Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1871 [PAGE 75]

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67

HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.

The report of Prof. Burrill, which I herewith communicate, affords the detailed statement of the work done in his department the past year. This department is understood to include the Ornamental Grounds and Green Houses, the Market Garden, the Nurseries, the Orchards and Fruit Plantations, and the Forest planting. The ornamental grounds continue to improve in beauty, and are exercising an evident influence upon the tastes of the students. The new green house, furnished by the appropriation of 1869, is already well filled, and several of the students, including some of the young ladies, are taking lessons in its management. The management of the market garden has, as yet, failed to secure remunerative results. The chief and perhaps fatal difficulty is found in the lack of a good home market for the more bulky or perishable vegetables. The effort now is to reduce the crops to such kinds as may either be transported profitably to Chicago, or preserved in cans. The work is too important to be relinquished without further trials. The nurseries are designed primarily to supply the trees needed for our own orchards and forest plantations, but a large surplus will be raised for general sale. There are now in nursery 177,000 young trees for the forests and shelter belts, and a large number of pear and apple grafts have been prepared during the past winter, affording valuable practice to the students of Horticulture, and enlarging the nursery stock. The apple orchard now contains 2,319 trees, embracing about 1,180 varieties. Over 400 varieties of pears are either in orchard or nursery, and several varieties each of grapes, currants, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, and blackberries. An appropriation has been asked to carry out the forest planting, as it will necessarily involve a large expense for which no return can be expected for many years. A large part of the trees now on hand are ready to go into permanent place this spring. Nearly twenty acres of the garden ground have been thoroughly underdrained, and there remains a portion of the appropriation sufficient to underdrain the remainder of these grounds, or at least such as it is desirable to underdrain. Prof. Burrill is infusing new life into his department.

THE MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT.

The report of Professor Robinson will give, in detail, the work done in the shop. "When it is recollected that this department began its proper work only about one year ago, the report will afford strong