V70L. LX1V
INDIANAPOLIS, FEB.   13, 1609.
NO. 7
4.
5.
6.
Needs of the School of Agriculture.
The rapid increase in the number of
agricultural students and the necessity of
: elding and enlarging courses of instructs m in die various departments in this
school makes it important that Purdue
I'niversity receive the following appropriations for the School of Agriculture at
present session of the Legislature.
1. Farm Engineering
Building $20,000
2. Livestock Judging
Pavilion     30,000
3. Greenhouse   for  Agron
omy    and  Horticulture      5,000
Clinic    Building     10,000
Beef   Cattle   Barn     15,000
Horse Barn..   .'      15,000
7.    Live  Stock        5,000
Total $10(1.000
Farm Engineering has never had a
satisfactory laboratory or building. It
i* now given in an old building, entirely
; i small and inadequate for the purpose.
Xm provision was made for this line of
'v. rk in the agricultural building when
• rected, as very little was being done in
.-inv- agricultural college along this line at
that time. The courses were installed
a time when the classes were small,
- ■ it ti the hone that the future might bring
1 ftter equipment. The present classes
cannot lie accommodated in the building,
even though they are divided up into sections. There is not sufficient room for
the installment of the necessary farm machinery and equipment to make this work
fi'rtive, and unless provision is made for
this line of work by the Legislature, the
■ ■nurses in this line will doubtless have to
1 •• dropped.
The greater part of the machinery
necessary to equip such a building can be
secured by means of loans from large implement manufacturers and dealers with-
-reat expense.
The University of Illinois has a Farm
fl.anics bulding costing $45,000. The
1 niversity of Wisconsin has a Farm Me-
ni"hanics building costing $40,000. The
I Diversity of Missouri has a large well
equipped building and the same is true of
Iowa.
While Pnrdne University at present
'•as one splendid judging pavilion, it is
entirely too small to accommodate the
i.'irge gatherings of farmers which it fre-
v has, especially during the Farm-
''-' Short Course and Winter Course.
^ 'th one pavilion, even though the
'lasses are divided tin into sections, it is
impossible tp schedule all of the work
• hat tlle catalog calls for without serious
<"inii ts. This     condition     has     been
'"ought about by the rapid increase in
•he number of students and the addition
"' '" 'I'scs necessary to strengthen the
""rk nut! put it on a par with that given
"' other states in tho central west. Wis-
'oii*in. Minnesota and Ohio have approbated large sums for such buildings.
I he    greenhouse   for     Agronomy     and
■'Tinniture is a very urgent need, due to
""■ fact that there is no provision what-
'vev f0r agricultural students to study
ig crops under glass. The regular
•'-"'■ultiiral students come to the univer-
~".v ni September and go away in June.
"'"Winter Course men go to the Uni-
'Tsity   in  January   and   leave  in   March.
mie of tliese men therefore, have much
' cl'ortunity of studying the crops grow-
:"« '«  the field. For  this  reason  it  is
,f,ry important that provision be made so
■at they may have opportunity to study
not only tlie growth and development of
horticultural and garden crops, but farm
crops as well. Without a greenhouse ag
ricultural students must go out inadequately trained to meet the problems of
the future. Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri,
and Michigan all have large greenhouses
for this work.
The clinic building is needed in connection with the work of the Veterinary De-
parment. This department at present
has not laboratory or facilities for dissection or clinical work. Formerly with
small classes the work in dissection could
be accommodated in the old veterinary
tuilding.      This was poorly equipped for
a    permanent horse    barn    which
give        ample        facilities        for
would
this
line of work for some time. Anyone
who is familiar with conditions on the
farms of Indiana will say at once that
the University should be provided with
better facilities for the horses on the
farm.
An appropriation of $5,000 annually
for two years.for live stock is necessary
to put the herds and flocks on the farm
on proper basis for instruction. Ohio
State University received from the last
legislature $10,000 for live stock, aud the
University of Illinois has received large
sums for breeding animals from time to
reached the limit of his capacity. His
muscles are fully developed and he can
work no harder. There is nothing in the
future for him but work with his hands.
All he has to show for several years'
work is that horse and buggy.
The farmers' institutes, boys' encampments and farm schools combat the idea
that farming is an occupation in which
ignorance, main strength and awkwardness are more valuable assets than education and clear correct conception of everything relating to the farm.
Illinois. Hon. A. P. Grout.
Concrete  Cement  Posts.       Courtesy    Atlas    Portland    Cement    Co.
