LAND-GRANT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES are also known as agricultural and mechanical colleges. Of the 69 institutions (1929) in the United States, including 26 State universities, one is situated in each State (two in Massachusetts), one in Porto Rico, one in Hawaii, one in Alaska and 17 exclu sively for negro students in as many Southern States. These colleges are attended by approximately one-fifth of all resident college students in the United States. In 1927 the 52 land-grant colleges attended by white students employed 23,156 faculty members, enrolled 371,049 students (ratio seven men to three women) and awarded 21,095 baccalaureate or first degrees and 3,163 advanced degrees. The libraries included 6,996,291 volumes. New buildings costing $14,642,915 were erected, the property was appraised at $390,318,305 and the income and receipts totalled $133,075,872. In the 17 negro land-grant colleges there were 823 faculty members and 17,587 students ; 327 degrees were conferred, property was valued at $10,340,698 and income and receipts amounted to $3,604,803.
The land-grant act of July 2, 1862, the first Morrill Act for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts, authorized the establishment of these institutions. This bill granted Federal land to each State "for the endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college where the leading object shall be, without ex cluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agri culture and the mechanic arts, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pur suits and professions in life." Each State received land equal to 30,00o ac. for each senator and representative then in Congress. This land was gradually sold off by each State, and the funds thus created were invested in securities, the income of which is regu larly applied to the maintenance and support of each land-grant college. In 1927 the total fund amounted to with
$6,143,984 in unsold land, and provided an income of $1,028,288.
The Second Morrill Act of 1890 and the Nelson amendment of 1907 provided additional funds. Beginning with 1911 each State and Territory received $5o,000 and the annual appropriation for 1927• amounted to $2,552,612, for the maintenance and support of land-grant colleges. Thus the Morrill Acts and the Nelson amendment authorized both the establishment of colleges of agri culture and mechanic arts and annual appropriations for the expense of instruction in certain prescribed curricula.
The success of these institutions is due largely to the support of the people of the States. Although Federal aid continues to be an important element in the financing of land-grant colleges, only o% of the total income is now received from Federal sources, compared with 33% in 1892. In 1926-27 the States contributed 5o% of the total income of these institutions. The University of California received the largest income ($12,237,273) while the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines received the smallest amount ($95,907). Between these two extremes the land grant colleges and universities vary in size. (W. J. GR.) LANDGRAVE, a German title of nobility surviving from the times of the Holy Roman Empire (Ger. Landgraf, from Land, "a country," and Graf, "count"), which originally signified a count of more than usual power or dignity. In later times it was borne by the sovereign of Hesse-Homburg, the heads of the various branches of the house of Hesse, and by a branch of the family of Fiirstenberg.