Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1876 [PAGE 110]

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110

D E P A R T M E N T OF EXPERIMENTS.

To EMERY COBB. ESQ. , President of the Board of Trustees Illinois Industrial University: SIB—I beg respectfully to submit the following short report of progress in Department of Experiments, since the meeting of the Board in December, 1874: Referring to that portion of the action of the Board at that time, which adopted my programme of experiments, on condition that the necessary appropriation should be obtained from the Legislature, and appropriated $100 for the purpose of obtaining seeds from abroad, I have the honor to inform you that an order for seeds was sent to Paris, through a New York house, early in J a n uary ; that the seeds arrived in New York on the 23d of February, were taken from the Custom House and given to the agents of the Union Fast Freight Line on the 27th, and that their arrival is daily expected. The following is a copy of the invoice received from the well known seedsmen of Paris, Messrs. Vilmorin, Andressy & Co.: 55 pounds Silver Grey Buckwheat. 6.60 pounds Caragua Maize. 11 pounds Lucerne Grass Seed. 10 pounds Italian Ray Grass. 55 pounds Spring, or March Rye. 35 pounds Summer Rye of Saxony. 2.20 pounds Broom Corn Seed. 2.20 pounds Sorghum Seed. 55 pounds Winter Oats (to be sown very early). 55 pounds Coulomnius Oats. 55 pounds Polish Oats. 55 pounds Blue-stem Spring Wheat. 55 pounds Samaue Spring Wheat. 55 pounds White Flowering Flax. 55 pounds Winter Flax (to be sown very early). 22 pounds Piermont Hemp Seed. 2.20 pounds Mar.gold Wertzel. 2.20 pounds Mangold Wertzel Globe (red). 2.20 pounds Mangold Wertzel Globe (yellow). 2.20 pounds Green-collared Sugar Beet. 4 ounces Forage Carrot Seed. 22 pounds Char don Potato (late and large). 22 pounds Marjolin Potato (very early). 22 pounds Long Red Holland Potato, Prolific. The explanation of the odd pounds and the decimals in the above is that the order was made.to correspond with the kilogram of the French catalogues, which is 2.20 pounds nearly. On the 12th of January a P.C.M.O. for $6 was sent to San Francisco, Cal., to Col. Warren, editor and proprietor of the California Farmer, for 25 pounds of Alfalfa, or Chile clover, to be sent by mail. No answer having been received up to the 20th of February, on the 22nd I wrote Col. Warren a second time. It is probable that the seed is in the mail, but detained en route by the long and severe snow blockade in the mountains. To be sure of securing the specimens in the ear and of the best, on Feb. 11th I ordered from Plant Seed Company, St Louis:—half bush. Native Kentucky Hemp seed ; 1 bush. Long John White Corn, in the ear; 1 bush. St. Charles White Corn, in the ear; 1 bush, Gold Dust Yellow Corn, in the ear; 1 bush. New Madrid Yellow Corn, in the ear; asking for acknowledgment of ordei I was informed it had never been received, so I duplicated the order on the 1st of March. in addition to the above, one ounce each of 4 varieties of squashes and pumpkins, and as many of different kinds of cabbages has been added from Jas, J. W. Gregory, of Marblehead, Mass., and received in good order, at a cost of S3.65. A great number of seed catalogues have been obtained and more or less carefully examined, and much information has been gathered as to kinds and prices of commercial fertilizers proper to be purchased ; but negotiations for buying both seeds and manures have been delayed for the action of the General Assembly, or for further instructions of the Board of Trustees. In regard to experiments in feeding (and this subject is just now attracting a great deal of attention), Mr. Lawrence will report to you what has been done, and at the same time suggest a programme for further efforts in this direction. In conclusion, the undersigned, for himsell and Mr. Head Farmer Lawrence as well, both in full accord on this business, hope, if instructed and directed to carry out the programme of experiments as reported to the Board in December, to be able to show by the time of the July meeting (God and the season favoring), growing crops the Trustees, Regent and Faculty of the Illinois Industrial University will be proud of. Respectfully submitted. BENJ. F. JOHNSON, CHAMPAIGN, March 9th, 1875. In Charge of Experiments. BUSINESS A G E N T . To the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Industrial University: GENTLEMEN—I have the honor to offer the following report as Business Agent of the University: Paper " A " is a statement of the appropriations made the past six months. The paper also includes the expenditures made under the several appropriations, and the receipts or the several departments. Paper " B " gives the condition ot the State appropriations at d a t e ; the balance for taxes is not considered available for the University. Paper " C " is a list of the University warrants, with vouchers, drawn to date since the last meeting of the Board.