The College 
 Ihe Graduate School 
 The Extension Service 
 IheBiperiment Station 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/collegegraduatesOOmass 
 
THE 
 
 M. A. C. Bulletin 
 
 AMHERST, MASS. 
 
 Volume IV Number 5 September 1912 
 
 Published Six Times a Year by the 
 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 
 
 January, February, March, May, September, October 
 
 Entered as second class matter at the post office, Amherst, Mass. 
 
1912 
 
 College Calendar 
 
 1913 
 
 1912 
 
 September 4-7 
 September 1 1 
 November 27 
 December 2 . 
 December 20 . 
 
 Entrance Examinations 
 First Semester Begins 
 Thanksgiving Recess Begins 
 Thanksgiving Recess Ends 
 Christmas Recess Begins 
 
 1913 
 
 January 6 Christmas Recess Ends 
 
 February 3 Second Semester Begins 
 
 March 28 Spring Recess Begins 
 
 April 7 Spring Recess Ends 
 
 May 30 Memorial Day, Holiday 
 
 June 14-18 Commencement 
 
 June 18-21 Entrance Examinations 
 
T IS the purpose of this pamphlet 
 to describe briefly the various 
 phases of the mission of the 
 Massachusetts Agricultural Col- 
 lege. 
 
 In particular it outlines the college 
 instruction offered as a preparation for 
 the agricultural vocations, and contains 
 general information of interest to pro- 
 spective college students. 
 
 Any person contemplating a college 
 education is invited to ask for a complete 
 catalog of the institution. 
 
 Special reports, announcements and 
 bulletins are issvied by the Experiment 
 Station and by the Extension Service; 
 all are for free distribution. 
 
 Copies of this illustrated booklet w^ill 
 be sent upon request. 
 
 KENYON L. BUTTERFIELD, 
 
 President. 
 Amherst, Mass. 
 
'"^'^^ Massachusetts Agricultural College is designed 
 primarily to benefit the agriculture and rural life 
 of the state, and incidentally that of the nation. 
 
 In its attempt to meet this obligation the 
 College recognizes three types of endeavor which 
 are at the same time distinct and coordinate. The 
 first is that of investigation; the methods here 
 followed are those of research, experimentation 
 and the agricultural survey. By scientific research 
 there is gained a knowledge of the fundamental 
 natural laws which govern the growth of plants 
 and animals. The purpose of experimentation is to ascertain the best 
 methods of applying to actual operations the general principles which 
 are revealed by research. The term "agricultural survey" is used to 
 designate that form of investigation which seeks to determine by a 
 careful study the exact agricultural status, in all its phases, of a given 
 community; thus as a result of a thorough agricultural survey of a 
 locality it would be known for what crops the soil and climate are best 
 adapted, what cultural methods will be found most profitable, and the 
 extent to which each agricultural enterprise is or may be carried; the 
 economic phase of agriculture also becomes a part of such a study; facts 
 regarding cost of production, transportation, methods and cost of distri- 
 bution, supply and demand, may all be brought together and placed at 
 the service of the farmer. 
 
 The individual farmer may by years of experience and close study 
 learn for himself much of what is here suggested; but not all farmers 
 can afford to learn these things by personal experience. Since it is desir- 
 able from an economic standpoint that every acre of land be so culti- 
 vated as to produce a maximum crop, it is clearly the legitimate func- 
 tion of the state to undertake these large projects which result in added 
 material prosperity not only to the individual, but to the country as 
 well. 
 
 The second method employed by the College in the fulfilment of 
 its mission is that of teaching those who enroll as resident students. Some 
 of the agricultural vocations for which its students are trained are those 
 
of practical farming, including dairying, gardening and orcharding; 
 professional experts in landscape gardening, botany, chemistry, entomol- 
 ogy and similar departments ; specialists in agricultural science or 
 practice, such as teachers, investigators and extension workers employed 
 in agricultural colleges, experiment stations and the United States 
 Department of Agriculture; experts in fertilizer and other agricultural 
 business enterprises; social workers for rural communities, such as 
 country teachers, clergymen, Y. M. C. A. secretaries and similar pro- 
 fessions in which service to the rural people is the chief object. Not 
 only does the College attempt to better equip men for successful careers, 
 but it aims also to educate them in the principles of good citizenship, 
 to inspire in them a desire to render service to society, and to acquaint 
 them with the social, economic and governmental problems of the day. 
 The third phase of the task of the College is regarded to be that 
 of disseminating agricultural knowledge to all people of the state and 
 of assuming an attitude of leadership or of co<Jperation in various projects, 
 educational, social or economic, which tend to benefit agriculture and 
 country life. This type of work is organized as the Extension Service. 
 
