AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES. As a result of National and State co-operation, which enables the ordinary farmer to profit from the experiments of widely separated individuals in terested in scientific farming, the United States stands foremost in the matter of agricultural development. As far back as 1862 Congress passed the first of a series of acts whereby ex tensive grants of national lands were made and converted into trust funds for the support of at least one agricultural college in each State, the grants being contingent upon a certain per centage of assistance by the States. Our De partment of Agriculture renders the greatest service imaginable to the country; but its facili ties are greatly improved by the co-operation of the different State agricultural institutions, while the farmers of each section can rely upon their special State colleges to supplement the work of the national institution.
The Massachusetts Agricultural College is one of the foremost representatives of the typ ical institution devoted to practical agricultural education, and its work and studies are devoted chiefly to the training of students in modern scientific farming. The work is conducted in the class-room, on an experimental farm and in co-operation with farmers' organizations. The institution is located on a farm of 400 acres at Amherst, and its buildings, land and equipment are valued at $1,530,465. Its annual income from the State and United States for extension work and its experiment station alone amounts to $100,000. There are buildings for nearly every imaginable specialty pertaining to agri culture — a chemical laboratory, botanical lab oratory, plant-house, creamery and dairy lab oratory, veterinary buildings, barns, museum, library, and entomological laboratory and in sectary.
Instruction is given by a corps of 60 profes sors and assistants in chemistry, botany, agri culture, horticulture, zoology, veterinary science, mathematics, civil engineering and similar studies and in extension work. Practical work on the farm is a part of the course, and the stu dents cultivate the whole farm, experimental orchard and nursery. There are 100 acres de voted to orchards, vineyards and the cultivation of small fruits; 150 acres under cultivation with field crops and nearly as many more allot ted to grass and hay for the cattle which are kept on the farm. Considerably over 1,000 men
have been educated at the Massachusetts Agri cultural College. A recent census of them showed that nearly 400 are to-day engaged in agricultural pursuits; more than a score are instructors in other similar institutions; and others have drifted into a variety of callings. The effect of the college on the agriculture of the country must prove of immeasurable value if a similar proportion of its graduates adopt farm ing for their life's work, and perform their labors in a scientific manner, as they were taught to do at the institution: During 1915 a new building, costing $210,000, was dedicated.
The State agricultural and mechanical col leges which have sprung up in most of the leading agricultural States of the East and West, and in many parts of the South, in recent years, have in view the training of young men for scientific and practical agriculture, and also for mechanical and manufacturing arts and sci ences. They are endowed by the State and the Federal Government (see DEPARTMENT OF AGRI CULTURE) and also by private individuals. They are for the most part under the control of the State Board of Agriculture, the governor and other State officers; but the president and fac ulty of each institution practically have all the liberty they demand in carrying out the work according to well-defined policies. Some of these State agricultural colleges are remarkably well equipped and endowed for the work they have in hand. Thus, the Iowa State College of Agriculture has 15 buildings, which have been erected by the State at a total cost of $500,000. There are nearly 1,000 acres of land attached to the institution. A corps of 250 professors and instructors and over 1,700 students are en gaged in study and work. All kinds of crops raised in Iowa are cultivated on the farm, and cattle, horses and poultry are kept by the stu dents. Experiments are constantly being car ried on by the professors and students in agriculture, horticulture, chemistry and general fanning, and the results of these experiments are published in bulletins and papers for the benefit of the world.