University of Delaware - Blue Hen Yearbook (Newark, DE)

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ON THE COLLEGE FARM The Agricultural Bepartment INCE the reorganization of the College on the Land Grant foundation, Agriculture has always been a prominent feature of the Clollege catalogues, The conrses, as deseribed, have been excellent and, in print, wonld compare favorably with those in other land grant institutions. At the beginning, there was offered only a three year eourse which did not lead to a degree, as did those in the other seiences and the elassics, A study of the early records reveals the fact that, from the time of the reorganization of the College in 1870 until 1892, no students were enrolled in this department. It is evident, however, that from the beginning the trustees were anxious to make Agriculture popular. This is shown by the fact that in 1873 it was made a preseribed study in the first two years of the Scientific Course, In 1883 a Btanding Committes of the Trustees on Agrieulture was appointed, and this has been one of the Standing Committees ever since. Those who are familiar with the system of agrienltural edueation today ean readily appreciate the difficulties that obtained in popularizing this work in the early seventies. With no text books, but few trained teachers, no apparatus or other equipment really adapted to the subject, it was ntterly impossible to at- 20

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i, il r.h.i The College buildings are heated by steam and lighted by electricity and are supplied with water by the town water works. , A considerable part of the rear campus is oceupied as an athletie field and affords excellent facilities for outdoor sports and games. Mr. and Mrs. Eben B. Frazer and their son, Mr. J. Stanley Frazer, of the class of 04, have provided, as a memorial to Joseph H. Frazer, 03, for the grad- ing, draining, and otherwise fitting up of the athletic grounds of Delaware Col- lege. The grounds are enclosed by a substantial tile and concrete wall, A run- ning track, a quarter of a mile in length, and grounds for baseball, football, ten- nis, and other sports have been laid out, The Board of Trustees have necepted this gift as a memorial to a graduate of the College and have named the field the Joe Frazer Field. Tuition is free to all students from the State of Delaware, so that the College constitutes a part of our system of free public instruction. She places within reach of the young men of the State a thorough collegiate training with no other east than that of living and the provision of necessary books and a few ineon- siderate fees to cover expenses incurred by the institution. Her work is laid out upon broad lines, and the eulture of liberal learning and the practical usefulness of the applied sciences are equally emphasized in her seheme of education. While, in pursnance of the special aims of her organization, stress is laid upon those departments which build up good eitizenship and useful manhood, the place so wisely provided in the foundation of the Land Grant Colleges iz given to the refining graces and amenities of the older learning, THE DAIRY BUILDING

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JUDGING S8TOCK tract students. Furthermore, at that time all the other voeations open to a col- lege graduate offered greater indueements, In consequence, the better equipped departments, which led to a so-ecalled learned profession, drew all the men en- tering college, In spite of the fact, however, that there were no students in this subject, there was always a Professdr of Agriculture. The first incumbent of this chair was Edward D, Porter, A. M. Prof, Porter was evidently a man of parts, as he was not only Professor of Agrieulture, but of Physies and Civil Engineering as well. He was also, at least during a part of the time that he held this chair, Prineipal of the Newark Aecademy, an institution that was perhaps better known at that time than the College itself, Prof. Porter furnished the College with a farm, which offered practical work for students and was used for demon- stration and experiment, as well as for an agrieultural laboratory. In the eatalogne of 1877, Prof. Porter published the results of his experiments in growing sugar beets, which was the first scientific experimental work done in Delaware. Prof. Porter was a great organizer, and it was not long before he was called to the University of Minnesota, where he was for some time the Director of the Ex- periment Station of that state. From there he went to the University of Mis. souri, and directed for a number of years the Experiment Station in connection with the University of Missouri. His sueeessor in Delaware was Prof. Reinhart, who was in turn followed by Prof. Farrington, now Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Animal Husbandry in the - 21 e