1885 [pdf for printing]: Board Minutes of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama
Minutes of the Board of Trustees meetings held in 1885Montgomery, Alabama January 22, 1885 At a called meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama held in the city of Montgomery; and the roll being called there were present: E. A. O'Neal, Governor of t...
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Minutes of the Board of Trustees meetings held in 1885Montgomery, Alabama
January 22, 1885
At a called meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and Mechanical
College of Alabama held in the city of Montgomery; and the roll being called there
were present:
E. A. O'Neal, Governor of the State and Ex Officio President
of the Board
S. Palmer, Superintendant of Education
Barnes
Bishop
Clopton
Gilchrist
Langdon
Ligon
1Il8.1one
Stansel
Absent: Mr. Haralson.
Doctor William LeRoy Broun, Presic' ent of the College, read and submit ted a report.
ON KOTION of Mr. Palmer, the report of Doctor Broun be taken up and the suggestions,
recommendations,etc. be considered in their order. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr. Barnes, That the Board approve of the appropriations named and
specified in the report of the President of the College, heretofore authorized
by the Executive Committee. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr. Barnes, That the President of the College be authorized to ex-pend
the sum of $5,000.00 appropriated for the establishment of a mechanical department
of the College in such manner as he may deem to the best interest of the
Gollege; hereby giving him full power and authority to employ a Professor f or that
Department and to arrange the same; and that the President report his acts and doings
in the premises to the Board at their next annual meeting, subject to their approval.
ON MOTION 0 f Mr. Clopton, 1bat the matriculation fee of $5.00, Surgeon's fee of
$2 .50, and Library fee of $1.00 as published in the catalog, be approved. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr. Stansel, That the sum of $100.00 be appropriated for the ~ilitary
Department; and $120.00 for the Chemical Laboratory of the College. Adopted.
ON MOTION of ¥r. Clopton, That the sum of $50.00 be appropriated for the purpose of
planting trees on the College campus. Adopted.
ON Me TION of Mr. Barnes, That the sum of $100.00 be appropriated to purchase balances
f or the Department of Chemistry. Adopted.
RESOLVED, by Hr. Clopton, That no purchases shall be made or expenditures of special
appropriations except on estimates to be submitted to the President of the College
for his approval and upon warrants issued by him. Provided that the Professor of
Agriculture may draw through the President appropriations made to his Department
monthly, as may be required, and report the expenditure of the same to the Board
through the President of the College. Adopted.
- ------- - --
266
RESOLVED , by _r. Clopton, That the State Laboratory and Experimental Station are
parts of the Agricultural and Mechanical College in all respects as other Departments
and under the general supervision of the President of the College; and that all
reports from each of the Departments shall be made to and through the President •
Adjourned.
F. 11. Reese .
Sec retary
January 23, 1885
The Board met according to adjournment, and there were pre sent:
The Governor, Presi dent Ex Officio
Messers Palmer, Superintendent of Education
Barnes
Bishop
(';lopton
Gilchrist
Langdon
Ligon
Malone
Stansel
Absent: Mr. Haralson .
-A 267
A communication fram Professo~ G.
and the resignation was accepted.
Maxson, tendering his resignation was read
ON MOTI ON of Mr . Palmer, That the difference between the sum of $1600.00 and $1800.00
as salary be all owed to Pr ofessor ¥~son.
RESOLVED , That the salary of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees he restored to
the sum of $200 per annum and that the resolution by which the said salary was
reduced below that amount be and the same is hereby repealed. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr . Ligon, That the Board rati fy the expenditures made by the Experimental
Stat ion xo Jan~ary 1, 1885. Adopted .
RESOLVED , By ~}il' . Clopton, That the sum of 1000.00 or so much as may be necessary
t o meet the expens es of the Experimental Station until 1st of July next, as asked
by the Prof essor of Agriculture, be allowed; $400.00 of which may be paid now, and
t he balance in monthly installments. Adopted.
ON MOTION, That t he President of the Coll ege be authorized to communicate with the
War e artment and make such arrangewe~t s to procure a detail of an U. S. Offi cer
as Commandant , as he may think pr oper. Adopted.
F. M. Reese
uecretary
\
( 268
To the Trustees of the A & 1-1 College
Sirs:
A & M College
Auburn, Alabama
January 20, 1885
I have the honor to report, that there have been matriculated in the College the
present half session 112 students, the average of whose age is 17.6 years. Of
these, 20 are in the Preparatory Department. The students are attentive and orderly
and are making as rapid progress as thei r previous preparation will justify; and
the officers in each Department are faithfully performing their regular work.
Resignations
In August, 1884 Adjunct Professor W. LeRoy Broun, Jr. resigned his position of
Assistant in the Chemical Laboratory and Profes.sor. G. W. Maxson resigned his
position in the College January 1, 1885. The duties assigned Proressor Maxson
are now performed by ¥~jor T. H. Frazer.
State Appr.opriations
Of the $30,000.00 appropriated by the Legislature of the State to this College,
there were expended according to the report of the Treasurer:
For repai r on College Building
" Langdon Hall
" Experimental Farm
This would leave a balance of amounting to $14,370.62.
$7,297.51
5,483.32 .
2,844·55
$15,625.38
(1) Of this amount the Executive Committee haa approved the following:
To Department
" "
II "
" "
of Physics
" Agriculture
" Natural History
" Engineering
Completing Langdon Hall:
Furniture for Lecture Rooms
For Library
For repairs and improvement
Freight and contingent expenses
Rese rved for Mechanic Art Laboratory
$ ~ $ ~() O{:. o" J.OG-;Ocr :J / Q W • J .)
600.00
500.00
$ 500.00
400.00
500.00
500.00
250.00
5,000.00
$12,250.00
The amount thus appropriated to the sci entific department will beused during the
present year after careful correspondence has shown how the best results ~ can be
served.
., 269
Agricultural Experiment Station
The Treasurer reports that in addition to the original cost of the Experimental
Farm, t here has been expended di rectly and indirectly for the experimental station
and the Chemical Laboratory connected therewi th, including the cost of the printing
pr ess set up to January 1st, 1885 the sum of $12,355.84. This is in excess of the
receipts from the Commissioner of Agricul ture for the past year, to wit, $7,229.31
by $5,126.53, which amount is now due the state appropriation.~rovided all bills
for prL, t ing bulletins are paid, the amount now due t he state appropriation. from
t he Agricultural D~partment is estimat ed at $4,526 .53.
Treasurer's Report of Cash on Hand
The Treasurer reports also, t hat bel ongi ng to Stat e appropriation then was January
1st.