 Scene North of the Campus 
 
History 
 
 The Massachusetts Agricultural College was chartered in 1863 and 
 admitted its first class of students four years later. The institution 
 received its original endowment from the federal government through 
 the so-called "Morrill Act;" but its first buildings were provided for by 
 local subscription, and the funds for maintenance, additional buildings, 
 equipment and land have been granted by the state. 
 
 During the past few years the College has constantly grown in 
 numbers; in 1901 there were enrolled 134 regular students; five years 
 later the attendance had increased to 219, and in 191 1 to 475. Not only 
 has the number of resident students increased, but by the work of the 
 Experiment Station and through the various Short Courses and other 
 forms of Extension Service, the influence of the institution throughout 
 the state is now felt more strongly than formerly. 
 
 Location 
 
 The College is located in the Connecticut valley twenty-five miles 
 north of Springfield and ninety-eight miles west of Boston. The estate 
 of over 500 acres lies about a mile north of the village of Amherst. The 
 natural surroundings of inspiring beauty soon endear the student to the 
 place and create memories long to be cherished. 
 
 Electric cars pass the College from the railway stations and connect 
 the village with Northampton, Holyoke and Springfield. 
 
Entrance Requirements 
 
 The requirements for admission are similar to those of other New 
 England colleges in that they are based on the satisfactory completion 
 of a four years' high-school course or its equivalent. The requirements 
 may be met by examination, by credentials of the Regents of the State 
 of New York or by a satisfactory certificate presented from an approved 
 academy or high school. Women are accepted on the same conditions 
 as are men. 
 
 Entrance requirements are stated in the form of units, one unit 
 being the equivalent of four or five recitations a week for a school year. 
 In the schedule printed below, the nine units of group A are required; 
 enough more studies must be selected from group B to make a total of 
 fourteen, the necessary number for admission. 
 
 GROUP A. REQUIRED. 
 
 English, 3 
 
 French or German, 2 
 
 United States History and Civics j 
 
 History (elective), 1 
 
 (a) Ancient History. 
 
 (b) Medieval and Modern History. 
 
 (c) English History. 
 
 (d) General History. 
 
 Algebra, through progressions, 1 j 
 
 Plane Geometry, 1 
 
 Total 9 
 
 GROUP B. SELECT SUBJECTS AMOUNTING TO FIVE UNITS. 
 
 English in addition to requirements, 1 
 
 French in addition to requirements. 2 or 1 
 
 German in addition to requirements 2 or 1 
 
 Greek, 2 or 3 
 
 Latin 2 or 3 
 
 History in addition to requirements, I, 2 or 3 
 
 Solid Geometry, -j 
 
 Trigonometry, -j 
 
 Chemistry, I 
 
 Physiography ^ 
 
 Physiology j 
 
 Agriculture, i or 1 
 
 Botany, 2 or 1 
 
 Geology, i 
 
 Physics, 1 
 
 Zoology i 
 
 Commercial Geography ^ 
 
 Drawing ^ 
 
 Manual Training, i or I 
 
Courses 
 
 The regular college course is ordinarily completed in four years; 
 at the end of this period the student is graduated with the degree of 
 Bachelor of Science. The program of studies followed during the course 
 has two objects: one to offer the student a comprehensive and fairly 
 thorough preparation for the agricultural vocation which he may choose; 
 the other to afford him a liberal college education without regard for 
 future occupation. Thus in the past men have found the course an 
 admirable foundation for business, law, medicine and other professions. 
 
 The work of the first two years is largely prescribed and is taken in 
 the following studies: 
 
 IN THE FRESHMAN YEAR. IN THE SOPHOMORE YEAR. 
 
 Algebra, Agricultural Industry 
 
 Animal Husbandry, Agronomy, 
 
 Chemistry, Animal Husbandry, 
 
 English, Botany, 
 
 French or German, Chemistry, 
 
 Hygiene, English, 
 
 Military Drill and Physical French or German 
 
 Education, Geology, 
 
 Public Speaking, Horticulture, 
 
 Solid Geometry, Military Drill and Physical 
 
 Trigonometry. Education, 
 
 Physics, 
 
 Surveying, 
 
 Zoology. 
 
 For the junior and senior years a liberal elective system is in opera- 
 tion. Fourteen teaching departments of the College present major 
 courses; at the close of his sophomore year a student elects work in 
 one of these departments and thereafter studies chiefly that group of 
 subjects which in the judgment of his college advisor will best prepare 
 him for the life work which he has chosen. While pursuing this program 
 of work, however, the student is required to take a certain number of 
 courses in the humanities and in rural social science, but he still has 
 time for a considerable amount of additional work which he may choose 
 with freedom. 
 
