Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1896 [PAGE 20]

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PROCEEDINGS OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

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The Board held the regular quarterly meeting on the 20th inst., with all members present except Mr. U-urler, of the State Dairymen's Association. The resignations of Professor Morrowr and Mr. Farrington left their places vacant, and these have not been filled. For the information of those present a report was prepared of the condition and progress of the affairs of the Station during the quarter, as communicated to me by each member of the Station staff. This report snowed very commendable activity and some valuable results. The experiments in each department, except that of dairying, seem well planned and well executed. The dairy work has not been well established, and changes in the membership of the Station staff have been injurious to these experiments. It is very desirable that this work shall have prompt and earnest attention, but just what can be done until competent men are provided is difficult to state. There was no member of the standing committee on the subject present at the meeting. The assistant chemist and dairyman have been doing all within their power for the good of the department, but something more is needed. The assistant agriculturist is also trying to help here, but his time and attention are demanded elsewhere. Because something should be done and because nothing better seemed possible, the present President of tlie Board was added to this standing committee. According to the report presented satisfactory progress has been made in various field experiments, in matters of feeding steers and pigs, in tests upon evaporation of water from soils, in various chemical and botanical investigations, and in experiments in horticultural subjects. The consulting entomologist, Professor Forbes, contributed an important account of the very earnest efforts made by him, under the authority of the Station, and at its expense, to test in the fields the efficacy of a fungous disease in killing off chinch bugs. More than 2,000 packages were sent out containing infected bugs, and in many cases other infecting material. On the whole, results seem to show that this disease cannot be spread effectively during dry weather, though persistent artificial infection seems to have been useful in one case. A bulletin on the subject is to be published soon. During the quarter bulletins Nos. 33 and 35 have been published, and No. 34 is in the printer's hands, while the manuscript for No. 36 is practically completed. The first of these contains a short article on the destruction of chinch bugs, by Professor Forbes, and articles on dairy matters, by Professor Morrow and Mr. Farrington. No. 34, on wheat and oats, is by Professor Morrow and Mr. Gardner. No. 35, on the Russian thistle, and No. 36, on feeding experiments, are by Professor Morrow. The Board of Direction presents the following papers: Paper A is a statement of expenditures for the quarter ending June 30, 1894. Paper B is a statement of expenditures for the year ending June 30, 1894. Paper C is a list of warrants drawn during the quarter ending June 30, 1894, Nos. 231 to 335, inclusive, and is accompanied with vouchers for the same. Paper D is a statement of appropriations, expenditures, and balances for the quarter ending September 30, 1894. Paper E is a statement of appropriations asked for the current and next quarters. The Board of Direction asks that the Trustees appropriate funds according to the estimates in Paper E, for the use of the Station.