I,;ash on hand
Amo~t due from Agricultural Department
Amount due for College Endowment
Total
. Mechanical Art Laboratory
$ 7,587.21
5,126.53
744.64
$13,458.38
Of t he $5,000 appropriated by the Executive Committee to equip a Mechanic Art
Laboratory, nothjng has yet been expended. The first story of Langdon Hall is
well adopted for thi s Laboratory, but authority and means to properly fit up this
room, and t o construct an engtne and boiler r oom will be requir~d.
I deem it essential to the prosperity of the Coll ege, that this Department should
be established as soon as possibl e, by the appointment of a wel l trained andr' oompet
ent Pr ofessor of Practical Hechanics, and by equipping the Laborat ory as. well
as t he means at t he di sposal of the Board will justify.
Thi s charact er of educat ion has proved eminently successful in many of the scientific
i nstitutions of the country and is now the subject of consideration on the pakt of
t hose who are interested in industrial education. By its establishment, the College
will place i tself in more . perfect accord with the educational demands of the a ge,
as well as with the Act of Congress t o whi ch it owes its existence; and by the
i nstruction techni cal knowledge, this will tend to direct the minds of its students
t o i ndustrial pursuits and to qualify them for success in the vari ed industrial
voaations of life. I therefore recommend to your consideration the propriety of
adopting for this Col l ege in t he fut ure .whi le retaini ng its present legal name -
the name of Alabama Polytechnic Institute as more significant of its enlarged
sphere of educational work. There are many strong reasons in favor of this change
of name.
Physical Laborat ory
I also recommend that measures be taken as soon as the means at your disposal will
permit, t o establish and equipe a Pny~ical Laboratory, and that it be furnished
with the appl i ances necessary t o teach the principles and the industrial applications
of electricity .
270
Printing Fress
The Treasurer reports that the Printing Press , material, etc. cost originally
$996.96 and that the other cost of labor, material, etc. in printing up to the
present time will exceed the receipts by about $100.
Three students practical printers were employed prior to January 1 in printing the
bulletins of the Gommissioner of Agriculture. The Commissioner states that in the
future, the printing for his Department must be done by the State printer; hence
no more work of this chaucter can be done at the College office.
Board
The success of the College demands not only a competent and faithful faculty, with
well equipped departments, but also that the cost of living of the students should
be made as small as possible . If the College owned or controlled a few dormitories,
supplied with. some of the essential articles of furniture which they could offer
the sutdents free of rent, board could be obtained at the price of ten, probably
eight doll~s. per month.
I respectfQl ly submit this subject as worthy of careful consideration as soon
as means can be obtained to pr ovide the dormitories necessary.
Entrance Fee
The entrance fee for each session, I was informed, when the catalogue was prepared
had been considered by the Board and was fixed at $5.00, less than the fee formerly
paid; and it was so published. Since then, I have found no record of such action
by the i oard . I respectfully asked that the entrance fee as published be confirmed
for the present year, and that the fee to be paid be definitely fixed for the
future.
Appropriations
There was no a propriation made at the annual meeting of the Board for the
Military Department or for Laboratory servants. There will be requir ed for the
l- ilitary Department $100 and for Laboratory servant $120.
I recommend the appropriation of $50 for planting trees on t he Gollege grounds.
I also recomnlend when the funds are available, an appropriation of $250 to the
Departnlent of Natural History to purchase microscopes and $100 to the Department
of .L:hemistry t o purchase chemical balances.
I would respectfully ask that you clearly indicate, the · relation of the experiment
station and the Depa rtment of Chemistry in connection therewith, to tHe College
and my responsibi]iy and r elation t hereto.
Respectfully,
Wm. LeRoy Broun
President
,-
Auburn, Alabama
June 22, 1885
-P- 271
This being ,the day designated for the annual ·meeting of ·the BoaFd of Trustees of
the Agricultural and Mechanical Coll ege of Alabama and .the Secretary calling the
roll, there were present, Messrs. ~lopton, Gilchrist, Langdon, Ligon, Malone, and
Palmer.
In the absence of the Governor, Ex Officio President of the Board:
ON MOTI ON of Mr. Ligon, Mr. Clopton was called on to preside. Messrs. Bishop
and Haralson, after the organization of the Board, appeared and took their seats.
Absent: The Governor of the State and Ex Officion President and Messrs. Barnes and
St ansel.
The proceedings of the adjourned meeting of the Board held in the aity of Montgomery
in January 1885 were then read and approved. .
The r equest of one of the fraternities for the use of the hall in the College was
granted.
Dr. Broun, the President of the Coll ege, being present, r ead and submitted his
annual report, which was l aid on the table for the present and for f urther consideration
and action by the Board.
ON MOTION of Mr. Ligon, the recommendation of the President of the ·College to confer
degrees on the graduating class was adopted. (See report of the President for
names of graduates.)
The Treasurer of the College read and submitt ed his rep6rt together with the report
of the State Examiner of Public Accounts.
N ~ TI GN of Mr. Langdon, Tnat the name of Yr. Gilchrist be placed in the place
of that of Mr. Hardie on the several committ ees of whi ch he was a member, and that
of Mr. Palmer in the place of .Mr~ AFmstrong. Adopted.
The Committees are as f ollows:
Finance: Messrs. Barnes, Clopton, Malone, Gilchrist, Langdon, Bishop.
~ ourse of Study: Messrs. Stansel, Ligon, Malone, Haralson, Clopton, Bishop.
Revision of Laws: Messrs. Clopton, Barnes, Stansel, Ligon, Haralson.
Agriculture: Messrs: Ligon, ~almer, Gilchrist , Langdon.
College Lands and Pr operty: Messrs. mlone, Palmer, Ligon, Gjlchrist, Langdon.
Claims: Messrs. Harlason, Barnes, Palmer.
The Secretary read the reports of the Professors 0 the College to the President.
That of Professor Newman was referred to the Committee on Agriculture. That of
Professor Mell to the Committee on Course of Study. Those of Professors Laae,
Dunklin, Smith, THach, and Frazer was ordered on file.
Adjourned.
F. M. Reese, Secretary
Evening session, June 22.
The l:loard met at 4 0' clock p.m. and there were present: The l,;hairman, l-'lr. l,;layton
and essrs. Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Ligon, Malone, Palmer.
Absent, the Governor and r. Stansel.
ON ~O TI ON of Mr. Palmer, That portion of the President's report whi ch referred to
the Gourse of Study to be pursued in the College was referred to the Committee on
the Course of Study. Also that portion in reference to the Department of Chemistry
to the Committee on Finance.
