)V0 Kansas State Agricultural College A Statement of its Needs for the Next Two Years Manhattan, Kansas December lO, 1910 .A ^ o^eeds of the Kansas State Ao'rieiiltiiral Colle^^e. Industrial and technical subjects are the most expensive of all subjects to teach. A large outlay is required for equipment. Teachers in these subjects can usually command large salaries in practical lines, and are, therefore, hard to hold in college posi- tions. The classes must be relatively small. A class in a purely lecture subject may number a hundred, or even two hundred, but good instruction cannot be given by the laboratory method to more than thirty or forty students at a time. In agriculture, mechanic arts and domestic science and general science the stu- dents are taught almost entirely by the laboratory method. That is, they are taught how to do things by being taught to do them. An educational institution, of any sort, to meet the demands of to-day, cannot stand still — it must go either forward or backward. Moreover, an institution like the Kansas State Agricultural Col- lege is each year being called upon by those interested in agricul- ture or the industries to render alargei* and more definite service. What, ten years ago, constituted a successful agricultural college would to-day be a small and unimportant institution indeed. The demands of the immediate future promise to be as large and im- portant as have been those of the recent past. For the first time in history, such fundamental problems as the world's food supply, the conservation of natural resources, and the revitalizing of the country church, the rural school, and indeed country life, are being made the special problems of the agricul- tural college. The farmer no longer attempts to work out his own difiicult problems, but refers them to the experiment station for solution. Thousands of farmers cannot avail themselves of the opportunities the college offers by studying at the college, but they rely upon the farmers' institutes, the demonstration farms, the instruction trains, and the reading courses, for definite instruction and guid- ance. The losses from several of the animal diseases, which formerly amounted to millions of dollars annually, are now being practically prevented by the serums produced at the agricultural college. The amount and kind of service the people of a state may ex- pect from their agricultural college will be definitely gauged by the financial support accorded it. Maintenance. This account carries all general expenses connected with the college, including salaries of teachers and employes, lighting and heating the buildings, freight, care of the campus, postage, etc. It is the bread and butter of the institution. The amount set down is conservative, and is considered the least upon which the col- lege can operate without seriously crippling its efficiency. The proportionate increase in this fund is less than in former years. The cost to the state per student is much lower in the Kansas State Agricultural College than in any other college of its size and quality in the country. This, notwithstanding the fact already pointed out, that industrial education is the most expensive pos- sible to devise. For this i)urix)se the Board of Regents has asked 1911-'I3 1912-i;5 $l>00.000 $220,000 The Experiment Station- One of the largest services rendered to the state by the college is through the researches of the experiment station. These cover every phase of agriculture, including soil management, crop production, origination and development of new^ and improved strains of staple crops, the development of crops especially adapted to the western portion of the state, the breeding, feeding and management of live stock, the control of animal and plant diseases, the suppression of the ravages of insect pests, fruit growing, dairy husbandry, and poultry husbandry. For this imrpose is asked $20,000 $2'), 000 College Extension. Through this department the discoveries and teachings of the college and experiment station are brought directly to the people, through farmers' institutes, demonstration farms, instruction trains, reading courses, etc. Every county in the state is visited by representatives of this department, and every industry of im- portance is encouraged through its teachings. The amount of good this department can do in the development of Kansas indus- tries will be limited only by the amount of money the state is will- ing to invest in it. The Board of Regents has asked $35,000 $40,000 Fort Hays Branch Experiment Station. This is an institution especially organized to serve the interests of the western portion of the state, to work out the agricultural problems peculiar to this region; to develop varieties of grain and forage crops adapted to the climatic