A small portion of the land set apart for College garden and not required for garden purposes, was planted with sorghum seed. The season was unfavorable and it did not mature well. The planting, hoeing, stripping, cutting, etc., was all done by students, and is charged along with garden work in cashier's report. Seed, team-labor, labor working up, and wood used in working up cost.... CR. $53.75 By 92 gallons sorghum syrup at 75 cents per gallon... $69.00 About twelve acres of land were set apart for a garden for the College and taken charge of by Dr. Townshend. Some plowing and other work was done in it by farm teams and hands, an account of which will be found in books kept by the cashier and book-keeper in the College. All the work done for the College and Professors' houses, (including ice mentioned in the beginning of this report) is embraced in the following statement: In 1868 To days work by man and team for College or buildings, improvements, etc..... 601 2581 In 1869 To days work by man and team for College or buildings, improvements, etc... : 318 days, man and team at $3.50 per day ... $1113.871 STOCK SOLD DURING THE YEAR. Jan. 21. Devon bnll "Baker," to L. S. Coffin, for thirty mutton sheep (by Mr. Cusey) for........... $ 75.00 21. Three high grade bucks to L. S. Coffin for nine mutton sheep (by Mr. Cusey) for........... 22.50 Feb. 8. Durham bull calf "Spencer," to Hon. S. King for ..... 150.00 9. Yearling Devon bull to Mr. Hannan for......... 11. Durham bull calf "Sherman," to Hon. J. D. Wright for....... 50.00 175.00 Mar. 18. Old Durham Bull "Alexander," to Judge Hewitt for 150.00 May 26. 26. Young grade bull calf to Mr. George Kirk- 30.00 June 12. 14. Young grade bull calf to Mr. A. J. Graves for 30.00 for....... 15.00 Nov. 4. To P. Cadwell, Logan, one Durham bull calf "Iowa Duke," for....... 150.00 Dec. 29. To T, A. Graham, Toledo, one grade bull calf Milk has been furnished to the college to the value of (the cost of milking partly paid by the college) 246.55 Potatoes (partly dug by students) to the value of.......... 109 00 Beef, mutton, veal, pork, and cured meats to 893.40 the value of (the cost of butchering mostly The condition of the farm is much improved since last year. The additional amount of tile drain put in, enabled us to get a full crop of corn from land that had previously cost annually a large amount of labor, seed, etc., but had never yielded enough to pay for the seed, and was unsightly in every respect, and particularly so on a farm which should be a model of neatness and good management. It is with much regret that I call attention to the failure to complete the tile drains already begun. The appropriation made by the legislature would have been amply sufficient to have completed them; but for the causes heretofore stated, it was all expended without accomplishing that object, and more money should be provided for that purpose. Provision should also be made to run some drains. through the land set apart for a garden for the college, as portions of it are entirely too wet for garden purposes. I think $500 a year for the next two years, could be very profitably expended in this manner, and no better investment could be made of the money, as other portions of the farm can be greatly improved by draining, and stand very much in need of it. A considerable quantity of tile is on hand for that purpcse. It has been contemplated by the Board to have all the land enclosed, and got into improved pasturage, so that more stock can be kept. It is very desirable that this should be carried out, and it would be well to devise some means whereby three or four hundred acres of more land could be added to the farm for hay and pasturage. It will be impossible, with the farm as at present limited, to furnish the amount of labor the students are now required by law to perform, and not make that labor of a more expensive character than it ought to be. All of the bottom lands on Squaw creek, south of the railroad, were sown early in the season with a mixture of grass seeds, consisting of timothy, blue grass, and red and white clover; but having been so often flooded, I fear that most of it has perished where flooded, and been so weakened from the extra rank growth of grass and weeds, where not, that a second sowing will be necessary. It will be well that this should be followed up, as these lands could not be converted into anything else but pasture, except at an expense greater in amount than what would be required to purchase land for hay and pasture, outside of the present limits of the farm; and the land now used as hay-ground, or timothy meadow, could be put to other uses; a portion of the labor for students could be furnished through this means. There is a piece of marsh land formed by the large spring N. E from the barn. From its suitable position for irrigation I am of opinion that with a little