ON MOTION of Mr. Haralson, That part of the President's report referring to the
salary of Instructor of Mechanic Arts to be chosen by the Board of Trustees was
referred to the Commi ttee on Finance.
ON MOTION of Mr . Ligon, The report of the State Examiner of public accounts was
referred to the Committee on Finance.
On suggestion of the Chairman, that port on of the President's report in regard
t o the incidental fee to be required of the Cadets was referred to the Committee
on Finance.
Also that as to Rules and Regulations was re·ferred to the Commit t ee on Revision of
Laws.
ON MOTION of ~r. Ligon, The suggestions of the President as to proY1s10ns f or
board and accomodations .for cadets .was referred to t he Committ ee on Finance.
Also in r egard to a reserved fund t o the Committee on Finance.
On suggestion of the Chairman that p rt o{ the President's repcrt recommending
change in the age of Cadets matriculating in the College was referred to the
Committee on Course of Study.
The Chairman presented a co~unication . from ¥~. J , J. Padgett, suggesting a
guard to be employed for the College building as night watchman referred to the
President of t he College f or his consideration and endorsement.
The re port o~ the LiQrarian was referred to the Commi t tee on Finaqce.
. . ..
A communicatiqn from Professor Lane was read by ~~. Har~son which at the recommendati
on of the Chairman b~ referred to a special commj.ttee to consist of Messrs.
Hara~son, Li gon and Palmer. (Recorded ~ong repprts.)
ON ~ TION , The report of the State Examiner of publi c account s was withdrawn and
referred to the Special Committee herein named.
Board. adjourned until 9 o'clock t omorrow.
F. M. Reese, Jecretary
--------~--- -- -
Auburn, Alabama
, June 23, 1885
i. 273
The Board met at 9 o'clock a.m. and there present: the Chairman, Mr. Clayton, and
Messrs. Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Ligon, Malone, and Palmer.
Absent the Governor of the State and ~~. Stansel.
Hr. Barnes, lJhairman of t he Committee on Finance, made the f ollowi r:g re .ort :
The Committee on Finance, to which was referred the report of the Treasurer of the
College, have had t he same under consi derat i on and i nst ruct me t o report t he same
back to the Board of Trustees and recommend that the same be ref er r ed to the Special
Commit t ee for examinat ion and t o r eport t hereon. Adopted.
The business of t he Board was suspended on receipt of a COmDlun i cation from the
President of the ColleEe, stating t hat the Facul ty rec ommend that t he degr ee f
Civil ~ ln eering be conferred on W. Dana Taylor.
ON MOTION, It was unanimously voted that the degree of Civil Engineering be conferr
ed on ¥~. Taylor .
Mr. ¥~one, from the Committee on Finance, reported that the Committee to whom was
referred that portion of the President's report, in regard to inc .ease of the Incidental
fee, be dopted; and t hat hereafter each student is required to apy the sum
of $7.50 per term or $15.00 for the scholastic year .
The report was postponed for further consideration and action by the Board .
Mr. Clayton f rom the Committee on Finance submitted the following, Your Committee
on Finance to whom was referred so much of the report of Professor Stubbs as relates
to the compensation of Mr. B. B. Ross as Assistant Chemist in the . State
Labaa t ory have had the same under consideration and instruct me to repor~ the
following and to recommend its adoption.
R~OLVED , That the additional compensation of $100 be allowed Mr. Ross in accordance
with the recommendation of Professor Stubbs. Adopted.
Mr. Gilchrist from the Committee on Finance reported, The Committee on Finance, to
which was referred that portion of the President's report in reference to the employment
of Instructor in Mechanic Arts instruct .e to report that ~he committee
approve and ratify the action of the President of the College and recommend that
Mr. Bryant, the gentleman engaged by the, President of the College, and recommend
that Mr. Bryant be paid at the rate of $1200 per annum for the time he ~as been
at the College. Adopted.
Mr. Bishop from the Co~mittee on Finance to whom was referred that portion of the
report of the President submitted the following resolution (Cadet accommodations)
REJOLVED, THat the sum of $2000 of the State appropriated funds, unexpended be and
the same is hereby set aside, permanently; and appropriated to the erection of
Dormitories. The report received and on motion of Mr . Clayton, That the resolut
'on be amended by sticking out the words "dormitories" and inserting in lieu the
wgrEi "suitable buildings" also by striking out the sum of $2000 and inserting in
in lieu of $2500 . The resolution as amended was adopted.
274
ON MOTION of Mr. Clayton, the Secretary be inst ructed to invite the Faculty to
meet with then at 4 o'clock p.m.
Board adjourned until tomorrow at 9 o'clock.
F. H. Reese,
Secretary
June 23rd
Evening .:lession
Board met at 4 o'clock p.m. and all the members were present who attended the
morning session.
ON MOTION of V~. Barnes, That the . Treasurer's report be withdrawn from Committee
on Finance and referred to the Special Committee.
In accordance with the resolution inviting members of the Faculty to . come before
the Board for purposes of consultation. Professors Newman and Dunklin appeared
before the Board. After the interview with them, the Board adjourned.
F. M. Reese
Auburn, Alabama
June 24, 1885
The Board met at 8 o'clock and there were present the Chairman, Mr. Clayton
and essrs. Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Ligon, Malone and
Palmer.
Absent the Governor and Mr. Stansel.
By suggestion from the Chairman, the communication of Mr. Padgett was referred
to the Committee on Coll ege Lands and property.
Other members of the Faculty then' came ~efore the Board, viz. Professors Stubbs,
Mell and Smith.
The Board then adjourned till 3 o'clock p.m.
F. M. Reese
Secretary
• 275
Evening Session-June 24
Board met at 3 o'clock p .m. and there wer e -present the Chairman and Mesers. Barnes,
Bi shop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Li gon, }~one and Palmer. The same absent.
The Secretary read minutes of the Board heretofore made all of which were approved.
~tr. Malone from the Committee on College Lands and Property submitted the following
report. Your Committee to which was referred the communication of gr. J. J. Padgett
with the endorsement of the President of the College have had the same under
consideration and instruct me to r~port that they deem it inexpedient to employ a
night watchman for the College building~.
Mr. Haralson, from the Committee on Claims submitted the following: The Committee
to whom was referred the clain of Professor Lane, beg leave to r eport that they
find it to be true; that then when elected a Professor and his salary was fixed
at $1800, nothing was siad about the manner of its payment, whether in advance,
quarterly, at the end of the year or otherwise; but the fact is, at that time, .
owing t o causes which are well understood by t he Board, and with which he must
have become informed during the first year of his service as Pr ofessor, the Board
had necessarily to be t behind in the payment of Professors , and the rule of payments
was to pay quarterly. 'So while the Board from the necessities of the case
were unable to pay their ,Professors, promptly at the end of the quarter; and while
this fact worked no doubt inconvenience to the Professors (a matter the Board must
regret), it operated in the opinion of the Committ ee no more hardly on one than
on the others.
