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

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done, through a commission named by the General Assembly, and possession was given the College April 8, 1907, This really marked a new epoch in the history of the College. With the possession of a farm, began a reorganization of the whole department of Agri- enlture. This was made possible in part by the purchase of the farm, in part by the passage by Congress of the Adams Aet appropriating $15.000 per year to the Experiment Station, and in part by the action of the Trustees in making every possible effort to place this department upon a footing that would eom- pare favorably with the Agrieultural Departments in many of the other land grant colleges of the country. To this end the work of the department was dif- forentiated, new divisions ereated in both College and Experiment Station, the eourse of instruetion very much enlarged, and ceonsiderable equipment pur- chased for the lahoratories, elass rooms, and for the farm, Apple, peach, and variety orchards were set, and the Agronomist began extensive experiments and demonstrations with field erops. In 1908 the first Farmers' Day was held. This is now an annual event, and serves as an excellent medinm for bringing the constitunents of the College in touch with its work. Through the iranges and Farmers' Institutes, opportuni- ties have been offered the Department of Agrienlture to get close to the farmers and to diseuss with them the problems of their own farms, The Department of Agrienlture has also made it a practice to exhibit live stock, grain, forage crops, and fruit, at the State Fair, and for a number of vears had made an exhibit of varions breeds of live stock at some of the larger fairs on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Under the new organization students eame slowly at first, and it was not until 1911 that any econsiderable number elected the Agrienltural Course. In that year about one-third of the entering class chose Agrieulture, and this pro- portion was about the same in 1912, In 1911 the Legislature passed a bill appropriating $4.500 per year for two vears to establish a division of Agricultural Extension. This has seemed to round out aeceptably the seope of the work of the Department of Agrienlture and materially to increase its efficiency. At the present time there are seven well equipped divisions in the Agricultural Department, ineluding Agricultural Extension. The heads of all of these and their assistants, with the exeeption of the chemists, oecupy dual positions as teachers and investigators in their re- speetive branches. The work of the head of the division of Chemistry, and his two assistants, is eonfined entirely to research. About forty students have heen enrolled in Agrieulture for the present collegiate year, The department has under its direction a farm containing something over 200 acres. On the farm there are one of the finest peach orchards in the state, over 550 varieties of fruit, 14 breeds of live stock, and almost inmumerable va- rieties of wheat, corn, soy beans, and other grain and forage crops. The farm

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nell University. He had had considerable experience as a teacher and investi- gator, was energetic and enthusiastie, and was highly recommended for the work that he was to undertake as Professor of Agrieulture in Delaware College. When he ecame to Newark to take up his work there were two students taking the four year course in Agriculture, and he had a class of four in the winter course in 1904, The following year three members of the Freshman elass elected Agrienlture, and the winter short course numbered two. This indicates that some interest was beginning to be felt in Agrieultural edueation, although the course was badly handicapped from lack of equipment. At the Commeneement in June, 1905, Charles Walter Colling of Harrington, and Jacob Leonard SBoper of Magnolia were graduated from the Course in Ag- rieulture, making a total of five who had taken the Bachelor's degree in Ag- rienlture, In April, 1906, Prof. Foord, somewhat discouraged by the condi- tions that obtained in Delaware and by the lack of equipment for teaching Ag- riculture, resigned to accept a position in the Agronomy Department of the Ohio State University. At the present time he is at the head of the Department of Agronomy in the Massachusetts Agrienltural College, and is most suceessful as a teacher in that well and favorably known institution. Prof. Foord's sneeessor was not named at onee, and at the Commencement in June of that year Dr. Neale resigned as Director, but was elected as Animal Husbandryman and Agronomist in the Experiment Station. Pursnant to the determined effort of the Trustees to give especial attention to the advancement of Agriculture, Dr, J, L, Hilles, Dean of the Department of Agriculture and Di- rector of the Experiment Station in the University of Vermont, was chosen Di- rector of the Delaware Experiment Station and Professor of Agriculture in the College to sueceed Dr. Neale and Professor Foord, The sinecrity and wisdom of the Trustees nnder the conditions that obtained at that time eannot be doubted by anyone who is conversant with the facts in the ease. The Trustees of the University of Vermont feeling that the resignation of Dr, Hilles wonld greatly impair the work of that institution, prevailed upon him to deeline the invitation to come to Delaware. Whereupon Harry Hayward, a graduate of Cornell Tni- versity, and at that time Director of the Agricultural Department of the Mount Hermon School, was elected Director of the Experiment Station and Professor of Agrieulture. Professor Hayward began his work in Delaware in October, 1906, and im- mediately asked the state, through the Trostees, for a farm on which experi- ments in orcharding, agronomy, and animal husbandry could be earried out, and which would maintain illustrative material for teaching Agrieulture. So marked was the revival of interest in Agrienlture throughout the state that the General Assembly, in 1907, passed by an almost unanimous vote an act provid- ing for the issuance of bonds to the amount of $20,000 for the purchase of a farm for the use of the College, to be owned by the State. This was promptly 24

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ARnirEEmamsam is one of the principal attractions of the College, and is visited every vear by thousands who are interested in some phase of Agriculture. The services of the members of the agricultural staff are in great demand from numerous sources, which shows the interest that is being manifested in Agricuture by the publie. It is felt by those moest elosely eonnected with this department of Delaware College that it is now in a position to render effective service to the state in de- veloping its agrieultural resources, and in helping the farmers of the Peninsula to hecome more efficient, The Agrienltural Department gratefully acknowledges the help and sup- port it has reeeived from the people of the State, who have made liberal appro- priations in expression of their faith in itse usefulness. The Department is un- der special obligations to the Board of Trustees for the interest it has shown, and for the hearty support it has given to its activities. Only by this support has the development of the Agrienltural Department been made possible,