THE WISCONSIN FARMER.



the southern end, including the traasvers
wing and the " curtain " in ite rear; or abou
one-third of the whole-sufficient for the tem
porary accommodation of 150 students. Fron
its windows one has a glorious view of it
charming lake and surrounding villages an(
country for many miles. Al in a1, there is
probably no finer site fora collige anywhere ii
either the old or new world, and the building
is likely to be worthy of the site. There an
also two or three other buildings, including t
farm house and residence for the President
but not of great value.
   THE EDUGATIONAL PLAN o0 THmS COaxLUO
is different from that of any that have, as yet,
been organized in the United State., in that it
ismore exclusivelyprofesiona1. Thelanguages
are excluded altogether, and the time which
in the literary colleges is usually devoted to
them is to be devoted to the study of thePrao-
tioal Sciences and.their applications to indus-
trial pursuits. The course of instruction is
limited to three years, at the expiration of
which time the student may, if able to pass a



thorough examination, receive the degree of
B. S. A. (Bachelor of Scientific Agriculture.)



  " It s dnot intended to b a manual labor schoo",
still the student will be required to spend
such time in the field as may be necessary to
apply the theory to the practice of husbandry ;"
the law requiring that each shall be thor-
oughly instructed in all that pertains to the
practical management of the farm, the dairy,
and of the various kinds of live stock.
PRESENT CONDITION AND PROSPECTS OF THN
                INSTITUTION.
  Although formally opened, as before re-
marked, in 1860, yet the embarrassment of its
finances, together with the excitement and dis-
traction incident to the present unhappy war,
compelled a discontinuance of instruction in
the fall of 1861, when a large number of the
students, and even the patriotic President,
Gen. M. R. Patrick, entered the service of
the country.
  The farm has been but little improved since
the purchase, for want of funds, and even a
nortion of it-the     e2a.ter   -Ad--  been



forced into sale for the liquidation of a mort-
gap debt incurred for_ the, improvements
already made.
  New York proudly, and justly, bears the title
of " The Empire State ;" it remains to be saen
how long she will deserve the reproach of
allowing an enterprise of so great magnitude
and importance as the endowment of an
institution for the benefit of her large agri-
cultural population to languish for want of
means which, all summed up, would be utterly
insignificant, whether as compared with her
immense resources or with the noble and be-
neficent end tojbe accomplished.



  We have not yetklearned whether the Gov-
ernor has approved the bill passed by the
Legislature giving the scrip awarded to
New York under the act of Congress grant-
ing lands for the endowment of agricul-
tural colleges, to the People's College alone,
but we have presumed!that he would veto
it; in which event the next Legislature
will undoubtedly divide the amount between
the twe institutions-thus throwing into tbe



hands of each scrip equivalent to nearly half
a million of acres of the public lands. Should



this not be done, then we trust the State will
make an appropriation from its own treasury
sufficient to set the State Agricultural College
fairly on its feet. Farmers of New York!
see to it that the Empire State does not longer
remain a stumbling block in this regard to
the several younger and lesser states now
zealously at work for the advancement of In-
dustrial Education.

            War and ucatl
  While war is abroad in the land, compelling
us to the most gigantic endeavors in defense
of our national existence, it may seem idle,
if not even unpatriotic, to expect any large
measure of serious attention to the ordinary
affairs of the schools. A mandate of Divine
Providence has ordered us to the front rank
of contending nations, and engaged us in a
Donfiict which absorbs into its own terrible
channels almost the entire currents of our
industries and our ideas. A generation thus
calIed upon to struggle for its Ufe and liber-
ties, might well be excused if forgetful, for a
lme, of the generations coming after it.
But.. t16. --Ae m.r.h nt 16--k-t Stuns -



u - gr5-u -S -u&*t movi



420



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