To accede to General Lane's claim, in the opinion of the Committee, would be to
order a difference in rules of payment in the case Qf his salary from others.
Your committee reports therefore, adversely to General Lane's ,claim, accompany-ing
it with t hese expl anations for his greater satisfaction. The Committee would
trea~ his request with due respect, while they find themselves embarrassed by their
inability and out of respect to the rights of others, to favor it.
Your Committee, jf it is in order to do so, would respectfully rQcommend that the
expenses of the I nstitution on salary account be so curtailed as that the Professors
may be paid, promptly at the end of each quarter and so a~ to have a surplus fund
on hand on that account as recommended by the President. Adopted.
The invitaticn extended by the Alumni of the College to the Board of Trustees to
participate with them in a banquet to be given by them this evening in the hall
of the Col lege was accepted with the thanks of the Board.
ON MOTION of r. Haralson, The Board of Truetees decline to recognize the claim
presented by ¥~ . Adam Hardin. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr. Haralson, That th~ degree of LL. D. be ~onferred by the Board of
Tr ustees of the A & M Coll ege of Alabama on Profe sor Robert Frazer of Judson Female
Institute of ¥~rion, Ala~ama, which motion was adopted by the unanimous vote
of the Board.
Mr. Palmer, from the Committee on Finance, moved to take up the subject of the
incidental fee alluded to in the report of the President which being adopted
- -- -----_. - ----
\
1~76
Mr. Palmer from the Committee on Finance moved That the incidental fee as recommended
by the President, viz. $7.50 per term, or S15.00 for the scholastic year, be required
of each. student on entering the College; and in no case to be remit ~ ed or paid
back~ and to be appropriated for general incidental purposes. Adopted •
. Mr. Ligon from Committee on Course ~ of Study reported back without recommendation
the subjects embraced in Professor Mell's report to the President.
And ON . lViOTION of :Hr. Ligon, That the Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College of Alabama return their very sincere thanks to Mr. Postell for
his generous donation of a flat of ground on St. Simons Island in the State of
Georgia; and that they regret to inform l{r. Postell, that at the present, the
College is not in a condition to make such improvements on the grounds as is
suitable or desirable for the objects of the donation; and that Professor Mell
be requested to communicate with Mr. Postell enclosing him a copy of their action.
Adopted.
Mr. Barnes submitted the following resolution, RESOLVED, By the Board of Trustees
of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama:
1st That a Committee of three be appointed by the Board to prepare for publication
an explanation of the amount of the interests on the bonds; the endowment
fund of the College which was paid to the College in State Certificates known as
the Horse Shoe Money and the depreciation of the same at the date of such payment
which the college was compelled to and did take at par and the rate at which it
sold and used the same in payment of the ~aries of professors and officers and
expenses of the College. Adopted.
Hr. Gilchrist in the Chair; Mr. Clayton offered the following amendment to the
foregoing resolution:
2nd How the funds at their disposal have been appropriated by the Trustees.
3rd The general plan and purpose sought to be advanced in the conduct of the
College and how the Trustees have administered their trust • •
All of which was adopted.
Mr. Gilchrist named as the committee called for in the resolution, Messrs. Barnes,
Langdon and Clayton.
ON t'iCTICN of Mr. Malone, That President Broun be requested to furnish a copy of his
baccalaureate address for publication and the menner of giving publicity to the
same be left to the discretion of the Executive Committee after consultation with
the President.
The Board adjourned until tomo~row at 8 o'clock.
F. M. Reese,
Secretary
fL 277
June 25, 1885
The Board met at 8:30 o'clock and there were present: . The Chairman, Mr. Clayton,
Messrs. Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Ligon, Malone, and Palmer.
!1r. Haralson,from the Special Committee to whom was referred the Treasurer's report
and that of the St ate Examine~asked to make the following report.
Your Special Committee to whom was referred the Treasurer's report, a sk to submit
the following. They find the several accounts, as rendered to the Board of Trustees
by the Treasurer to be correct; and that he has in hand in bank the balance as
shown by his said account. They have compared the said accounts with the books of
the Treasurer and save examined all of his vouchers and added up all the columns
in ascertaining the result reported.
The reference to the Printing Account they find no error in it, but said account
may need adjustment in reference t o the other accounts of the College and the
Treausrer asks permission to review the same for that purpose and to make report
thereon hereafter with the view of ascertaining if any transfers to and from other
accounts are necessary in order to show the proper expenditures in the several departmenta,
on account of printing; and the Committee recommend that he be all owed
to do so; and that he and Professor Newman be re~uested to review said account for
the purpose stated; and to make report thereon to this Board at their next annual
meeting. And the Committee recommend that the amended report of the Treasurer be
spread upon the r ecords for the purpose of showing expenditures and state of ·accounts
in the several Departments of the College •
. The Committee further report that they have examined the report of the State Examiner
of errors in accounts of the Tr easurer, and find that there is a balance of $229.47
due from the Treasurer to the Col lege on account of errors therein reported by the
State Examiner and t he Committee recommend that the Treasurer be required to charge
himself with that balance, as that much paid to him as cornpensatkm for services as
Treasurer of the College. The report was received and adopted.
It was moved that the amount of $8.60 be allowed to D. F. Boyd, late President of
the College, on accounts rendered by him for money he paid on account of the College.
Adopted.
Mr. Ligon, from the Committee on Course of Study, made the following report:
The Committee on Course of Study to which was referred that portion of the President's
report, which referred to the age of cadets upon admission into the College,
direct me to report that the President's recommendation fixing the age at 15 be
adopted. Adopted.
Mr. Ligon, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted t~e following:
The Committee on Agriculture to which was referred the report of the Professor of
Agriculture direct me to r epoDt: That the amount of this two thousand dollars, or
so much thereof as ~ be required, be appropriated for the benefit of the Experiment
Station, for the collegiate year 1885-6 out of the funds derived from the
Agricultural Bureau. And that the pr oceeds arising from the sales of the .crops,
produced and made on said Experiment tation be passed .to the credit of said
Station; and that the Pr ofessor of Agriculture be authorized to sell the same
upon such terms as he deems best, applying the proceeds to the purchase of such
things as are required in managing and conducting said Experiment Station; and
report the same in his annual report.
y 278
\
The Committee append to their report a statement of the Pr ofessor of Agriculture,
setting forth the wants of said Station, and t he direction which he proposes to
give the f~ds hereby appropriated. Adopted.
