, which are labeled unless in
use, with the donors name if it was & present to the college. For example, "From Chapman, Hawley & Co., N. Y.," was in large
black letters on white board suspended over
a hay fork. Every article as presented is
fairly tested, and if superior all the students
and visitors will find it out; thus, you see,
proving a capital advertisement for the manufacturers.

We have seen a number of farm implements highly recommended which have not
yet found their way to the college farm.
This is a hint to those who have confidence
in their new machines to send along a sample.

Editors usually know the value of advertising. So many country papers, agricultural papers, near and remote, find their way
regularly to the college reading room. We
think more publishers would do likewise if
they saw how eagerly papers were read by
the crowds of students who visit the library.
They read them all and get acquainted with
them. One monthly or weekly paper is not
enough for an intelligent farmer in these
times-he must have half a dozen or even
twenty or more. One paper may be his favorite, yet it cannot contain everything of
interest at all times.

To contain the larger implements the College has a shed about twenty-seven by seventy feet, without floors, with large double
doors on each side, so a team can easily drive
in or through with the broadest reaper or
wagon. Here are three grain drills. Beckwith's roller drill is kept bright in season for
sowing. By this we mean it is a favorite
drill. The furrows are made with cast iron
wheels, which run to an edge instead of being flat like a common wagon tire. This
packs the earth a little in the places where
the grain is left so it soon roots. There are
three horse rakes. The Bay State is brightest (most used). Pheifer's wheel cultivator is
much liked. Bullard's Hay Tedder works
well and draws easily; the American performs best in heavy clover. We are informed by Dr. Miles that these have already
paid for themselves the present season. The
Excelsior horse hoe for hilling potatoes has
been used, but not yet thoroughly tested; so
we could get no opinion from the superintendent as to its merits. There are eight or
ten kinds of corn cultivators and harrows,
some best for one thing and some for another, none good for everything. The old fashioned A harrow, with about twelve teeth, is
valuable, and about the only one fit for use
on newly cleared, stumpy or stony ground.
The teeth are one and a fourth inch square,

sloping slightly backwards, and are stout
enough to fetch a team up standing without
breaking. No one, however, who had tried
other kinds or had seen them used would
think of recommending them for general use
on smooth land. They have two mowers,
one of which is Thayer's Iron, the first used,
when only one is wanted. Over head there
are five or six sleighs, high and dry, instead
of rutting in exposed places all summer as is
too often the case with farmers.

Here are a dozen or more plows, several
of them prominently labeled, as we said of
all such gifts to the institution. Which do
you like best? The reply is complimentary
to Holbrook, who has several kinds in use;
one with changeable mould-board for turf or
stubble ground, and another plow for hillside
or gardens where the furrows should all be
turned one way, or where a bed furrow is
not desired. There is one instrument called
a "Grubber" from England, used to loosen
soil down deep without turning it over, by
means of narrow teeth sloping forward at
the lower end of stout perpendicular bars.
It can be set for any width or depth. It is
heavy, all of iron, and about eleven feet long,
looking rather rusty, though we are told
that it works well. They use a roller a good
deal as a pulverizer in preparing corn
ground, or land for any other crops, or rolling sward ground right after plowing and
before harrowing. There is one heavy implement which I cannot describe, neither
can I find out who made it or where it came
from. It is nearly triangular, has seven
shovels or paddles, a handle to steer it, and
runs on three wheels. It had a fair chance
and failed. The Professor mentioned it to
his classes as not fit to use, and the next
morning found it on top of the shed. It had
gone up mysteriously. He says that it is
the best place for it. There is still room
left up there for other worthless trash of this
character. Whether it was intended to run
on sea or land, by wind, water or horse power, we could not learn. It looks some like a
combination of hay-rack, wheelbarrow, cultivator, schooner and hen-coop.

They could not get along without Fairbanks' hay scales and several other smaller
ones in the barns for carrying on the experiments. They are fitting up a blacksmith
shop, intending to mend their own chains,
shoe horses, and much other work of the
kind. This would not be best for every
small farmer, especially if he live near a
near a good shop, but the college is three
miles from town and many "jobs " can be
done in half the time it would take to go to
town and back. Their two horse tread-power from Albany is handy for sawing wood,
threshing, cutting straw, stalks and turnips.
Harder's patent, first prize separator does
the work very nicely, and gives excellent
satisfaction.

The Professors not only seem quite
willing to show editors, reporters and members of the legislature about the premises
and to answer any questions, but common,
"ordinary people" are also shown much respect and attention. So many visitors must
take up considerable of their time, yet we
have never heard any complaint for want of
attention. Visitors should be considerate
and remember the arduous duties which
each professor has to perform in teaching,
directing experiments and in writing them
up, looking after work and answering correspondents.
W. J. B.