 At present major courses may be elected in the departments listed 
 below; on succeeding pages of this booklet will be found a brief descrip- 
 tion of the purpose and opportunities of these majors, and information 
 also as to the equipment available and courses given. 
 
 Major courses now offered: 
 
 In Agriculture: Agriculture, In Horticulture: General Horticulture, 
 
 Agronomy, Floriculture, 
 
 Animal Husbandry, Forestry, 
 
 Dairying, Landscape Gardening, 
 
 Poultry Husbandry. Pomology. 
 
 In Science: Agricultural Chemistry, 
 Economic Entomology, 
 Plant Physiology and 
 Pathology. 
 In Rural Social Science: Agricultural Education. 
 
The Farm and Farm Buildings 
 
 Agriculture 
 
 The major in agriculture is arranged for those who wish to prepare 
 for the work of the general farm; students who wish to specialize in 
 farm administration are also advised to elect the major in agriculture. 
 In addition it offers to students who have not definitely decided to special- 
 ize along a single line an opportunity to study more carefully the different 
 branches of agriculture. 
 
 The work may be arranged to suit the needs of the individual student 
 but it will be made up largely of technical courses offered in the different 
 departments of the division of agriculture together with chemistry and 
 veterinary science. The equipment for the work includes the college 
 farm of about 250 acres, well stocked and equipped, in addition to the 
 special apparatus available for the different departments. 
 
 For those with some capital to invest, the opportunities for suc- 
 cessful farming are excellent in New England, and few lines of business 
 offer equal advantages to those who are fond of country life. There is 
 also a constant demand for well-trained men with practical experience as 
 farm superintendents and managers. The organization of separate 
 departments of farm administration or farm management in the agri- 
 cultural colleges of the country is comparatively recent and for some 
 time to come there is likely to be a demand for good teachers of this work. 
 In all these lines practical experience is essential to success and those 
 who major in agriculture are advised to spend all the vacations of their 
 college course in actual work upon good farms. 
 
 10 
 
Agronomy 
 
 The purpose of the major in agronomy is to train men to fulfil the 
 technical requirements of teaching and investigational work in the field 
 of crop production. The 
 department has avail- 
 able for teaching pur- 
 poses the college farm, 
 on which are produced 
 all the crops commonly 
 raised on the general 
 farm in New England, 
 the agricultural depart- 
 ment of the Experiment 
 Station which carries on 
 a large number of fertil- 
 izer experiments, variety 
 tests, and the like, and 
 laboratories equipped for 
 soil and for seed study. 
 
 Students electing the major in agronomy are required to take sev- 
 eral courses in the department itself, courses in organic chemistry, in 
 bacteriology and such work in the departments of farm administration 
 and animal husbandry as is closely related to agronomy. In addition, 
 students are urged to elect courses in vegetable pathology and economic 
 entomology. The aim is to give the student such training as will aid him 
 in solving the new problems which are constantly arising in field work 
 in crop production. 
 
 Haying- 
 
 ~t<t~~ - • '•'- "sS* 
 
 Farm Barns 
 
Animal Husbandry 
 
 Those deciding upon animal husbandry as their major pursue 
 studies in the feeding, breeding, management and judging of Uve stock; 
 they are also advised to elect courses in other agricultural subjects and 
 in veterinary science. 
 
 This department has at its disposal a stock-judging arena which is 
 utilized as a class room, for demonstrations and for stock shows. The 
 college herd of cows, its stable of horses and other groups of animals, 
 comprise the breeds and types of live stock of chief economic importance 
 in New England and are used constantly by the department of animal 
 husbandry for teaching purposes. 
 
 Instruction in this department is of such a nature as to afford stu- 
 dents a clear insight into the scientific principles of animal breeding 
 and in addition to furnish them a practical knowledge of the entire 
 management of live stock on the farm, for show purposes, or in enter- 
 prises where the breeding and improvement of animals is the chief end 
 in view 
 
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 Part of the College Herd 
 
 12 
 

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 Flint Laboratory— Dairying 
 
 Dairying 
 
 The purpose of the course in dairying is to afford the student a 
 training in the economical production of milk and in the best methods 
 of making and handling market milk and farm dairy products. 
 
 The equipment consists of a new dairy building, costing $85,000, 
 that will accommodate one hundred students in the laboratories. These 
 laboratories are fully equipped with up-to-date dairy apparatus. Along 
 with this equipment there is available for use the college certified milk 
 plant which produces certified milk for the Boston market. 
 