Note: The f ollowing is a copy of statement accompanying the report of the
Committee: IIFurposes for whi ch appropriation to Station:
Cattle Scales
Barn and Shed
Stock
Trees, plants, etc.
Implements and }1achinery
Fertilizers
Laborll
By Mr. Ligon, RESOLVED, 1st, RESOLVED , That the Board of Trustees of the Agricultural
and Mechanical College of Alabama respectfully renew their application to
t he Secretary of v,ar for the detail of Lieutenant John McDonald, 16th Calvary, as
Instructor of Military Science and Tactics in this Institution.
2nd, That in the event ·that the detail of Lieutenant John McDonald cannot be had,
the Board respectfully request the detail of or for the
purpose named. Adopted.
By ~~. Ligon, RESOLVED, That H. D. Clayton who is about to visit Washington be
authorized to fill the blank in the 2nd resolution, asking a detail of a Lieutenant
from the regular service as Instructor of Military Science and Tactics this day
adopted the Board with such names as may appear best to him on further information.
Adopted.
Mr. Malone, reported to the Board that he had had an interview with President
Broun soliciting a copy of his address for publication and the request was complied
with; and Mr . ~almer was requestedto interview the edito~s of the Advertiser
and request the publication of the same; and further t o request the editor to
correct mistakes made in bis ,issue of the 25th tnst. as to the leading objects
of this Institution.
The Board t hen went into Executive Session.
On the return of t he ~ ecreta ry, the following proceedings were reported to him
as being had by the Board:
RESOLVED , That the Marshall of the town of Auburn be paid twenty dollars for
services as ni ght watchman. Adopted.
RESOLVED, That Langdon Hall be tendered the Alabama Teachers Association and the
Agricultural Association when they meet in Auburn.
RESOLVED, That Langdon Hall be insured. (No amount stated.)
Mr. Ligon handed to me in t he handwriting of President Broun resolutions marked
"Aq,opted." Also a list of appropriations marked "adopted" and .which are in the
following words and figures:
279
RESOLVED , That the Librarian shal l be responsible for the care and preservation of
all the books in the Library belonging to the College.
He shall make an annual report to the Board of Trustees, which repor t shall show
the number of volumes in the care of any Pr ofessor ••• the number of volumes added
during the year by purchase and by dGnation ••• the number drawn from the Library
by the students .during the session and the number and names of the volumes as
missing from the Library.
RESOLVED I, That in consideration of the duties imposed on the College by Section 17
of an Act to establish a Department of .Agriculture, it is the right and privilege
of the Commissioner of Agriculture to 0btain from any Professor, information in
regard to any subject appertaining to nis Chair.
II, That it is hereby made the duty of -each Prcfessor in the College to furnish to
the Commissioner 0 Agriculture on his .application for use in his bulletins, any
i nformation relating to the subject of his Chair, of wh'ch he may be possessed,
provided the preparation of the same does not interfere with his regular College
duties; and for this infonnation no charge whatever shall be made .
Income from Department of Agriculture, estimated $7,50Q .00
Appropriations:
Experimental Station
Part salary of Professor of Agriculture
Salaries of Assistant Chemists--$600 & $400
Chemical Laboratory and servant
Part salary of Professor of 1echanic Arts
Laboratory, Mechanic Arts
Reserve fund
Income :
Salaries :
" II
" II
II
II
resident
Six Professors
Eng . Lit. & Mod. Languages
Commandant & Instructor
Mechanic Arts
Treasurer
Secretary
Expense Account :
Printing Account
Stationery II
Music II
'.iilitary II
Trustees
Servants
Librarian
Postage
Fuel
Speakers
House Rent
Insurance
Chemistry
Physics
$3,000.00
10,800.00
1,200.00
1,000.00
500.00
1,000.00
200.00
$ 300.00
400.00
50.00
100.00
115.00
300 .00
250.00
100.00
150.00
275.00
50.00
200.00
400.00
100.00
100.00
$2,000 .00
700.00
1,000.00
600 .00
700.00
1,500.00
$17,700.00
2,875.00
$20,575.00
t' 280
The Secretary resumed his seat with the Board.
I t was moved and seconded That Mr. Geor ge H. Bryant be elected Instructor of
echanic Arts. Mr. Bryant was unanimously elected • .
ON MOTION of Mr. Barnes, That the de~r~ e of D. D.be conferred on Reverend John W.
Rush of Birmingham, Alabama. The degree was unanimously conferred.
Appropriat ions made in Executive Session:
"
To Prof essor Stubbs
Nat ural History
Gr ounds and Repairs
Wall J>4.a.ps "
"
" Library
$300.00
100.00
200 .00
100.00
500.00
$1,200.00
Note: The Board without resolut i on to that effect, agreed to appropriate to Profes
sor Mell t he s~ of $100.00 for pufpose of printing weather service bulletins
or reports. Professor Mell has also shown me l etters from a number of t he Board
stating such was the desi gn . l"Jr. Palmer, with whomc, I have had an interesting
interview, says it wil l be right t o enter on minutes an all m'/ance of the $100.00
f or purpose named.
F. M. Reese,
Secretary
Reports, etc. Session of 1885-6:
To the Trustees of the Agricultural and echanical College of Alabama:
Sirs:
I have the honor to report that during the past year there were matriculated 120
cadets, and that the usual college work has been faithfully done by Professors and
students, with some not material interruption, caused by a short recess granted to
a company of cadets to visit the Exposition at New Orleans. This permission was
given in order that the students might enjoy the educational advantages of attendance
on the Exposition.
The appropriations made for the seyeral departments have been with the exception of
that for phhsics expended in the purchase of apparatus and furniture for the lectUre
rooms.
~e Library has been supplied with new alcoves and a number of excellent books have
been purchased.
The course of study as now arranged in the catalogue presen~three degree courses
two technical and one general; and also two partial courses in Agricultural and
Mechanic Arts. A special education without the foundation of general culture is
esse~tially defective. Whenever possible, general education should precede the
special.
Many students apply for admission to this College who are defective in training
and discipline, oence the necessity that a general course of education should be
provided and that as far as possible, general culture should also occupy a portion
of the time of those who enter upon a technical course. On this principle, the
courses of education are now arranged.
