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AGRICULTURE 227 college in 1856, and Massachusetts chartered a school of agriculture by scientific investigation and experiment— agriculture in the same year. The agitation, which finally the first State appropriation for this purpose. The State reached Congress, led to the establishment of the so-called of North Carolina established, on 12th March 1877, an “land-grant,” or agricultural colleges. The establishment agricultural experiment and fertilizer control station in of these colleges was due chiefly to the wisdom and connexion with its State university. The Cornell foresight of Justin S. Morrill, for over forty years a university experiment station was organized by that Representative or Senator from the State of Vermont, who institution in 1879. The New Jersey station was introduced the first Bill for their endowment in the House organized in 1880, and the station of the University of of Representatives on 14th December 1857, and saw the Tennessee in 1882. From these beginnings the experilatest one approved by the President on 30th August ment stations multiplied until, when Congress passed the 1890. Mr Morrill is justly known, therefore, as the National Experiment Station Act in 1887, there were father of the American agricultural colleges. The first Act seventeen already in existence. The Hatch Experiment for the benefit of these colleges was entitled “An Act Station Act, so called from the fact that its leading donating public lands to the several states and territories advocate was Mr William H. Hatch of Missouri, approwhich may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture priated $15,000 a year to each agricultural college for the and the mechanic arts,” and granted to each State an purpose of conducting an agricultural experiment station. amount of land equal to 30,000 acres for each senator and The object of the stations was declared to be, “ to conduct representative in Congress to which the State was entitled original researches or verify experiments on the physiology at that time. The object of the grant was stated to be of plants and animals; the diseases to which they are “ the endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one severally subject, with the remedies for the same; the college ” (in each State), “ where the leading object shall chemical composition of useful plants at their different be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, stages of growth; the comparative advantages of rotative and including military tactics, to teach such branches of cropping as pursued under a varying series of crops; the learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic capacity of new plants or trees for acclimation; the arts, ... in order to promote the liberal and practical analysis of soils and water; the chemical composition of education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits manures, natural or artificial, with experiments designed and professions in life.” The total number of acres of to test their comparative effects on crops of different land granted to the States under this Act was 9,359,241, kinds; the adaptation and value of grasses and forage of which 985,833 are still unsold. This grant has plants; the composition and digestibility of the different produced an endowment fund amounting to $10,262,944. kinds of food for domestic animals; the scientific and The lands still unsold are valued at $4,062,850. The economic questions involved in the production of butter invested land-grant funds yield these colleges a total and cheese; and such other researches or experiments annual income of $624,673. Including the United States bearing directly on the agricultural industry of the United appropriation under a Supplementary Act of 1890, States as may in each case be deemed advisable, having commonly known as the second Morrill Act, which now due regard to the varying conditions and needs of the gives each college $25,000 a year, the interest on the respective States or territories.” The stations were land-grant and all other invested funds, all State appro- authorized to publish annual reports and also bulletins of priations and other sources of revenue, these colleges had progress for free distribution to farmers. The franking in 1899 a total income of $5,995,000. Sixty-four institu- privilege was given to these publications. The office of tions have been organized under this Act, of which sixty-one experiment stations, in the Department of Agriculture, was maintain courses in agriculture; nineteen are departments established in 1888 to be the head office and clearingof agriculture and engineering in State universities; house of these stations. Agricultural experiment stations twenty-seven are separate colleges of agriculture and are now in operation in all the States and territories. mechanic arts; and the remainder are organized in various Alabama, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York each other ways. Separate schools for persons of African maintains a separate station, supported wholly or in part descent have been established under this Act in eight by State funds; and Louisiana has a station for sugar southern States. These colleges take students prepared in experiments. Excluding all branch stations, the total the common schools and give them a course of from two number of experiment stations in the United States is to four years in the sciences pertaining to agriculture. fifty-six, and of these fifty-two receive the national approMany of them offer short courses, varying from four to priation. The total income of the stations during 1899 twelve weeks in length, in agriculture, horticulture, was $1,143,335, of which $720,000 was received from the forestry, and dairying, which are largely attended. National Government and the remainder was derived Agricultural experiment stations are connected with all from societies, fees for analyses of fertilizers, sale of the colleges, and many of them conduct farmers’ institutes, products, &c. The stations employ 678 persons in the farmers’ reading clubs, and correspondence classes. work of administration and research; the chief classes The agricultural Experiment Stations of the United being—directors, 71; chemists, 150; agriculturists, 70; States grew up in connexion with the agricultural horticulturists, 80; botanists, 52; entomologists, 47; colleges. Several of the colleges early attempted to physicists, 7; bacteriologists, 20; dairymen, 25; weather establish separate departments for research and practical observers, 17; irrigation experts, 5. During 1899 the experiments, on the plan of the German stations. The Act stations published 450 annual reports and bulletins, establishing the Agricultural College of Maryland required besides a large number of “press” bulletins, which are it to conduct “ a series of experiments upon the cultivation reproduced in the agricultural and county papers. The of cereals and other plants adapted to the latitude and stations are to a great extent bureaus of information on climate of the State of Maryland.” This was the first all farm questions, and carry on an extensive correspondsuggestion of an experiment station in America, but ence covering all conceivable questions. Their mailing resulted in little. The first experiment station was lists aggregate half a million names. established at Middletown, Connecticut, in 1875, in connexion with the agricultural branch of the Sheffield Agricultural Department. Scientific School of Yale College. The State of Connecticut The United States Department of Agriculture was made in 1877 an appropriation of $5000 to promote established as a result of a recommendation of President
