Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1884 [PAGE 207]

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211

Chief i t e m s of sales w e r e : Cattle Hogs Horses Poultry Total from live stock B u t t e r a n d milk. Corn Eye Wheat Oats T o t a l from g r a i n Hay a n d s t r a w Bents s A m o n g chief i t e m s of e x p e n d i t u r e s w e r e : Labor and superintendence Live stock Drainage Machinery , $3,318 1,052 335 82 „ $4,787 $700 $210 246 108 aa $630 $633 486 $3,337 1,411 504 ^30

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I n a b o v e s u m m a r i e s fractions of dollars h a v e b e e n omitted. T h e p r o p e r t y on h a n d m a y be t h u s s u m m a r i z e d : Cattle— S h o r t - h o r n s , 51 (5 u n r e g i s t e r e d ) J e r s e y s , 11 (3 u n r e g i s t e r e d ) G r a d e cows and heifers, 11, at $45 G r a d e y e a r l i n g heifers, 18, at $30 G r a d e heifer calves, 10, at $15 G r a d e s t e e r s , 26 G r a d e s t e e r calves, 8 Total cattle, 135 Hogs— B r e e d i n g stock, 12 P i g s , 49, at$7 P i g s , 35, at $2 T o t a l h o g s , 96 Sheep— 10 choice S h r o p s h i r e a n d S o u t h d o w n s Chickens Grain H a y , s t r a w , e n s i l a g e , c o r n fodder Miscellaneous T e a m s , as a b o v e Implements and machinery $670 1,285 210 1,275 1,900

$5,440 1,050 495 540 150 930 110 $8,705 $173 343 70 $586 $300 60 00 00 00 00 00

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T h e s e a s o n w a s especially u n f a v o r a b l e for t h e c o r n c r o p . We h a v e n o t h a d so s m a l l a yield or of so inferior q u a l i t y since I h a v e k n o w n t h e farm. F o r t u n a t e l y we h a v e b e e n able to s e c u r e a limited q u a n t i t y of good seed. O t h e r farm c r o p s w e r e g o o d . Almost w i t h o u t e x c e p t i o n t h e live s t o c k is in g o o d c o n d i t i o n ; a s a lot it is of h i g h e r q u a l i t y t h a n we h a v e h a d at a n y f o r m e r time. T h e w o r k of d r a i n i n g t h e " G r i g g s farm" is a p p r o a c h i n g completion. T h e e x a c t c o s t c a n n o t y e t be s t a t e d , but will n o t be far, for t h e d r a i n a g e and fencing, from $600. T h e farm h a s b e e n l e a s e d for a n o t h e r y e a r to E . G . J a q u e s at $460 for 120 a c r e s a n d one-half t h e h a y on t h e r e m a i n i n g 40 a c r e s . At t h e r e c e n t fat-stock s h o w in Chicago, we e x h i b i t e d a few fat s t e e r s , w h i c h a t t r a c t e d favorable notice, a n d w e r e sold to good a d v a n t a g e . T h e y w e r e n o t e n t e r e d for c o m p e t i tion for p r i z e s , a n d t h r o u g h an o v e r s i g h t , n o t o u r own, w e r e o m i t t e d from t h e official catalogue. Since t h e l a s t m e e t i n g of t h e B o a r d w e h a v e o b t a i n e d six finely b r e d S h r o p s h i r e l a m b s , a n d by e x c h a n g e on v e r y favorable t e r m s , w i t h H o n . J. E. Scott, four well b r e d S o u t h d o w n l a m b s , a s t h e f o u n d a t i o n for a flock of s h e e p . T a k e n a s a whole, I c o u n t t h e f a r m s in b e t t e r condition t h a n at a n y f o r m e r t i m e s i n c e u n d e r my direction. C o n c e r n i n g m y w o r k in t h e University, I can only s a y I h a v e b e e n m u c h gratified a t t h e i n t e r e s t s h o w n by few s t u d e n t s in my c l a s s e s . T h e only d i s c o u r a g e m e n t is in t h e s m a l l n e s s of t h e n u m b e r s . With a p p a r e n t g r o w i n g belief in t h e possibility of a P r o f e s s o r of Agriculture giving i n s t r u c t i o n , a s e v i d e n c e d by m a n y m o r e c a l k t h a n c a n be r e s p o n d e d to for public a d d r e s s e s , n e w s p a p e r articles a n d a n s w e r s to v e r y m a n y p r i v a t e l e t t e r s of i n q u i r y o n a g r i c u l t u r a l topics, t h e n u m b e r of a g r i c u l t u r a l s t u d e n t s d o e s n o t i n c r e a s e .