For the purpose of executing the order of the Board made at the called session in
f ontgomery, I visite~ in the month of May different technical Colleges inthe country
and studied the methods there pursued in giving instruction in Mechanic Arts. I
was gratified at the success of these schools and at the interest taken in their
character of education both by students and citizens. Great care has been taken
in order to expend in the most judicious manner the appropriation made by the Board
to this school. If we except t he cost of the boiler house and smoke stack, the
appropriation will be suff icient, to equip in a satisfactory manner the room for
working in wood.
To complete the Laboratory, it may be necessary hereafter to furnish the machinery
necessary for working in M~~~ I ~ . It is believed that the school when in suc-cessful
operation will be a factor of general power ~ in the College and that the
education given will prove of marked value to the State.
As a suitable person to take charge of this School, I recommend to your favorable
consideration Mr. George H. Bryant, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
The Department of Agriculture is now organized, I think in the best possible manner
to effect results of value to the students who pursue those subjects as well
as to the general agricultural interests of the State. The Experiment Station
282
cannot be self-supporting. Its object is to make experiments, often ver,y costly
experiments for the common good, and hence for this purpose will need an annual
appropriation. It is confidently expected that results of ver,y great value to
the State will follow from the scientific stuQy of succes sional experiments to be
made at this Station.
There is an unfortunate and wide spread fallacy/that the College fails in its purpose
if it does not turn out farmers. This has in the past years done this Institution
much injury. This fallacy of the purpose of the College, has largely resulted
from the name it bears. For a boy to farm/presupposes that he has a farm
and capital--With our graduates, this is seldom the case, and the boy possessing
neither farm or capital is compelled when he leaves coll ege to seek remunerativE
employment; and t his with us he cannot find in Agriculture and hence seeks employment
in other occupations. But the Experiment St ation b~ the issue of bulletins,
discussing principles and experiments, addresses farmers, men who have farms
and capital, who can at once ad- pt with advantage the ~proved methods .that may
be suggested. fience from the Experiment Station by disseminating valuable information
in bulletins we have reason to hope for important results to the whole State.
The Chemical Laboratory is an essential factor in this work in connection with the
Experiment Station. The Professor of Chemistry reports that he and his Assistants
have made there since the opening of the Laboratory 382 analyses of fertilizers,
marls, phosphates, etc .; and that he has paid to the Treasurer during the current
session $670 from receipts for analyses of fertilizers made for manufacturers.
This work of chemical analyses consumes valuable chemicals, and hence this Laborator,
y will require in addition to the amount granted to pay the professor and his
aSSistants, an annual appropriation to pay for chemicals consumed.
The Printer's Office has been placed under the charge of Professors Mell who has
given it faithful attention. Cadet J. P. Allen, who has experience as a printer,
was made foreman and twelve boys have learned to set type so well as to print the
catalogue for this year. The work done out of practic~ or recitati0n hours, they
were allowed pay in proportion to the character of their work. With the services
of a foreman and the usual appropriation for printing, it is possible to make the
office a valuable auxilliar,y in this character of practical education and do all·
the printing required for the .College.
In accordance with your instructions, I corresponded with the Adjutant General
U. S. A. in reference to the detail of an Officer of the Army to act a Commandant
in the College. The letters received are herewith submitted for yQur consideration.
The official agent of the State appointed to examine the books and accounts of
those in charge of public funds visited this College in the month of March and
examined the books of the Treasurer. He submitted the enclosed report marked A
for to your body, showing the result of hi~ examination.
The laws and regulations of the .College were in part amended, at the last annual
session of the Board, and authority given to bring the same, but as the amendments
made were not consistent with other portions of the laws, I have hesitated
to print until they have again been considered by the Board.
As the amount to be paid for fe es ~s made provisional for this year, I submit the
subject to your consideration and would respectfully recommend that the incidental
fee for each student be made as for[aerly $7.50 per term, and that you order that no
fee shall be remitted in in any case whatsoever. This fee is small, a very
inconsiderable part of the expenses necessarily incurred at College and the income
therefrom is needed for the increased incidental expenses of the College.
74- 283
The subject of providing dormitories for the use of the students has been considered.
An examination of the capacity of Auburn t o furnish board and lodging for students
shows that 200 or more can be readily .accommodated in private families at a cost .
of $12 to $14 per month. Board without lodging is furnished at $10 per mouth.
When students press, the actual cost for board and lodging and fuel is $10.00 per
month. If it be deemed advisable to furnish dormitories, the experiment could be
made of renting a house in Auburn for the present.
I would also respectfulls submit to the Board, the consideration of the advantage
to the College of opening the session in on September 15, by giving a short vacation
at Christmas. I t is generally the custom of parents to call their sons home
during the Christmas Hol idays, and the interruption to class study is found to be
so great t hat it becomes advisable to suspend exercises. There are many good reasons
also for opening earlier.
I herewit h submit the reports of the different departments for your consideration
and respectfully recommend that very definite appropriations of the funds at your
disposal be made for t he use of each department for the ensuing year in proportion
t o its necessities and importance to the general work of the Collegeo
I would also respectfully state that an examination of the Treasurer's reports
show that in 1882-3, after paying the current expenses and back salaries to the
amount of $3,688.25, the Coll ege was in debt $310.00. At the close of the session
1883:64, this indebtedness amounted to $744.64. The present report closes with
an indebtedness of $458.16, a portion of which is due to the cost of printing the
present catalogue . The sal aries of the offic'ers are generally four months in
arrears and have been so I underst and since the organization of t he College.
The receipts from the Commissioner of Agriculture in t he past two years are reported
to be $15,217.85 and the total expenses incurred by establishing and equipping
the Experiment Station and t e Chemical Laboratory in connection therewith,
including the cost s of the farm and the salary of Director and Assist ants in
Chemi st ry amount by the Treasurer's r eport to $21,144.20. \ihen thei amount is
credited by the farm receipts, $1,794.97 the cost to the College of the Station
including cost of the farm and its adjuncts in the l ast two years is reduced to
$19,349.23.
Of the $30,000 appropriated by the Legisl ature, The Treasurer r eport s yet unexpended,
$9,805.15 of this amount more than $7,000 i saready appr opriated for Mechanic
Arts and Pbysics.
The Department of Chemistry has paid int o the Treasury in the past two years as
fees for analyses $1,040.00.
I would respect f ully suggest if possible as reserve fund of $1,000 be annually set
aside from the endowment income, and an equal amount also from the annual receipts
from the Department of Agriculture and that this reserve be held intact and only
disbursed on special order of the ouar of Tru ~t e es.
As a nUlllber of young students apply to enter College, it is deemed advisable that
the requirements f or admission as t o age be increased and that to enter t he fourth
class the applicant be required to be at least in his sixteenth year.