 The course consists of work in milk analysis, dairy bacteriology, 
 market milk and cream and the manufacture of butter and other dairy 
 products. In addition to these is studied economical milk production; 
 types and breeds of dairy cattle; their breeding, feeding, care, manage- 
 ment and selection; general problems of farm management, farm build- 
 ings and farm bookkeeping. The course consists of lectures, text-book 
 work and the actual handling of materials and stock. 
 
 More and better opportunities are opening each year for teachers, 
 dairy farm superintendents, foremen and dairymen that have training 
 and experience. 
 
 13 
 
Poultry Husbandry 
 
 The purposes of the major in poultry husbandry are: first, to give 
 a broad scholastic training in this subject both scientific and practical; 
 second, to prepare young men and women to raise poultry more profitably 
 as a side line on the farm or as the main enterprise; third, to furnish 
 opportunity for students to prepare themselves for teaching or experi- 
 ment station work. 
 
 The poultry plant occupies an area of seven acres of land and at 
 present has the following equipment at its disposal: a laying house 
 divided into 20 pens; an open-pipe brooder house that will accommodate 
 about 1,200 chicks; an incubator cellar with demonstration building 
 above; laboratories for killing, picking, dressing, caponizing and fatten- 
 ing; a well fitted shop for poultry carpentry; a large feed and storage 
 building containing a laboratory for poultry mechanics, equipped with 
 feed grinders, bone cutters, feed cutters, etc.; a large number of colony 
 houses; and twenty varieties of birds, numbering about 1 ,600. 
 
 The increased demand and good prices for poultry products, the 
 ideal soil and good climate, make Massachusetts a very desirable field 
 for poultry culture. That poultry is the most profitable class of animals 
 on the farm is practically the universal verdict among farmers who give 
 some attention to their fowls. 
 
 The demand for managers of poultry farms and instructors in 
 poultry husbandry in high schools and colleges is rapidly increasing 
 and at present a large number of positions offering good salaries cannot 
 be filled because young men are not to be found who have had both scien- 
 tific and practical training. 
 
 14 
 
Wilder Hall— Horticulture 
 
 General Horticulture 
 
 This major is designed to prepare students for work in the growing 
 of fruits and vegetables, with some slight attention to ornamental plant- 
 ing. The program of studies required is varied to suit the needs of 
 individuals; in this way the student may emphasize either pomology, 
 market gardening, floriculture, forestry or landscape gardening. A 
 considerable demand exists for teachers of horticulture in colleges and 
 high schools and such persons are required to have a working knowledge 
 of the several branches enumerated. 
 
 A large area of the college estate is set aside for use by the depart- 
 ment of horticulture. There is also found on the grounds a large collec- 
 tion of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants from the study of which the 
 student may gain a wide knowledge of plant materials. 
 
 Wilder Hall is the administrative seat of the division of horticul- 
 ture. Here are found several business offices, class rooms and laboratories. 
 
 15 
 
Floriculture 
 
 This department aims to give men a thorough knowledge of the 
 growing of all commercial florist crops both under glass and outdoors. 
 It also aims to acquaint men with methods to be followed in growing 
 all conservatory plants so that those men who have charge of large 
 private estates where cut flowers and ornamental plants are grown may 
 be familiar with all branches of this work. The course is therefore planned 
 for the young man who wishes to engage in the florist business for himself 
 and for the man who intends to work for another either in a com- 
 mercial range or on a private estate. The courses are planned to give 
 both scientific and technical information along all lines. 
 
 The department is splendidly equipped with a new range where 
 florist crops are grown under the best possible conditions; these houses 
 are up-to-date in every respect. The old range serves to illustrate older 
 methods of construction as well as to house many specimen plants of 
 the conservatory type. There are numerous progressive florist establish- 
 ments in the vicinity and frequent observation trips are taken to acquaint 
 students with methods followed on these ranges. 
 
 The demand for graduates on commercial ranges has not been as 
 large as in some other branches of horticulture but there is an increasing 
 demand for these men. Florists are becoming alive to the fact that an 
 education is as essential for success in this line as in any other and there 
 is an increasing number of openings every year for men on commercial 
 places. The larger number of graduates, however, go on private estates 
 or into experiment stations or college work. The call for men in these 
 lines during the last few years has been greater than the supply. 
 
 French Hull — Floriculture and Market Gardening 
 
 16 
 
Forestry 
 
 The forestry work in the Massachusetts Agricultural College differs 
 from that in the well-known forestry schools in the fact that it is given to 
 students of undergraduate grade. Most of the separate forestry schools 
 require graduation from college before admission to their forestry courses 
 is allowed. Forestry work in this institution has two principal purposes; 
 (a) to give farmers, farm superintendents, landscape gardeners and others 
 a good general working knowledge of the elementary principles of for- 
 
 estry; (b) to prepare men for graduate work in the advanced forestry 
 schools. When elected as a major the courses will tend chiefly toward the 
 latter. 
 
