THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION.

The Constitution of Michigan, adopted August 15, 1850, provides, in Article XIII., as follows:

"SEC. 11. The Legislature * * shall, as soon as practicable, provide for the establishment of an Agricultural School." * *

ACT OF ORGANIZATION.

In order to carry out the foregoing provision of the Constitution, the Legislature in 1855 passed an "Act for the establishment of a State Agricultural School."-[Compiled Laws, 1857, page 723.

LOCATION.

The act for the establishment of the Agricultural College provided for the selection and purchase of a site for the College. It was to be "within ten miles of Lansing," and on "not less than 500 acres in one body," at a cost not to exceed $15 an acre.

On the 16th of June, 1855, the location of the College was fixed upon. The tract consists of 676 57-100 acres, lying on both sides of the Cedar river, about three and a half miles east of the Capitol. About three acres of the land was cleared at the time of purchase,-the conditions prescribed by law, as to price and nearness to Lansing, very much restricting the choice of a site. The conveyance is made to the State of Michigan.

OPENING OF THE COLLEGE.

The College was put under the supervision of the State Board of Education (Compiled Laws, 1857, page 724), where it remained until the close of the year 1860. The Board having erected a College Hall, a boarding hall, a brick barn, and purchased some farm implements, stock, etc., opened the College to students May 13th, 1857. The students worked three hours daily, and within a year 60 acres were brought under cultivation. The next year four brick dwelling-houses were erected, and a small wooden house purchased and repaired for the occupancy of the foreman of the farm.

The four years of the College under the supervision of the Board of Education were such as to tax the wisdom and patience of the Board. The first outlay for the College had exceeded their expectation, and the institution was in debt at the end of the second year. No railroads came within twenty miles of the College, and the uncultivated grounds presented few attractions to the student.

The Board left the institution at the close of the year 1860 virtually free from debt, leaving undrawn from the State Treasury $3,300 of the appropriation for 1859-60,-the barn and bridge, for which estimates had been presented to the Legislature, not having been built. The appropriation for 1861 was reduced by $3,500, on account of this balance.

RE-ORGANIZATION.

In 1861 (Act No. 188, Laws of 1861), the Legislature, acting in accordance with a recommendation of the State Board of Education (Joint Documents, 1861, No. 5, pages 14 and 13.1), transferred the charge of the College to a State Board of Agriculture. (See below.)

The act has been amended several times. As it now stands (Compiled Laws, 1871, Vol. I..p. 1176), it makes, among others, the following provisions:

"The Agricultural College shall be a high seminary of

learning, in which the graduate of the common school can commence, pursue, and finish a course of study, terminating in thorough theoretic and practical instruction in those sciences and arts which bear directly upon Agriculture and kindred industrial pursuits.

"A full course of study in it shall embrace not less than four years.

"It shall combine physical with intellectual labor, and require, with some exceptions, three hours' labor each day from each student.

"In assessing the price of board, it shall be so estimated that no profit shall be saved to the institution, and as nearly as possible at the actual cost.

"The College shall have power to confer degrees."

STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.

The same act, section 1, constitutes and establishes a State Board of Agriculture, a body corporate, to consist of six members, in addition to the Governor of the State and the President of the State Agricultural College, who shall be ex officio members of the Board.

The term of service is six years,-two going out of office the third Wednesday of January, or when their successors are appointed, every second year.

The vacancies thus created in the Board are filled by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate, in such a way that one-half the appointed members shall be practical agriculturists.

Other vacancies are filled by the Board.

The members of the Board have their traveling and other expenses paid while employed on the business of the Board, but they receive no compensation for their services.

CONGRESSIONAL GRANT OF LANDS.

An act of Congress approved July 2, 1862 (U. S. Laws 1862, Chapter CXXX.), donated to each State public lands to the

amount of 30,000 acres for each of its Senators and Representatives in Congress, according to the census of 1860, for the "endowment, support, and maintenance, of at least one college where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts."

Section 4 of the act provides that all the moneys derived from the sale of the land shall be invested in "safe stocks,', yielding not less than five per cent per annum upon the par value of said stocks, and that the capital so invested shall remain forever undiminished, the interest alone being used for the support of the college.

Section 5 provides that "No portion of said fund, nor the interest thereon, shall be applied, directly or indirectly, under any pretense whatever, to the purchase, erection, preservation, or repair of any building or buildings."

Section 3 provides that all expenses of management, etc., of the lands and of the moneys received therefrom, shall be paid by the States, "so that the entire proceeds of the sale of said lands shall be applied, without any diminution whatever, to the purposes for which the grant was made."

ACCEPTANCE AND DISPOSAL OF THE GRANT.

In anticipation of the Congressional grant of lands the Legislature of 1857 enacted (Compiled Laws of 1871, page 1277), that the State hereby accept any such grant or donation of lands upon the conditions upon which such grant or donation is or may be made, "which terms, trusts and conditions are hereby declared to be obligatory on this State." In February, 1863 (Compiled Laws, 1871, page 1271), the grant of lands was formally accepted by the Legislature.

A Land Grant Board was established, consisting of the Governor, Auditor General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General, and Commissioner of the State Land Office, for the control and management of the selection, sale, and