( 284
The Faculty recommend for the degree of Bachelor of Science the follmving students:
J. M. Allen
R. E. L. Collier
R. H. Tr!8.ch
A & College
Auburn , Alabama
June 22, 1885
'N
w. T. Andrews
W. T. Penn
Respectfully submitted,
w. LeRoy Broun
President
-rL285
Treasurer's Report
To t he Honorable Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and Mechani cal College of
Alabama: .
I have the honor to submit the following report of the financial transactions of
this office for the year ending June 15, 1885:
Receipts:
To State ' Treasurer apc.
To incidental and surgeons fees
To chemiqal fees
To expense (diplomas)
To fuel (coal sold)
To adve~ising
To balanqe
Disbursements:
By balance as per amended report
By expenses of professors
By expen~e ac;ct.
By statiQnery;
By exchange
By music .
By military
By trustees
By servaqts
By speak~rs
By special appropriations
By salar~es
By postage
By fuel
By printing
By printing present catalogue
By hous e .r ent ( By insurance
By chemical
By advert,ising
By surgeqn
State appropriation a/c receipts:
To balan ~e June 16, 1884
To State Treasurer Aug. 16, 1884
To repair a/c (articles sold)
To Nat. History (from Prof. Mel1)
Disbursanents:
By repairs a/c.
" freight and contingent
" furnitm-e for lecture rooms
" Langdon Hall a/c
" Engineering Dept.
" Nat.' History Dept.
" Physics Dept.
$20,280 .00
1,210.00
120 000
45.00
35.64
5.00
458,16
$22,213.80
$ 744.64
496.47
142.95
22.40
5.65
100.00
116.50
395.40
180.00
34.10
271.10
17,575.00
108.41
275.18
150.00
124.7P
200000
300.00
:320.00
206 0 30
445.00
$22,213 0 80
7,257.11
7,500.00
48.28
84.06
$14,889.45
1,061. 75
63.45
407.50
1,013029
460.27
684.06
879.17
To Planting trees Dept.
" Library Dept.
" balance
Library Act.:
Receipts:
To Cadet fees
To balance State appropriations
Disbursements:
By balanc~ June 16, 1884
By books and periodicals
Experiment Station Account
Receipts: '
To cash f~om Col. J. S. Ne~~, Director
To Balance Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements;
By cash paid Col. Newman, Directory
By cash paid Col. Newman, Salary
State Chemical Department
Receipts: .
Balance Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements:
By cash paid Prof. Stubbs - chemicals
B6 cash paid Prof. Stubbs - books
Salaries of assistants
Servant hire and contingent
Printing Office Account
Receipts: .
To cash of corn of agriculture
To college prihting alc
To college printing - present catalogue
To balanc~ Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements:'
Expenses oT Printing Office
29.25
485.56
9.805.15
$14,889.45
220.00
~82!26
$ 705.56
30.55
672.01
$ 705.56
. 1,012.40
3.457·02
$ 4,469.42
3,944.42
525000
$ 4,469.1.2
1,553.25
608025
200 000
600.00
142.00
$1,153.25
698.75
150 0CO
124.70
152058
$ 1,126.03
286
Agricultural Bureau Account
Receipts,
Amount (omitted last report
Cash from com. of agriculture
Disbur sements:
By balance on report of last year
By experiment Station
By ~emical Laboratory
By Printing Office
By balance
Analyses Account
To balance on hand June 16, 1884 .
To cash received from Professor Stubbs
Disbursements:
By cash paid Professor Stubbscrder of Board
By balance
College acct.
State appropriation
Agricultural Bureau
Analyses account
.
Disbursem~nts:
College a~count 7
State appropriations
Agricultural Bureau
Analyses account
Balanc e on hand
Recapitulation
14.18
7.988.54
8,002.72
1,):)1.36
3,457.02
1,353.25'
152.58
1.538.51
$ 8,002.72
370.00
670000
$ l,~O.CO
200.00
800 0 00
$ 1,040.00
21,755 064
14,889.45
8,002.72
1,040.00
$ 45,687.81
22,213.80
5,084.30
6,464.21
200.00
1:1.,725050
$45,687.81
Respectfully submitted,
E. T. Glenn, Treasurer
A & M Co1lege o
. .1 287
Amended report ending June 15, 1884
To balance per report June 15
To hiance
By amount paid Prof. N e\'nnan (salary)
State Appropriations Account
Receipts: "
To amt. s~ate : treasurer has report of June 15.
By amount ' paid for sand, expo Sta. per report of June 15
Repairs 'on college building
Langdon Hall
Balance "
Receipts:
Amt. Agriculture June 15
Balance
Disbursements:
Agricultural Depto
By equipment State Chern. Dept.
Salar,y asst. ' chemist
Part salar,y director of Exp. Station
Printing, freight and fixtures
Exp. Station balance
Receipts:"
Farm products
Sale of fertilizers
BEllance .
Experiment Station Account
Paid to Cpl. ~. S. Newman, Director
RecaJX,ulation,
E. T. Glenn, Treasurer, to college acct. per report June 15
State appropriation
Agricu~tural Bureau
Analysis account
Cro
College acct. per report June 150
Salary of Prof. Newman transferred from Agl. Bureau
Not included in report June
$ 1,055.36
744.64
$ 1,800.00
1,800.00
22,500.00
2,844.55
6,915.02
5,483.32
7,257.11
$ 22,500.00
$
$
7,215.13
1.,201.26
8,5169 49
1,806.09
1,200.00
700.00
996.96
,2.81,2·44
8,516.49
629~.30
153.25
,2.81,2·44
$ 4,595.89
4,595.89
$ 21,507.20
22,500 0 00
7,215013
370.00
$ 51,622.33
20,481.84
1,175.00
625000
$ 22,281084
288
State appropriation per report
June 10th
Less Chemical alc transferred to Ag . Bureau
Ag . Bureau per. report J une 15th
Broun's salary not included in
Add. change chem. transferred from Stat e appropriation act.
Less Printing included in r eport of June 15
Newman 'S salary t r ansferred to College at
This amount deducted from $9,774.65
Printing account leaves X
Included in Ex. Station, June 15 X
Balance X
The amounts marked X aggregates the balance amount of
Dr .
To balance per. report June 15
Cr.
By salary paid Professor Newman not reported
II " II II Broun
Balance, June 16
According to old report:
Balance in hand
In n~W' report: .