 The large tracts of woodland located in the vicinity of the college 
 illustrate many forestry problems and afford ample opportunity for 
 practical demonstrations of forestry methods. A large amount of prac- 
 tical work enters into the program of this major. 
 
 17 
 
Landscape Gardening 
 
 Students who graduate from the courses in landscape gardening 
 find positions in city park work, in the care of trees, as assistants to 
 estabUshed landscape gardeners, and a certain number of them after 
 sufficient practical experience take up profitably landscape gardening 
 on their own account; men who have followed this calling have for the 
 most part met with eminent success. The courses in this line have been 
 well developed through several years' experience and the department is 
 
 Practical Work in Landscape Gardening 
 
 adequately equipped with instructors, laboratories, apparatus and 
 materials. 
 
 Field work, the preparation of planting and grading plans, and 
 text-book study are required in this course. For purposes of observation 
 and study, classes in landscape gardening make frequent visits to parks 
 and large private estates in Amherst and nearby cities and towns. 
 
 The landscape gardening laboratories are located in Wilder Hall. 
 
 18 
 
Pomology 
 
 The courses in pomology are planned with a view to equipping the 
 student with both theoretical and practical knowledge of the subject. 
 Special emphasis is laid upon actual field work and every student is 
 required to go into the orchards and perform such operations as pruning, 
 spraying and fertilizing. To provide for this work the department is 
 assigned about 30 acres of orchards, vineyards and small fruit planta- 
 tions. It also has all the most improved implements and apparatus for 
 cultivating, spraying and pruning. 
 
 Another phase of the work which is given special prominence is that 
 of packing and marketing fruit. The department is equipped with a 
 thoroughly modern fruit storage house which has a capacity of 3,000 
 barrels; in this building is a large class room for work in packing and, 
 in addition, five storage rooms. 
 
 The work in pomology is divided into four courses: (1) plant propa- 
 gation in which the student is taught all the methods of multiplying 
 plants such as cuttings, grafting and budding; (2) practical pomology 
 where such work as laying out orchards, pruning, spraying and fertil- 
 izing is taught; (3) systematic pomology or a study of the fruits them- 
 selves; in this work the college is supplied with a large number of varieties 
 of all the different classes of fruits, while collections are exchanged with 
 many other colleges from Maine to Oregon; and (4) commercial pomology 
 or the packing and marketing of fruits. 
 
 There is always a demand for men of energy and ability who have 
 been thoroughly trained in pomology. Some of them go into agricultural 
 colleges or experiment stations, others become managers on farms or 
 estates, while still others take up work for themselves in raising fruit. 
 
 irlli.e^i^^Sji.Silits^t.iE^^ 
 
 Spraying in the College Orchard 
 
 19 
 
Agricultural Chemistry 
 
 The major in agricultural chemistry allows men to gain sufficient 
 knowledge of chemistry to be able to apply it to agriculture and the 
 chemical problems with which agriculture is surrounded. 
 
 The major work is built on the courses in general chemistry and 
 qualitative analysis and consists of three rather distinct lines of work: 
 organic and physiological chemistry, quantitative analysis, and physical 
 chemistry; each line is separate and distinct and at the same time corre- 
 lated and dependent. Particular attention is given to the examination 
 of a variety of agricultural material such as fertilizers, cattle feeds, soils, 
 dairy products and farm crops. 
 
 A whole building is given to the department, the different kinds of 
 work having their own special rooms. A well equipped chemical library 
 is at the disposal of the student. 
 
 The graduates who have followed chemistry while in college are now 
 spread over all parts of the world. Some have connected themselves with 
 the government and state agricultural work in Washington and the 
 experiment stations of several states. Many are chemists in fertilizer 
 works, acid plants and other agricultural industries. Still others have 
 followed their inclination to do executive work and have become managers 
 and owners of chemical plants connected with agriculture. Opportunity 
 is offered for advanced study leading to the degree of Master of Science. 
 
 Chemistry Laboratory 
 
 20 
 
Laboratory for Entomology and Zoology 
 
 Economic Entomology 
 
 The primary purpose of the major In economic entomology is to 
 train those taking it in the methods of controlling injurious insects and 
 the best ways in which their ravages may be checked. The courses are 
 arranged in such a way as to supply this knowledge as a part of the 
 training of the student whether he expects to become a market gardener, 
 a florist, a forester, or to deal with some other class of crops. For this 
 purpose there is provided probably the best and largest entomological 
 building in the country; a large collection of insects in their different 
 stages, microscopes for the finer work, spraying apparatus, and many 
 other facilities, make it possible to give the work in an unusually complete 
 manner. 
 
