THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 1976
Page 9
'he fir st 100
College of Agriculture had rough start
By JOHN ADAMS
Contributor
midst today’s progressive ag-
Itural programs at Texas A & M, it
Difficult to imagine the College of
liculture ever experiencing near
iltnemberment due to the rough
Editions and mismanagement.
I ay’s agricultural instruction, re-
H ch and extension service would
le flabbergasted the early
Icators and students of the A&M
lege.
Alter the opening of the college in
ber, 1876, President T. S.
iliright, unfamiliar with “agrieul-
ra! and mechanical endeavors,
m entrated on a course curriculum
1 d on “elective studies with the
ifsics as its great central idea. ” Lit-
\ /as done to foster an agricultural
ram, outside the small college
!en and the president pet tur-
I
With the wholesale resignation of
Bfaculty in November, 1879, and
lappointment of Colonel John G.
niios as president, the agricultural
se of study was finally fully in-
ed. In a report by Colonel James
i July 1, 1880 he said of the early
pge instruction: “instead of
larizing the study of agricul-
horticulture, stock-breeding
■the mechanic arts, and thus fos-
Dig a juster appreciation of the
Mitv and importance of those
2 |at industrial pursuits the college
& sedulously cultivated a senti-
'n! antagonistic to the develop-
/■t of these branches of study. It
f in spirit and in fact, as far as
jHBimstances permitted, a strictly
jrary college, top-grafted with a
■nger prominent military fea-
rlonel James began at once to
rent a viable agriculture pro-
@n. In order to obtain some idea of
s type of work conducted on the
icM farm along the Brazos, James
Bested a full report from Captain
■Cellner, Farm Superintendent,
diner’s first annual report was an
e opener!
I “On July 11th, 1879, I ar-
|[ived at the College, and went
to work with the laborers to
Dive some fodder and hay. A
Born crop was not made last
The A&M Farm, 1890, as seen from the top floor of Old Main, looking eastward.
year. There was only a small
area under plow, and the
place over-run with weeds.
In the fall I sowed some se
venty acres in wheat, rye, bar
ley and oats. The frost at
Christmas 1879, killed nearly
all of it. Only 5V2 acres of oats I
have harvested, which had
rusted badly. The rye, being
also badly rusted, I plowed
under, and I now have a fine
field of millet on the rye land.
I planted potatoes very
early, before Christmas, be
cause the seed potatoes re
ceived from Philadelphia took
the dry rot. The frost March
13th (when the potatoes
bloomed fine), cut them
down, and we only harvested
two barrels of small potatoes,
which were consumed at the
mess hall.
Of corn I planted 9 varieti
es, of which the “Golden,”
from Pulaski Illinois, seems to
be the most promising. His
corn was sent here by his ex
cellency, Governor O. M.
Roberts.
The corn was partly killed
by the frost 13th of March, and
rotted afterwards in the
ground. Two-thirds of the
corn I had to replant, causing
extra labor.
Of cotton I planted seven
acres, which does not promise
much, but will pay for the
labor expended. Causes are
poor soil and weedy lands.
The College owns three
mules and two breeding sows,
six shoats and three little ones.
These animals (the hogs) I
purchased from the money re
ceived from the sale of garden
seeds to the professors of the
College.
Kellner, as a result of the poor
1879-1880 season, commented,
“With all your plowing and subsoil
ing you must have a basis to grow
your crops from, and this is manure.
(The soil at the A. and M. farm is the
poorest in Texas.) Artificial fertiliz
ers are very nice, convenient to
handle; but they do not at present
justify the purchase.”
Little did he know then, that the
heavy clay consistency of the soil was
the prime cause of his problems. In
time this was overcome.
Professor C. C. Georgeson was
selected as the head of the “Depart
ment of Agriculture and Horticul
ture” by James in mid-1880. His
main objective was to establish daily
lectures in agriculture and farm
management. Freshman for the first
time, in late 1880 studied courses
related to agriculture. Labs were es
tablished, the dairy herds enlarged,
new land cleared and the college
farm fenced.
President James’ insistence on a
well organized progressive agricul
tural program set the mood for Texas
A&M’s agricultural endeavors.
r
rant aids top students
* A
Tews A&M University educa-
liiil researchers have been
gdc-d a $60,000 federal grant to
|gifted students with career de-
ions, announced U.S. Rep. Olin
(ague said the Department of
alth, Education and Welfare
the grant to Texas A&M to
fort a project involving students
:M Consolidated High School
illege Station,
lirected by Drs. Christopher
lan and William Nash, educa-
psychologists, the project will
the high school identify gifted
;nts and help them in career de-
. ls -
lash and Borman’s procedures
ic carefully viewed by HEW for
de application as a career edu-
on model in other cases, said the
1 am very pleased with this grant
apse of its efforts to encourage
r\ted young people to make cou
pons to our society, Teague
ittalion
Classified
845-2611
A&M Consolidated students will
go through three phases in this pro
gram.
They will spend a full quarter in
the counseling laboratories at Texas
A&M’s Educational Psychology De
partment exploring various career
options. They then work in a de
partment on campus with a professor
in a chosen field to gain first-hand
knowledge of the discipline. Third-
phase activities include an intern
ship in a business in the community
or in a job-related area of interest.
SAVE A BUNDLE”
Remember the old, Cash and Carry,
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Buy a pizza at the Commons Snack Bar and eat it there or take it
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Sausage Pizza 1.29
Pepperoni Pizza 1.29
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RENTAL: Special group rates
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Battalion
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mS K s*.
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For further information and
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MSC
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