preparation it could be converted into a cranberry bed. It is more like the natural habitat of the cranberry than any piece of land I know of in the country. It has never produced any useful thing as yet. The peat it contains will doubtless be of great value should fuel for the college or farm become scarce, and it would be valuable as a fertilizer for other portions of the farm when the natural fertility of the soil shall fall away, and manure cannot be made to keep it up. The cultivation of the cranberry would not interfere therewith, should it ever be wanted for either of the above purposes. I would therefore recommend that a small portion of it be prepared and the experiment of raising cranberrys fairly tried. All the preparation necessary is the paring off and removing of about two inches of the surface, covering about the same depth with sand, (which is close at hand), and planting the vines, hundreds of which may be had for the cost of gathering and transportation. I would further reccommend that a small annual appropriation be asked for to purchase seeds and plants for the experimental grounds, and for distribution throughout the State. These grounds should, to some extent, be used as a part of the educational force, and also to test the utility and practicability of introducing valuable trees and plants of other countries, and of other parts of our own country into our State. The College Farm is in the centre of the State, and should be its experimental garden. If it is still intended to carry out the plan of feeding and slaughtering the meats used in the College, I would suggest the propriety of abandoning wheat raising, except so far as may be necessary and advisable in the experimental grounds, and raise more corn, oats and roots. With the amount of stock now on the farm and necessary to be kept on it to supply the College with meats, we cannot raise wheat and sufficient feed for stock also; but if wheat raising is abandoned, (except as above), and additional land acquired for grass and hay, I think that sufficient feed can be raised by the students' labor to supply the College with meats, and thus keep out of the market; for if we have the land we can always raise it cheaper than we can buy it, whether we view it as corn, or beef and pork. Early in the spring, being unable to provide more renumerative labor for the students, and with a view to facilitate the introduction of grass for pasture into certain parts of the farm covered with timber, I had the students clear out the underbrush from about ten acres along the west end of the farm, and about six acres of that where thickest along the edge of the timber in Squaw creek bottom. It would improve the appearance of the farm very much to have all useless underbrush, rotten logs, etc., removed from these lands and the whole seeded down with blue grass and timothy. The act of Congress, making a grant of lands for the establishment of the College requires that an annual report, regarding the progress of the college should be made, see "art. 4, sec. 5, page 126 Report of Register of State Land office, for 1865." This has not yet been done, no provision having been made by the General Assembly to defray the cost thereof. attention to the nec In another part of this report I have called essity for more land being added to the farm. I would most respectfully suggest the propriety of asking Legislative sanction to the use of a portion of the funds arising from the sale of the lands granted by Congress as contemplated in art. 1, sec. 5, act of Congress above cited for this purpose. A good assortment of tools and implements are now on the farm. (See list and appraisement by Ex. Committee.) A walking corn cultivator, sent here as a donation by a plow manfacturing company in Moline, Illinois, has been used during the past season and found to be a very effective implement, of very light draught and easy management. Another donation received in September last was a plow from Skinner & Bro., Des Moines. It has some new and very commendable improvements, among which is an arrangement by which the point of draught can be changed so that either two or three horses can be worked abreast without inconvenience. It is of easy draught and works well. In addition to the young Chester White sow donated by Mr. Court, Michigan, last fall, a very fine young sow was donated by Mr. Andrew Lovell, of Sycamore, Illinois, in the month of June last, and another by Hon. L. W. Stuart, Monmouth, Iowa, in the month of August last. Free copies of the Daily State Register, Iowa Homestead, Davenport Gazette and Country Gentleman newspapers have been received during the year at this office. For financial statement see book-keeper's report. All of which is respectfully submitted, H. M. THOMSON, Superintendent and Secretary until October 1, 1869. P. S. BROWN, Superintendent and Secretary, pro tem. |