 The subject is begun in the junior year in a broad introductory 
 way covering general principles applicable in all sections of agriculture. 
 In the senior year the work is largely individual and is intended so far 
 as possible to meet the special needs of each person, fitting into his plans 
 for his future occupation. The call for men specially trained in this 
 subject has also led to the establishment of graduate courses; men 
 taking these become experiment station, state or government entomolo- 
 gists, or teachers of the subject; for well-trained men in these lines there 
 is a constant demand. 
 
 21 
 
Plant Physiology and Pathology 
 
 It is the aim of the major electives in botany to supply information 
 and to train students in special lines of botany closely related to agricul- 
 ture. As students elect these subjects with different purposes in mind, 
 the various courses differ widely in the degree of technical training 
 afforded. 
 
 The equipment for this work includes a building, greenhouses, 
 microscopes and very complete apparatus. Practically two courses are 
 offered in plant pathology. One gives the student an opportunity to 
 study the common diseases of plants and their remedies; on this subject 
 a large amount of literature, including experiment station bulletins, 
 is to be had in the laboratory; this course is designed especially for 
 horticultural and agricultural students who wish to become more pro- 
 
 Clark Hall-Botany 
 
 ficient in recognizing fungous and bacterial diseases of plants and methods 
 ofjcontrol. A more technical course is also given, having for its object 
 a study of the life histories of economic fungi and bacteria; this is de- 
 signed as a foundation for those who wish to pursue further studies in 
 plant pathology and allied subjects. 
 
 An extensive course is given in experimental plant physiology 
 which is correlated with physiological chemistry; this affords a founda- 
 tion for further work in plant physiology and allied subjects and fits 
 onejor teaching agriculture in secondary schools. 
 
 The course in shade-tree management and the physiology and path- 
 ology of trees includes a comprehensive study of the structure and 
 diseases of shade trees, and is designed as a fundamental course for 
 those engaged in city forestry, tree warden and park work, and for pro- 
 fessional tree surgeons. 
 
 22 
 
Agricultural Education 
 
 The primary purpose of this major is the preparation of teachers 
 of agriculture and the related sciences. Some of the courses given in the 
 department are valuable for all students of social questions aside from 
 this primary aim. At present a large proportion of the major is given by 
 the department of agricultural education, the other courses being taken 
 in the various scientific and technical departments of the College; the 
 entire equipment of these departments is at the service of those preparing 
 to teach, just as for other students. The work prescribed for individual 
 students depends upon their previous training in science, technical studies 
 and practical experience. Experience in farm operations reaching through 
 a complete cycle of production and marketing will be required of all 
 applying for certificates to teach agriculture. 
 
 Opportunities for teachers of agriculture are increasing rapidly; at 
 the present time, the compensation for this work is more attractive than 
 in most other lines of teaching. In 1911 forty-six requests for teachers of 
 agriculture came to the office of the department of agricultural education. 
 The average salary, when stated, was $1,000 per year and in some cases 
 $2,000 a year was named as the sum to be paid. These requests came 
 from nearly all parts of the country. 
 
 Veterinary Laboratory 
 
 23 
 
i^^5i^J^^^i, 
 
 Chapel and Library 
 
 Other Departments 
 
 Not all departments offering elective courses during the junior 
 and senior years are represented by the majors as previously outlined. 
 Thus at present no major course is presented in the departments of market 
 gardening, farm administration or rural sociology; in fact, however, 
 these departments and others offer various elective courses which well 
 cover their subjects. Comprehensive courses are also available in bac- 
 teriology, veterinary science, bee keeping, mathematics and engineering, 
 physics, zoology, economics and sociology, history and government, 
 English and modern languages. 
 
 Military drill and physical education are required of all students for 
 three years and are optional the last year. 
 
 For all departments of the institution there are offered the advantages 
 of a well-equipped library, for which purpose the first floor of the Chapel 
 building is used. Here are collected nearly 40,000 bound volumes. In 
 the reading room is found an ample supply of daily, weekly and monthly 
 publications, many of which are scientific in character. The students 
 voluntarily make an extensive use of the library. 
 
 24 
 
Unclassified Students 
 
 Occasionally there apply for admission to the College mature men or 
 women who are unable to spend at the institution the time required to 
 finish the complete course. Usually such persons desire to obtain the 
 best training possible in one or two years for some special branch of 
 practical agriculture or horticulture. That such applicants may be 
 benefited by the College, they are admitted as unclassified students: that 
 is, they are not a member of any of the four regular classes but may take 
 college studies with those pursuing the full course. Only those are per- 
 mitted to enroll as unclassified students who are at least twenty -one years 
 old and who have completed a high-school course; other special regula- 
 tions also apply to such students after entering. 
 