conditions there prevailing; and to work out systems of farming that will be m.ore remuner- ative and support a larger population. This portion of the state has a soil of great fertility, a climate capable of developing a rug- ged and virile race of people. The problem is to learn how to secure sufficient and uniform yields with a limited water supply. For this purpose the Soard of Regents has recommended to I91I-'1:J 1912-'i;? the legislature the sums of $30,000 $30,000 Library Equipment. For the improvement and better equipment of the library, which benefits every student in the college, the Board of Regents 1911-12 1912-13 has asked $7,000 $7,000 Heat and Power Equipment. The economical heating and lighting of a plant like the Kansas State Agricultural College is no small undertaking. With two large buildings added, viz., the mechanical engineering building and the new armory and gymnasium, it is necessary to increase the equipment and to revise in an important way the lighting and heating systems. 19I1-'I2 1912-13 For this purpose the Board estimates. $7,500 $7,500 Heat Tunnels. It is necessary to extend the heat tunnel to the new armory and gymnasium, and the equipment in tlie present tunnel is in very bad shape, and needs, for efficient and economical service, overhauling, and in many instances entire replacing. The cost of all this work would probably fall between $10,000 and $15,000. It is estimated that the amount absolutely imperative to be done within the next two years will require an appropriation of at 1911-'12 1912-'13 least $3,000 $3,000 Fire Protection and Escapes. The college has at the present time very poor tire fighting fa- cilities, and no fire escapes. For the protection of the property of the state, and the lives of the students attending the college,, the Board urgently requests the legislature to provide an appro- 191I--12 1912-13 priation of $6,000 $6,000 Water-Supply. The present water-supply of the college is insufficient and is not free from the danger of contamination. At times, the college is forced to buy water from the city of Manhattan, at a price far in excess of the cost to the college for pumping from its own wells. It is proposed to sink an additional well, on ground that can be made absolutely free from contamination, and to establish a more economical system of pumping than is now provided. For this purpose it is estimated that there will be required 1911-'i2 1912-"13 $1,500 $1,500 — Coal. Experience has demonstrated that it is not possible, at times, for the penitentiary to supply all the state institutions with the amount of coal required to heat and light them. At various times the college has been obliged to purchase coal in the market, and has for months been in imminent danger of a shortage. The Board of Regents, therefore, recommends to the legislature that a fund for this purpose be appropriated to the college, with the proviso that only such part of the fund is to be used as is required to pay the freight and drayage on the coal secured from the pen- itentiary and for the purchase of such an amount of coal as the penitentiary cannot furnish, the remainder to revert automatically to the state. I9n-'I2 19I2-'1X The sum estimated for this revolving fund is. . .$14,000 $14,000 General Repairs. For many years no special fund has been provided for the repair of the buildings and other property of the college. As a result, the buildings are not in a state of good repair. The roofs of several of the i3uildings need to be entirely replaced; in one instance the entire end of a building will need to be reconstructed; floors in other buildings are worn out. The state architect, at the request of the authorities of the college, went carefully over the institution and estimated in detail the i-epairs required, and the sums requested by the Board of Regents for this purpose are those 1911-'12 1912-'13 rec(mimended by him, as follows $15,000 $20,000 Armory and Gymnasium. (To complete literury society Ir.ills and swiiiiriiin^- iiools. ) The following statement from the state architect in relation to tliis matter is selfex])lanatory, and fully sets forth the need for this appropriation and the reason why these items were not in- cluded in the original contract for the building : "With refei^ence to the armory and f^-yranasium, foi- which the le^'islature of 1909 made an ai)i)ro()riation of $100, (X)0, 1 will say tliat under the contract with Walter Li. Stinj^lcy for tiie main structure, and the Salina Plumbini^- Company for the plumbinVork of Departments. For the better equipments of the departments of the college named below, the following sums are recommended: 19n-'12 1912-1:! Domestic Science $2,000 $2,000 Animal Hushandrv 5.000 5,000 Dairy Husbandry". 