Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1882 [PAGE 216]

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A second assistant has been found necessary in the Chemical Laboratory, in this as in former years. At Professor Weber's request I appointed student Ho ward Slauson to that duty, temporarily, at $10 per month. You are asked to approve this appointment, and to> continue it for the remainder of the year. I present the reports of the following committees: 1. Committee upon taking down the old Dormitory; the erection of Boiler House and chimney, and the purchase and setting of a new boiler. 2. Committee upon construction of Farm Cottage, and Dairy House. 3. Committee on the purchase of new Furniture. I recommend the following appropriations: For Farmers' Institute ---$100 00' For expenses of delegates to Washington (additional) 200 00s For dining room furnishing 50 00 For new music for choir and band 25 00 For steam indicator for Mechanical Engineering 100 00 S. H. PEABODY, Regent

D2CEMBEEl3,1881.

Dr. 8. H. Peabody, Regent: The work on the University farms for the year ending Dec. 1,1881, has been fairly successful. The season, as a whole, was unfavorable. The winter was severe, some stormsespecially. The spring opened rather late, increasing the cost of sowing and planting.. The wheat and rye sown in autumn of 1880, as well as all grass and clover sown in spring of 1881, almost entirely failed. The drouth of the summer was of unusual severity and longcontinuance, seriously reducing the yield of corn and of the pastures and causing a practical failure of the potato crop. It was found necessary to supplement the pastures with more than the usual quantity of grain and cut green food. Much inconvenience and som& increased expenditure was caused by partial failure of the water supply. We were unfortunate in having $125 worth of hay destroyed by fire. The seed purchased of different varieties of sorghum failed, making the crop late and poor. The estimate of quantity of corn and hay on hand when the farms were placed in my charge one year ago, proved rather sanguine, and I have also thought it proper to make a. considerable reduction in the valuation of the tools and machinery. A more than usual amount of repairing, including painting of Farm House, has been necessary. These, and some other facts, have tended to make the year's work not especially gratifying; but there have been some compensations. Prices for all farm products have been good. Our meadows gave good yields. The oat crop was good, and the corn yield wassatisfactory, some of the early planted yielding nearly 70 bushels per acre. All the grass and grain crop were secured in good time and in good condition. We have carefully selected about 500 bushels of seed corn. The live stock of the farms has been healthful and is now in satisfactory condition. Three old and inferior horses were disposed of. their places being supplied by a young: mare transferred to "Teams and Tools" from "Salable Property," and by two good mare& purchased. One of these has been sold at a fair profit. The Short Horn and Jersey cattle have increased in number, and the calves of the year are more than usually promising, although reared cheaply. We have been fortunate in having a large proportion of thetjncrease heifer calves, which will be retained. In common with many of our neighbors we lost most of the early litters of pigs. Aside from this, the hog stock has done well. A lot of steers purchased in spring of 1880, for experimental purposes, were fed during: the year, and exhibited at the Fat Stock Show in Chicago, in November. The results were interesting and valuable, much more than repaying the extra cost of about $60, which the experiment involved. A separate report of this and other experiments wiil be made. The year's profits might be made to appear somewhat larger if the cost of experimental work were deducted. This would be legitimate, but it is believed equally wise to consider experimental work the special field of our farm labors even^if the showing of profits be less striking. The Farm Cottage and Dairy House, provided for by special appropriations, have been completed and are in use. The former is a great convenience, and the latter promises to* enable us to make dairy work a source of profit, as well as give facilities for experimentation. A Pig House has also been built, and is in use. Omitting details, and even reference to many points of some interest, I may say that it would have been gratifying to have done more work in improving the farms, but that some of this work has been postponed and other parts done slowly, with a view to economy of expenditures. I wish to express my thanks to the Chairman of the Farm Committee, who has kindly given his advice and suggestions in all important matters. While I have found it best totake direct supervision of the work, my thanks are due to T. F. Hunt, a student, who has assisted me in many ways, afthough his time has been largely occupied with the care of the dairy work. The force of laborers has, in the main, merited commendation. The Receipts and Expenditures for the year are given in following summary. Detailed statements are in accompanying papers. The Inventory of Property is necessarily my own. I have aimed to give a fair present value to all articles. A shrinkage of $525 is made in the valuation of the Machinery and Tools, partly to cover loss and wear during t h e year, but mainly because it is believed the former valuation, although less than the original cost, was in excess of the present value. .