 The Graduate School 
 
 College graduates may under prescribed conditions enter the gradu- 
 ate school. Advanced study may be elected in agriculture, botany, chem- 
 istry, entomology, horticulture, mathematics, veterinary science and 
 zoology. The degree of Master of Science requires one and a half years' 
 study and the degree of Doctor of Philosophy requires three years. 
 
 For several years the graduate courses have been well patronized 
 but the development of the school has been delayed by lack of necessary 
 funds. Recently a director of the graduate school has been engaged who 
 will thoroughly organize the work and extend the field of its service. 
 
 There is always a demand for experts with the special training 
 afforded by a graduate school of agriculture and invariably an attrac- 
 tive position awaits the man who completes the work required for an 
 advanced degree. 
 
 A limited number of graduate assistantships are available at the 
 College for men qualified to render laboratory or teaching assistance, 
 and who at the same time wish to engage in post-graduate study. 
 
 25 
 
I ti n 
 
 V—X' 
 
 Stock Judging at West Brookfield Extension School 
 (First Agricultural Extension School to be held in New^ England) 
 
 Short Courses and Extension Service 
 
 It is through the organization of Short Courses and various types 
 of Extension Service that the College seeks to perform its mission of 
 carrying agricultural knowledge and of rendering assistance in other 
 forms to all the people of the state who have rural interests. 
 
 Early in January the winter school of agriculture opens and continues 
 ten weeks; the last week of this term is devoted especially to instruction 
 in poultry husbandry. Following the winter school comes the farmers' 
 week; this is a four days' meeting at the College with a series of lectures 
 and demonstrations devoted chiefly to agriculture, horticulture and 
 home economics; several hundred men and women who find it impossible 
 to leave home for a longer period visit the College annually on this occa- 
 sion and find much to assist them in their practical problems on the farm 
 and in the home. 
 
 Later in the spring a bee keepers' course is offered and during the 
 vacation months a summer school of agriculture and country life is held; 
 this usually terminates with a special conference for rural social workers. 
 
 The Extension Service activities away from the College are repre- 
 sented in part by correspondence and lecture courses, itinerant schools 
 of agriculture, demonstration orchards, traveling libraries, boys' and 
 girls' corn and potato clubs, and district field agents. 
 
 26 
 
The Experiment Station 
 
 The Agricultural Experiment Station of Massachusetts is located on 
 the estate of the Agricultural College and is a part of that institution. 
 Here are conducted extensive experimental projects dealing with agri- 
 cultural practices, and experts are constantly engaged in scientific 
 research seeking to discover new laws of nature and their application to 
 the agricultural industry. 
 
 Some of the problems in which the experiment station is at present 
 particularly interested are those connected with the use of fertilizers, 
 plant breeding, plant diseases and insects, orcharding and poultry 
 husbandry. 
 
 Students fitting themselves for positions in experiment stations are 
 thus fortunate in their opportunity to observe these methods and results 
 of scientific study and to come into personal relation with those already 
 experienced in their own profession. 
 
 The Experiment Station issues technical bulletins giving the results 
 of its investigations, and its officers annually answer thousands of in- 
 quiries of a practical or scientific nature. 
 
 One of the Experiment Station Buildings 
 
 27 
 
Student Life 
 
 
 ?J 
 
 Student life at M. A. C. has many attractive features and offers 
 large opportunity for leadership. 
 
 All students are members of the Social Union; this organization is 
 the expression of a desire on the part of students and faculty to provide 
 
 a definite means of stimula- 
 ting a democratic social spirit 
 among all students, alumni 
 and officers of the College. 
 This purpose of the Union is 
 carried out in part through a 
 series of entertainments and 
 informal social gatherings 
 which are held on Saturday 
 evenings during the autumn 
 and winter months and which 
 are free to members of the 
 college community. The stu- 
 dents have also purchased 
 suitable furnishings for a read- 
 ing and lounging room on the first floor of North College dormitory 
 and have equipped in connection with this a game room and a trophy 
 room. The Union is supported by a small annual fee which is collected 
 from all students at the opening of the college year. 
 
 A body of students consisting of five seniors and four juniors are 
 elected as a "Senate;" the function of these men is to govern general 
 matters pertaining to student life, to establish and enforce certain rules 
 for student conduct, and to represent before the faculty the interests of 
 the student body. 
 
 Social Union Room 
 
 Battalion 
 
 28 
 
The Y. M. C. A. endeavors to promote Christian character among 
 all the men of the College, and to enlist the men in Christian and social 
 service wherever an op- 
 portunity for this is 
 presented. To this end 
 weekly meetings are 
 held, and during a part 
 of the year Bible study 
 classes are conducted; 
 the members assume 
 social, educational and 
 religious leadership in 
 Amherst and in the 
 nearby towns, by or- 
 ganizing boys' clubs, 
 conducting Bible classes, 
 teaching foreigners and 
 furnishing musical enter- 
 tainments. 
 