5,000 5.000 Ag-ronom v 5,000 5,000 Poultry . ; 5,000 5,000 Horticulture 5,000 5,000 Veterinary Medicine 2,500 2,500 En^ineerinf,'- lahoratorv 10,000 10,000 Printino- " ;{,000 2,000 Agricultural Hall. At the present time one of the smallest buildings on the campus is the agricultural building. This is because the agricultural building was one of the first to be erected, and was built when the enrollment was between 400 and 500, instead of approximately 2,400, as at present. The animal husbandry department, soils, and the crops department, have entirely outgrown this structure, and it is recommended that a new building for these departments be provided, to contain a live stock judging pavilion, a laboratory for instruction in cutting and curing meats, a corn and small grain judging pavilion, and class rooms for animal husbandry, soils, and crops. The present agricultural building is sorely needed by other departments, which have also outgrown their quarters. For an agricultural hall and its equipment is asked 19ll-'12 1912-1:! $50,000 $75,000 Physics Building and Equipment. A building adapted to the needs of the departments of physics and electrical engineering is sorely needed. These departments 6 are now quartered in the jj^eneral science buiklini4-, which is over- run with students. The department of chemistry, which is also quartered in this building, has at this moment in attendance upon classes and in laboratory exercises nearly a thousand students. They have laboratory room for 1^76 students, and there are takinc? laboratory work in this space over 700 students. The experiment station laboratories in soil fertility, stock feeding, etc., have been taken over mainly to accommodate students, and these important phases of investigation are greatly hampered. In physics, there is room for :31(3 students, by working six days each week. There were enrolled in this subject last spring nearly 600 students, and are at the present time nearly 500. Before the end of the year it is probable that there will be over 700 seeking instruction in this crowded space. It is estimated that for a physics building and its equipment 19I1-'I2 1912-'13 there will be required $45,000 $45,000 Barn for the Department of Animal Husbandry. There is no suitable barn for the housing of the thousands of dollars' worth of valuable live stock belonging to the college. Some of the best animals in the state are forced either to remain out of doors in winter, or to stand in a badly crowded and poorly ventilated stable. There is not a suitable place on the college farm for the storage of feed, the preservation of silage, or the shelling and grinding of grain. In other words, the physical equipment of the animal husbandry department of the college is not as good as that of many of the private breeders of the state. The Board has, therefore, recommended an appropriation for 1911-'I2 I912-'13 the erection of a suitable barn and its equipment.. .$25, 000 Poultry House. Poultry husbandry is one of the most important industries in the state. The college has a well-organized poultry department, with a splendid equipment of fowls, but absolutely no equipment of buildings, etc. The Board, therefore, recommends for this pur- i9n-'i2 l9l3-•];^ pose $5,000 — Regents' Fund. For the per diem and the traveling expenses of the Regents in 19ll-'12 1912-'13 attending the meetings of the Board, is asked $2,500 $2,500 Contingent Fund. 1911-'12 19I2-"I3 For the president of the college $500 $500 The following is a summary: 1911-'12 1912-'13 Maintenance $200,000 $220,000 Laboratory and library equipment 7,000 7,000 Experiment station 20,000 25,000 Domestic science 2.000 2,000 Animal husbandry 5,000 5,000 Dairy husbandry 5,000 5,000 Department of ayronomv 5,000 5,000 Poultry \ ". 5,000 5,000 Horticulture 5,000 5,000 Veterinary department 2,500 2,500 Enu-ineerinf^- laboiatory 10,000 10.000 Heat and powei' equipment 7.500 7,500 Water supply 1,500 1.500 Fire ])rotection and escapes (i,000 (i.OOO Printing- department .'5,000 2,0U0 Agricultural hall and equipment 50.000 75,000 Physics building- and equi])ment 45,000 45.000 Barn for animal husbandry 25,000 Poultry house 4,500 Armory and g-ymnasium (to comjjlete litei-ai-y socii^y halls and swimming" i)ools) 22,000 Milling- industry 2,000 2.()()0 Colleg-e extension ;{5,000 40.000 Forestry :{,000 ;{,000 Dodge City forest station 2,200 2.200 Ogallah forest station 2,200 2,200 General repairs 15.000 20.000 Dairy connnissioiu'r 7.500 7.500 Hays^ branch experiment station ."iO.OOO ."{O.OOO Garden Citv station 5,000 2,500 Regents' fund 2,500 2,500 Contingent fund for president 500 500 Coal 14,000 14,000 Heat tunnels 3,000 3.000 Totals $550,000 .$555.!)00 Very respectfully submitted, H. J. Waters, J'rrsidcul. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DDQE77S12^S HollingCT Corp. pH8.5