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Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
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298 History University of Illinois December 1,1867, a list of nineteen questions was sent out widely to the farmers. The inquiries concerned the character of surface soil and subsoil, location of the farm, crops taken off, livestock raised, rotations followed, notable successes, pronounced failures, cost per acre of good farming, and other facts. Thirtyfour answers were received, many of them revealing an alert and affectionate acquaintance with the soils and their products. The answers were printed with the first annual report of the board of trustees and five thousand copies sent out at the expense of the state. The university opened Monday, March 2, 1868, with fifty students which during the week increased to sixty-eight. The inauguration was held March 11 and the second annual meeting of the board of trustees was in session March 10,11, and 12. At this meeting of the board,Major John W. Powell appeared and gave an account of his Rocky Mountain expedition. He assured the board that the new university would not long be without a cabinet as his collections were being classified and soon would be ready for presentation to the board. Remnants of this collection are still in the present university cabinet although the university never received so large a collection as was expected from this source. The report of the finance committee showed the university to be safe financially,35 An estimate of receipts for the year 1868 and 1869 yielded $33,373.10, while an estimate of expenses including $1000 for unforeseen incidentals amounted to $28,295 leaving a comfortable balance of a little over $5,000. They based this upon the expenditure for the year of organization which had been $35,076.90 while the receipts were as follows:— " Sale of Champaign county bonds, as per order of the board $40,000; interest on Illinois bonds $3,750; rents of farm $1,500, making a total of $45,250." The inauguration of the new university held March 11, 1868, attracted considerable attention throughout the state. It was held in the university hall with the national flag, the picture of Washington as the great farmer of the revolutionary period, the American eagle and the university motto "Learning and Labor" "First annual report of the board of trustees, 127-130.
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