Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1926 [PAGE 137]

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board of trustees

[ D e c e m b e r 13,

Dr. Lloyd and Professor Blair. The report establishes, it seems to me, beyond any doubt, the fact that our people have been giving continual and careful consideration to this matter. They would have been justly subject to criticism if they had proceeded to expend the money without all this preliminary careful investigation. Professor Blair's report to Dean Munford includes also a proposed budget of expenditure for the Cook County Experiment Station, a list of equipment needed, and a letter from Mr. Schwake, dated September 5 to Dean Mumford urging haste in the matter, and correspondence between Mr. Heller and Professor Blair and others relating to the matter. From that correspondence we may fairly conclude that some of the Cook County people have been inclined to want our people to go faster in the matter than in their judgment is wise. I attach this report of Professor Blair's to Dean Mumford, dated December 8, with copies of all correspondence sent me with reference thereto as Appendix II. 12. The recommendations of Professor Blair and Dean Mumford as to the next steps in this matter I present separately. This report was received for record.

RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING COOK COUNTY EXPERIMENT FARM

Dean Mumford has sent me under date of December 9, recommendations from Professor J. C. Blair, head of the horticultural department, under date of December 2, concerning the purchase of land for the experimentfieldsin Cook County and a budget of operating expenses. Professor Blair's letter on the selection of a piece of land and the reasons therefor is as follows: December 2, 1924 Dean H. W . Mumford, College of Agriculture

My Dear Dean Mumford:

After very careful consideration of the various problems involved in the establishment of vegetable experimentalfieldsin Cook County, I beg to recommend that the University purchase twenty (20) acres of land, one and one-half miles southwest of the village of Des Plaines, Cook County, Illinois. The tract recommended for purchase is that of twenty acres owned by Louis Nebel, being the south half of the west forty (40) acres of the Northwest quarter of Section 29, Township 41 North, Range 12 East of 3 P. M . (Maine Township), Cook County, Illinois. This tract is a uniform black rich loam and quite typical of the best vegetable lands in the Des Plaines region. If purchased by January 20,192J, Mr. Louis Nebel, the owner, says that he will be willing to sell this tract for experimental purposes at $800 per acre, or $16,000 for the entire tract. After investigation, wefindthis to be an exceptionally reasonable price for this territory, considering its location and character of soil. For your information, I should add that this recommendation is made only after the most painstaking investigation by Dr. Lloyd and myself, extending over a period of more than a year, and after Mr. E. P. Lewis, Associate in Olericulture, had devoted all of his time for six months to a study of the vegetable problems in Cook County in addition to doing investigational work on three separate farms. It was our hope at the outset to be able tofindsuitable land on the Forest Preserve tract which possibly could be leased for a term of years for our work The chief objections to the use of Forest Preserve land for vegetable experiments are: 1. Forest Preserve lands are for the most part timber lands adjacent to or in close proximity to the streams; usually of yellow-gray silt loam type, and not adapted for our experimental work. 2. Pests, especially rabbits and pheasants, are so abundant in these protected areas as to cause great damage to growing crops. This was proved to our sorrow this year on the Belmont tract which we had leased, north of Maywood. 3. Forest Preserve lands are public property, and on account of pilfering render accurate records impossible.mind, leases itsforced to abandon the of but one year. Preserve land.thesePreserve Board we were property for periods idea of using Forest 4. The Forest facts in With all