Ihe work and finally became so congested   time,    Michigan   Agricultural Colle«e has
that the dissection in connection with the
study of anatomy was dropped from the
courses. This is very unforunate, as the
work cannot be satisfactorily taught
without it. The clinical work has never
had satisfactory provision made for it. At
present the students are given some instruction in this line outside, but during a
greater part of the year the weather is
such that it is impossible to carry on clinical work outside, and furthermore there
is no provision for the study of diseased
animals as there is no quarantine station
or other stalls where diseased animals
can be kept on the University grounds for
the purpose of study. Other institutions
have ample provision for clinical work.
The beef cattle barn is absolutely essential if t'ie University is to own ami
properly maintain a breeding herd of beef
cattle for the purpose Ot instruction. At
present there is insufficient room to house
the few cov.-s in the herd and this condition is to be regretted as the live stock
men, who represent one of the largest interests in the state, feel that the Univer-
siy should have better facilities for this
work in order to teach young men tbe
best types of beef cattle, and how to
manage them.
The horse barn now on the farm is one
of the oldest buildings on the University
grounds. It is an old fashioned barn
with heavy stone walls. It is poorly arranged and litis insufficient light and ventilation and is entirely too small for the
University's needs. It is not even as
good as many barns found on many farms
ip the state. An appropriation of $15,-
000 would place on  the University  farm
tils i received large sums, while tho Purdue University herd has been maintained
entirely from such money as could be
spared from the general fund for the institution. Friend of Purdue.
Money in Farm Education.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
In the rotunda of a large office building
in St. Louis, I saiw a man painting iron
columns in imitation of marble, while
.across the street a painter was mopping
the roof with some kind of roofing preparation. The two men were in the same
calling. One represented strength with
little or no skill; the other, intelligence
and skill combined. I presue one
received 20 or 25 cents an hour and the
other l>0 or 75 cents an hour. The difference in value is the superior knowledge
of the one.
Let no boy or young man imagine for
a moment that the same inflexible rule of
reward for superior intelligence does not
prevail on the farm, whether he is in the
employ of another or working for himself.
I know in Scott county, a hard-working young farm hand of good habits, but
his only ambition seems to be to own a
tine horse and buggy, and he has these—
red wheels, rubber tires, whip tied with
blue ribbon etc. He makes a fine appearance when be goes driving in hi-
clothes and kid gloves. But when I see
him I cannot help but think: What of the
future? He has never qualified himself
foi anything but hard work—work with
the hands. He can hold to the plow-
handles and cluck to the team.
The Auto Roadway.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I see, by your paper that you are in favor of legislation giving the right-of-way
on either side of public roads to the au-
tomobile, leaving a middle track for the
teams. Now the average pike is
33 feet from fence to fence. The telephone posts are set about 4 feet from the
fence on either side, thus taking up 8
feet; a track for the automobile would
have to be at least 7 feet wide, requiring
14 feet more. There, you have taken 22
feet of the highway, and left 11 feet for
the farmer's team. What generosity!
And what about the drainage of the roadbed, which is so essential to keep it in
good condition'.' And where will the dirt
come from that the farmer will need to
keep up his little 11-foot track V
The automobile is here to stay, but the
drivers of the machine should be made,
by law, to travel at a decent pace, and
slow up on approaching a horse or team
i horses. This would do away with
that unjust law which compels the driver
i !' a horse to raise his hand, or let the au-
ndanger his life and that of his animal.    This   is   unjust   discrimination.
Marshall Co. Julius  Magin.
—The law provides that the county
commissioners shall determine the width
of new highways, which shall not be narrower lhan 30 feet, and that the width
of a highway already in use shall not be
changed. Many of the old highways are
40 feet or more. On such roads the
autos could have 10 feet on each side.
and have 20 feet between for the wagon
road, and this is as much as is ever improved. What we contend for is an unobstructed driveway for the farmer and
i then who use teams. The auto people should make and keep In repair their
own portion of the highway. The farm-
en an- under no obligations to do it for
them, and they suffer great inconvenience, danger and loss by i>crniitting the
swift and heavy machines to use them.
They frighten women and children from
using the roads, they wear them out at
a fearful rate; they ought to be satisfied
if the tanners allow them space to construct their own roads upon. The auto
is here to stay and it is multiplying with
wonderful rapidity. The farmers themselves are investing in them, and that
is   right. But   there   are   many   thous
ands who must use the highways, who
are not able to own them, and their rights
must be respected; they must not be
driven off the roads they have built and
pay   taxes  to   keep   in   repair. That   is
what we contend for. Let the auto people pay for their road by special tax, and
if they need more ground buy it from the
Carmen along the present highways.
Tuesday   last,   was   one   of   the   finest
days of the winter; it would have been a
He has   fine day in Florida.