LB SLATUi, Hoou Dooa 1865. No. 38. [No. 88.] COMMUNICATION from the President of the State Agricul tural College, giving the number, ages, etc., of the students attending the College in 1864, salaries of the professors, etc. LAwsrIG, March 2, 1865. To the Honorable the House of Representatives: In pursuance of a resolution adopted by the House of Rep. resentatives, the 20th of February, calling on the Superintendent of the State Agricultural College for certain information, there being no officer with such legal title, I would re. apectfully submit the following: The resolution is as follows: Resolved, That the Superintendent of the State Agricultural College be and is hereby instructed to report to this House, aa soon as practicable, the number of pupils at such school during the past year, (and the time each remained,) with their ages. Also, the number who have enlisted in the military service of the country since the war commenced, to what sub-districts they were credited, the amount of bounty paid or promised each, to whom such bounties were paid, and the present condition of said bounties, in case of the death of any such pupils of I 2 HousE Doc. volunteer. Also, an abstract statement, showing the salaries (and perquisites, if any,) received by himself and the other professors, and all other persons employed by said institution since the first of January, 1864, and that the said Superintendent do set forth in said statement, as near as may be, the number of hours that each professor is employed, and the nature of the work. Also, the number of weeks the term lasted, and the number of pupils at the close of the term. Also, the gross amount of products of said farm, and how disposed of." The number of students at the Agricultural College during the year 1864, was 61. The catalogue contains the name of one person, who after requesting to have his name inserted, and saying he should be present, failed to come. The time each student remained cannot be exactly stated now. The assistant secretary resigned his place in the Institution at the close of last year, and has been absent since Dec. 9, and no one has been appointed to succeed him. Several of the ledger accounts of the students, from which alone the information asked for can be gained, are consequently as yet unbalanced. The ages of the students were as follows: 6 students, ages not recorded. 4 " were 14 years of age, (admitted to the preparatory department.) 5 students were 15 years of age. 4 " "C 16 " 10 " "c 17.4 " " 18 6 " "19 5 " 20 " 5 " c 21 5 " " 22 2 " " 24 1 student was 25 1 " 26 c; 2 students were 27 1 student was 30 No. 38. 8 The average of those on record, is nineteen end a fraction. In regard to the number of students who have enlisted in. the military service of the country since the war commenced;, to what sub-districts they were credited; the amount of bounty paid or promised each; to whom such bounties were paid, and the present condition of said bounties in case of the death of any such pupils or volunteer, I have not at present the means of giving information. The following is a statement of the salaries and perquisites received by the officers of the College, for the year 1864: OFFICER. SALBRY. PERQUISITES. T. 0. Abbot, President, Professor &c.,..... $1,200 00 House rent, valued at $120. If. Miles, Professor of Animal Physiology, and Superintendent of Farm..1........... 1,000 00 House rent, valued at $120. R. C. Kedzie, Professor of Chemistry,...... 1,000 00 House rent, valued at $120. A. N. Prentiss, Professor of Botany and Hor. ticulture, and Superintendent of the Gardens,.................................. 600 00 None. Oscar Clute, Professor of Mathematics,..... 600 00 None. A A. A.enaeton, Instructor,................ 600 00 House rent, valued at $100, and his choice between the services of a student three hours a day, at 71 cts. an hour, or the value in money, for duties as Assistant Secretary.. 8 Rockwell, Steward, (for services of himself and wife,)..................... 00 Lives in the Boarding Hall with a family, besides himself and wife, of three little girls. C A. Noble, Foreman on the Farm........ $400 00 and board. None. REM _ARKS. The President's salary is, and has always been, $1,500 a year. He drew but $1,200 for each of the years 1863 and 1864, on condition of the balance being expended in making an addition to the house belonging to the College, and used by him. The addition was accordingly made. By vote of the Board of Agriculture, August 31, 1864, instructors Prentiss and Clute were made professors, and their salaries, together with that of Mr. Kenaston, were, at the same time, raised to $1,000 each, from the 1st day of January, 1865. Mr. H. D. Bartholomew was paid $30, for giving instruction one hour a day, for four weeks, in book-keeping and commercial customs and law. He did not board in the College, but. 4 House Doc. went back and forth from Lansing, at the expense of the College. This expense was paid by furnishing pasturage to horses on the College farm. I am unable to give the exact number of hours that each professor is employed in his duties. The following is a statement of the work' performed by each, so far as can well be given, for the year 1864: The President conducted chapel exercises every morning, usually at half-past five o'clock; heard two classes, daily, for one hour each; one weekly exercise, one hour; and lectured to the students every Sunday afternoon. He was the Executive officer of the College, and had general oversight of all the departments; was member of the board of agriculture; examined all accounts, and had a great variety of duties, a detail of which the resolution of the House is not understood to call for. The Professor of Animal Physiology heard two classes daily, one hour each, for one-half year, and one class daily, one hour, for the other half year. He spent three hours in the field, daily, superintending work on the farm. He had charge of the stock and farm, and of the labor of two-thirds of the students working on farm and gardens. He gave a course of lectures oln farm economy, in the general lecture room of the College. The Professor of Chemistry heard two classes daily, one hour each, throughout the year; prepared a course of experiments in chemistry for one half year, and superintended personally the three hours daily labor of students in analytical chemistry in the laboratory. He gave a course of lectures in the general lecture room, on the application of chemistry to the arts, and another course on military hygiene. He conducted the experiments given in the report of the secretary of the board for 1864; kept the meteorological records, &c. The Professor of Botany heard one class daily, one hour; personally superintended the work of students in the gardens three hours a day; gave a course of lectures in the general No. 88. 5 lecture room on horticulture; had charge of the military drill, &c. The Professor of Mathematics gave instruction to two classes daily, one hour each, for one-half year, and to three classes daily, one hour each, for the other half year. He gave field instruction in surveying and leveling, and a course of lectures in the general lecture room on field fortifications. The Instructor heard three classes daily, one hour each, and acted as assistant secretary of the College. For a fuller account of the labors of several of the officers, I would respectfully refer to pages 108 and 109, of the Report of the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture, for 1864. The College term was 36 weeks long. The number of students at the close of the term, would seem, from books in the Assistant Secretary's office, to be thirty-six. As the College excused many from attendance, near the close of the term, to e:ngage in teaching, or for other reasons, I think the number given above is probably too large, but I have no means of returning a true one. The gross amount of products of the farm, for 1864, was as follows: Wheat, 315 bushels; 275 bushels on hand; 40 bushels sold to boarding hall or others. Oats, 405 bushels; 175 bushels on hand; 230 bushels fed to stock Corn, 330 bushels, (ears;) fed to stock or on hand. Potatoes, 147 bushels; sold to boarding hall. Turnips, 800 bushels; fed to stock, or on hand. Hay, 80 tons, (estimate;) fed to stock, or on hand. Pork 1,112 bbls.; sold to boarding hall. Beef, 803 lbs.; sold to boarding hall. The garden furnished vegetables to the boarding hall, amounting to........... $240 96 It has products on hand, amounting to.............. 130 00 Sold to others than boarding hall,................ 38 8 $409 78 2 HoUSE Doe. No. 38. The receipts in the stock department, amounted to $481 56; and the expenditure (exclusive of the hay, grain, roots and care,) were $632 20. I have the honor to be, Your obedient servant T. C. ABBOT, Praident