 A Catholic club has 
 also been organized. 
 
 A prominent place is given to intercollegiate athletics; relations are 
 maintained with Amherst, Dartmouth, Williams, Brown, Springfield and 
 other New England colleges. The principal sports participated in are 
 
 M. A. C. Students Teaching English to PoHsh People] 
 
 Hockey Team, 1911-12 
 
 football, baseball, track, hockey and tennis; a large area of land is 
 available for an enclosed athletic field and recreation ground, and it is 
 expected that funds will soon be provided to properly fit this land for use. 
 A rifle club was organized a few years ago and has met with singular 
 success in both its indoor and outdoor meets. A band is maintained in 
 
 29 
 
connection with the military department. Musical, debating and dra- 
 matic clubs attract those interested in these activities. Several profes- 
 sional societies also exist, chiefly in the departments of agriculture, 
 horticulture and entomology. Stock and fruit judging teams annually 
 represent the College in public contests. 
 
 A college newspaper and a year book are published by the students. 
 
 Secret societies hold a prominent place in the student life of the 
 College; at present there are nine such organizations, several of them 
 being affiliated with national Greek letter fraternities. 
 
 Various purely social activities are managed by committees elected 
 from the student body. 
 
 College classes are scheduled for five days each week, Saturday being 
 left free. Ordinarily the students are brought together in the chapel on 
 four days for simple devotional exercises and for announcements; on the 
 fifth day a general assembly is held, before which some prominent man 
 not connected with the College frequently speaks. During a portion 
 of the year, Sunday services are held at 9:15 a. m.; a clergyman or dis- 
 tinguished layman is secured for such gatherings. 
 
 Baseball Team, 1912 
 
 The Cost 
 
 For the most part the students at M. A. C. live economically; neces- 
 sary expenses are moderate and the various phases of student life have 
 not the expensive features which prevail at many institutions. Tuition 
 is free to residents of Massachusetts; thus the main items of expense are 
 those for board, room, laundry, books, military uniform, taxes volun- 
 tarily assessed for the support of various student activities, and mis- 
 cellaneous personal expenses. The average student spends about $300 a 
 year, although the amount varies with each individual. 
 
 30 
 
Living Accommodations 
 
 At present the College 
 has two small dormitories 
 which together contain 
 rooms for about sixty-five 
 men; upperclassmen have 
 the first choice in selecting 
 these quarters. Two stu- 
 dents occupy a suite of two 
 or three rooms; the cost of 
 these unfurnished suites, 
 steam heated and lighted 
 by electricity, ranges from 
 $39 to $66 per year for each 
 occupant. Efforts have 
 been made to secure ap- 
 propriations from the legis- 
 lature for added dormitory 
 facilities, but thus far with- 
 out success. 
 
 Most of the students, therefore, are obliged to live in private houses 
 located near the college grounds. Such rooms should be secured well 
 in advance whenever possible as the demand for them is great. Com- 
 fortable rooms may be rented at prices varying from $1.25 to $3.00 a 
 week for each student; they are generally furnished either completely 
 or in part, lighted, heated and cared for. 
 
 The College manages a large dining hall where board may be ob- 
 tained at reasonable cost; the price of board is usually about $4.00 per 
 week. A lunch room is also operated in connection with the regular dining 
 hall. 
 
 North College Dormitory 
 
 The Dining Hall 
 
 31 
 
To Needy Students 
 
 Many of the students of M. A. C. are obliged to earn a part of their 
 expenses and a few are dependent entirely upon their own efforts for a 
 college education. The College is glad to help needy students both by 
 offering them employment in some department or by obtaining work for 
 them away from the institution. The most responsible positions at the 
 College are the most remunerative and are assigned to students who have 
 been at the institution for some time; accordingly the newcomer should 
 not expect to earn as much money s first year as he sees some of the 
 older men earning. It is not advisa .e for a student to attempt his col- 
 lege course until he has enough ready money to carry him through a good 
 part of his first year, as under existing circumstances it is practically 
 impossible for him to pay all his expenses from the outset and at the 
 same time do creditable class-room work. 
 
 In all cases consideration has to be given to the efficiency and ability 
 as well as to the need of the applicant for work. 
 
 Occasionally there come opportunities for vacation work for men 
 who are specializing in certain departments. Experience gained in this 
 manner is usually of large value to the men as it gives them additional 
 training as well as assisting them financially. 
 
 32