American periodicals donated by the publisher, or by individuals: American Bee Keepers' Magazine. Missionary Magazine. Adrian Weekly Times. Advance. American Farmer Grange Visitor. Imports and Exports of U. S. Ingham County News. Ionia Sentinel. Kalamazoo Telegraph. Lansing Journal. Republican. 66 We have also received a few copies of several other of our county papers, all of which we are very glad to have, as some one will be sure to want them during the year. Library hours have been lengthened to fifty-six hours a week, for students, and during late fall and early spring, when regular work is not furnished, the library is open seventy hours a week to all. Eleven new large lamps have been hung in the alcoves, a number of chairs added, and nettings hung at the doors and windows. Excellent success has been had the past year in securing books by exchange, both from other States and from abroad; it will be necessary during the next two years to increase the shelf room of the library, either by adding shelves at the top of the present shelves, or at the front of the alcoves, or by placing a tier of shelves in the center of the room. The librarian feels it a duty to call attention to the need of a work-room and store room; the library is growing quite rapidly and all accessions and accumulations must at present be handled in the sight and hearing of all readers and visitors. There should also be hand-washing and closet accommodations, not now afforded to the library. The above suggestions are respectfully submitted with this report. Librarian. REPORT OF PROFESSOR OF MILITARY SCIENCE AND TACTICS. President Michigan Agricultural College : SIR-I have the honor to render for your information, the following report of the condition of the Military Department at this college, for the year 1885. In obedience to orders from the War Department I reported for duty at the college in November, 1884. Prior to that time there had been no military organization whatever. PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION. At the close of the winter vacation, I began drilling a squad of Seniors daily, in the elements of Infantry tactics and a month later other squads were formed, the Seniors above mentioned, having by that time become sufficiently advanced to assist me as instructors. On May 1, upwards of ninety students having been voluntarily enrolled for military instruction, a cadet battalion of two companies was organized and daily company drills were substituted for squad drills. Military exercises have been continued without interruption during the college year. In August, the cadets had become sufficiently proficient in the manual of arms and in marching to make a highly creditable appearance in Lansing on the occasion of the Grant Memorial service During the summer dress parades were occasionally substituted for drills with satisfactory results. Target practice has been held on several Saturdays. The targets used being those owned by the State troops, which are situated in the Chandler marsh. It is hoped that by another year the college will have a target range of its own, thus obviating the disadvantage incident to using a range so remote as is the one used heretofore. THEORETICAL INSTRUCTION. As far as practicable, the officers of the cadet battalion have been taken from the Senior class. They have been required to recite to me three times a week in Upton's Infantry Tactics. The cadet officers have organized a military society, at which I preside. This meets once a week for the purpose of stimulating the interest in military matters at the college. At these meetings essays are presented on military subjects and military questions are discussed. On July 3, I delivered a public lecture in the chapel on the subject of Military Instruction at Colleges. DISCIPLINE. As a The general discipline of the college has not passed under my control. rule, the cadets, during their military exercises, have manifested a desire to acquit themselves in a creditable and soldierly manner. No punishments have been resorted to, except an occasional reprimand or temporary relegation to an awkward squad. The degree of discipline maintained is largely dependent on the cadet officers. These are appointed by me, with the approval of the president of the college, and receive letters of appointment signed by both. It is my aim to select for these positions, students who not only are proficient at drill but who carry their soldierly bearing and gentlemanly conduct into all the affairs of daily life. Should the general discipline of the college pass under military control, I am confident that regularity and promptness in attendance at classes and a more orderly state of things in the dormitories would result. UNIFORM. The dark, navy-blue uniform adopted for the College Cadets is similar to that worn at the State Universities of Ohio and Wisconsin. It is neat, inexpensive and can be worn with propriety on all occasions. RECOMMENDATIONS. A legislative enactment conferring the brevet rank of second lieutenants on military graduates of the college is desirable. Such an act was passed in behalf of the graduates of the Orchard Lake Academy with beneficial results. I recommend that Upton's Infantry Tactics be recognized as one of the Senior studies in the next annual college catalogue. A thorough knowledge of even elementary tactics requires time and study. I recommend that no student shall be graduated, after 1886, who has not been subject to military drill and discipline for at least one year, and, to accomplish this result, I suggest that military drill be made compulsory for Freshmen and Sophomores. Under existing arrangements (many students dropping tactics at the end of every term) my task is too much like that of Sisyphos to be beneficial to any but beginners, or satisfactory to myself. I am obliged to go over the same rudimentary ground each term, and battalion drill is never reached. CONCLUSION. In conclusion, I have to thank the president of the college, his predecessor, and the State Board of Agriculture for the aid and encouragement they have given me in my efforts. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. A. LOCKWOOD, Lieut. 17th U. S. Infantry, Professor of Military Science and Tactics. MICH. AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, October, 1885. EXPERIMENTS WITH ENSILAGE, MADE BY THE FARM DEPARTMENT OF THE MICHIGAN STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, 1881-2. The following statements were printed in our report for 1881-2, but as our supply of that issue is exhausted, and frequent inquiries are made for this paper, it seemed best to reprint it this year: At the last regular session of the Legislature an appropriation was made of one thousand dollars, "for the purpose of conducting experiments with ensilage, for the feeding of animals, the culture of amber cane and new varieties of grain and beet roots, by the farm department of the Agricultural College." The bill was not passed until quite late in the session, being approved June 11, 1881, so that we were somewhat hurried in the preliminary work of preparing the ground and building the silo. As a new grain barn, with high basement walls, was being erected on the farm, we decided to build the silo in one corner of this basemeut, with the thought that if the ensilage experiment was not satisfactory, the silo could be utilized as a root cellar. A space in the northeast corner was chosen for this purpose, and a wall made, eighteen inches thick, well laid with common field stone and strong mortar. Tiles were laid to carry off water, and the floor was then covered with small stones, bedded in cement, and then cemented, as well as the sides, until all was smooth, and supposed to be air and water tight. The inside measurement of the silo is 14x15 feet, and walls 8 feet high. There is a door four feet wide and six feet high from the silo into the basement, where the ensilage is taken out. Where circumstances will admit, I think the barn basement is the proper place for the silo. It is near the stables where it is to be used, and a door through which it may be taken out, directly to the animals, is more convenient than to lift the ensilage over the top of the wall. Silos can be built in almost any barn in this manner at much less expense than if built separately, as no extra expense for roof is incurred. When filling the silo, matched plank were fitted in the doorway to the basement, and the ensilage packed against these as the filling proceeded. When opened, the ensilage was found to be as perfectly preserved next to these plank as n any other part of the outside of the silo. Matched plank, two inches thick, were used as a cover, care being taken to have them fit closely, but not to bind in the settling. The items of expense incurred in building the silo are as follows: The land upon which the fodder corn grew is a sandy loam-sand predominating. It had grown a corn crop the previous year, and was clean, but not sufficiently fertilized to produce a large crop. It was put in good condition to receive the seed, and drills marked three and one-half feet apart June 11th the plat of 1 acres was planted with the Hathaway dent corn-the variety grown upon the farm for some years. Corn was dropped in the drills and covered by hand, at the rate of one and one-half bushels to the acre. I think less seed would have given a larger yield, as it was too thick to make a large growth. The corn came up well and grew very rapidly, receiving three cultivations and being kept free from weeds. In August the severe drouth began to tell upon its growth-the leaves and some of the stalks turning yellow, occasioned by the dry weather and the crowded state of the plants. But few cars formed. I quote from our field notes: July 21st-The ensilage corn is rolling considerably. July 28th-The ensilage corn has been at a stand-still for a week, on account of the extreme dry weather. August 8th-The ensilage corn has been shortened a good deal by the dry weather. August 18thContinued rains. The ensilage corn, though cut short, seems to be making some growth at present. August 26th-The ensilage corn is again nearly at a stand-still, owing to the dry weather. That the dry weather shortened the crop was plainly evident. FILLING THE SILO. The We began cutting the corn and filling the silo on Monday, Sept. 13th. most of the stalks were green and full of juice at this time. On some parts of the plot some stalks were browned and the low r leaves dried, but to no great extent. A two-horse tread-power and our ordinary stalk-cutter, made at Fulton, N. Y., were used. A one-horse cart, and a double team and wagon drew the corn to the silo, which was only a few rods distant. The work was mainly done by students, who only work three hours in the afternoon, and so no full day's work was performed. On Wednesday, the 15th, it rained, and the cut fodder was somewhat wet, and some corn was cut while the water was dripping from it. On Thursday, the 16th, we finished the cutting. The corn, cut in pieces about one-half inch in length, was run directly to the silo, where it was spread and tramped down as com, actly as possible. Nothing was mixed with the fodder, and no other crop but corn was put in the silo. We cut at the rate of two tons au hour, I think, and we found the tread-power to answer a very good purpose. With a large machine more power would be needed, but twenty tons a day works it up quite as rapidly as most farmers will desire. Farmers |