Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1871 [PAGE 139]

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131 of the various States and- Territories in which no colleges have yet been organized. I have also sent packages, by express, to gentlemen at those points where Industrial University lectures have been held, for distribution among persons who attended the meetings, and have made a very considerable .distribution through members of the General Assembly, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture. Agricultural lectures and discussions were held at Champaign, January 9th to 20th, 1871; at Springfield, between January 12tli and 18th; at Pekin, between January 23d and 26th, and at South Pass, February 6th to 9th. I was unable to be present at any except those held at Springfield, but learn that they were as a whole successful, though not always as well attended as could be desired. The fact that since we commenced these annual courses such institutions as the Iowa Agricultural College, Cornell University, and probably others have organized similar courses, goes to show that the plan is approved and imitated by industrial teachers in other States, and may encourage us to persevere in the same direction. The exact cost of these lectures is not yet ascertained, but excluding those of Dr. Hull and Dr. Miles, who were primarily engaged to lecture before the students, they will cost considerably less than last year. Applications have already been made for lectures at other points, and in case the Board approves, arrangements ought to be made at an early day for the next winter courses. We now have a State appropriation to aid us, which makes it perhaps obligatory to do so. The time has come when, as I would respectfully suggest, the Board should make further provision than it has yet done to enable me to make the annual report of this Board a more thorough and complete attempt to collect our statistics bearing on the industries, and to obtain and set forth facts of observation and experiment. We ought to have— I. Meteorogical observations—of which I already have a large amount, collected from different observers in the State, but which should be carefully made, also, here at the University, by some person appointed for the purpose. Probably this could be done most cheaply by the employment of a careful and thorough person from among our students. It would furnish him remunerative employment, and insure the doing of a work which is too great for Professors already over-taxed. I I . Trials of Implements.—At least once in each year there should be held on the University farm a trial of plows, cultivators, harrows, reapers, mowers or some other class of implements, agricultural or