Salary of Professor Newman to June 15
Balance in new report
Cash in Treasurer
To the Hon. Board of Trustees:
Gentlemen:
+ 289
$17,048.98
1,806.(19
$15,242.89
$ 7,368.56
600.00
1,806.09
$ 9,774.65
$ 83.16
1,175.00
$ 1,258.16
8,516.49
83.16
. 5,~97.95
$51,22.33
$51,622.33 '
$ 6,722.95
$ 625.00
600.00
~,497.95
$,722.95
$ 6,722.95
1,225.00
$ 5,497.95
7,500.00
$12,997.95
At the suggest ion of the President of the College, Dr. Broun, to make certain changes
in items charged to differ ent appropriations, whi ch changes have been ratified. by
your Executive.Committ ee, I beg l eave to submit an amended report and ask that it
be spread upon. the record.
Yours . respectfully,
E: T. Glenn
----- -- --
290
Statement of Errors reported by J. W. Lapsley:
1880-81:
Express
Farm
Repair
Salary
Repairs
Account overcharge
II II
II II
II error in addition
undercharge .10.
1881-82:
Advertising overcharge
Apparatus
Fuel .
II
II
Farm by Prof. Stubbs
1882-83:
Freight ove rcharge
Farm undercharge
Repair overcharge
Advert ising
Expense undercharge
Engineering Department
State. Appropriations Account:
Carpenters overcharge
LUJIlber II
Error in addition
Experiment Stat i Gn undercharge
Plast erer's Account overcharge
Repair Account, Improper ch. per Newman
Carpenters Account undercharge 1.07
Balance
Recapitulation:
Dr.
1880-81
1881-82
1882-83
Cr.
By under charges
Balance
.05
1.00
E. T. Glenn,
Treasurer
$ 100.00
13.28
21.60
100.00
$ 143.58
.10
$ 143.48
$ 5.30
1.00
41..90
5.00
$ 50 .20
$ 1.10
8.45
10.00
16.79
i 36.54
$ 10.00
28.04
1.00
27. 50
6. 59
2. 67
$ 76.00
$143.48
53.20
35.46
$232.14
~.
$229--:41
I- 291
Librarians Report
Agricultural and Mechanical College
Auburn, Alabama
June 22, 1885
To the Hon. Board of Trustees:
In addition to the public documnets, Smithsonian reports, etc., the Library has
received numerous official publications from the Senators and Representatives.
We have purchased 235 volumes of general literature and have renewed subscriptions
to 18 of the leading magazines.
The addition to the Library this year, has been chiefly works of reference, encyclopedias,
dictionaries together with a small amount of standard essays, biographical
and novel literature.
The Library now aggregates on hand at dat e of last report:
Purchases, etc.
Total volumes
Total
1,513
270
1,783
I respectfully recommend that an adequate sum be set apart by the Board for the
improvement of the Library and purchase of books.
Respectfully submitted,
E. T. Glenn
Librarian
292
Report of Professor Mell
Department of Natural History and Geology
Auburn, Alabama
June 18, 1885
Dr. I;'" . L. Broun, President
Agricultural and Mechanical College
Sir:
I have the honor to submit for your consideration the following report of the work
done in the Department of .Natural History and Geology during the session just
closing.
It has been my pleasure to instruct all the students of the four classes (regular
coll ege) except those members of the second class pursuing the course in Engineering.
The progress made by the students has been in the main satisfactory. Oonsiderable
time, however, was lest in the owrk of the Department on account of the
drill, preparatory to visiting New Orleans. In order to relieve you of some of
your numerous duties, I took charge of the fourth class in Elementary Physics
during the fitst term ••• the work of this class has already been reported to you
and it is needless therefore to ro more than merely refer to the subject in this
report.
The new feature in my Department this year consists in the opening of a Laboratory
in Biology. This room was equipped with apparatus so late in the session,
but little work could be accomplished beyond a beginning.
The second class in Botany waS given a course during the second term in the use
of microscopes and in section cutting, preparatory to more extended work in the
first class next session. The number of students in this Laboratory was so large
as to nec essitate the division of the class into two sections in order to supply
each worker with a set of instruments. If these same students return next year
and if the members of the second class apply for admission in a like proportion,
it will become necessary t o puchase additional microscopes. I would be pleased
to have five more instruments with accessories. In teaching the use of microscopes
, I could find no text book of suitable size, t o place in the hands of the
students, so I was compelled to prepare notes for the class. Two of the students
in the Laboratory being also members of the printing class, set up these notes in
type and printed them in the form accompanying this report. It is my intention
to add to this publication from time to time until 1 succeed in obtaining a text
and guide of sufficient size to cover the time assigned me for this work. These
circulars will be placed in the hands of the student without expense to him and
t hus a double object be attained.
1st, t he simplest form possible for a guide to the Laboratory.
2nd, The necessity for purchasing large and eA~ensive books avoided. It is rr~ intaotion
to adopt this method with another class in Botany.
An excel l ent dark room has been added to the Biological Laboratory so that photographic
enlargements may be made of the sections of plants and animals. By the use
of this dark r eom the fine screen erected in my r ecitation r eom, projections may be
obtained of sections with enlargements to 2,000 diameters. (High specimens may thus
be examined that with the usual method of microscopical work with power objectives
is very laborious and tedious.)
...d-
293
In this connection, I will call your attention again to the generous to the
generous donation made the insti tution by Mr. Postell of St. Simons Island,
Georgia. This gentleman is well known among ~cientific students as an authority
on the subject of • He owns considerable land on the ocean side of
St. Stmons Island, and only a few miles from the Gulf Stream. I visited his· home
last February and in the course of conversation, he asked if our Institution was
doing anything in the way of Laboratory work in biology and he suggested the advantage
it would be to the students to visit the sea coast at certain seasons ana engage
in work of a small scale similar to that now being done by the large seaside
laboratories in the northern states • . I heartily approve the idea, but stated we
~d no money with which to keep up such a station and make it useful. iithin the
last month, I have received a letter from • Postell donating to the College a
sufficient portion of land for a laboratory on any point of his domains I may select.
The portion of the ocean washing this I sland has long been recognized by
workers as rich in natural history specimens. A cheap . frame building can be erected
on this Island wi th an outlay of three or four hundred dollars that will be
sufficient f or the purposes · of the Station. The instruments used and appliances
for work can be supplied from the outfit now in the possessi on of the College.
If the B0ard sees fit to accept this land, my plan would be to take such students
as will volunteer to spend one ot two months during vacatiop at the Station in
work and who will consent to pay their expenses while there. The individual expenses
will not be large because provisions are cheap on the Island and I would
provide accommodations in the building for sleeping and eating; each party being
required to add as much money to the common fund as will be nec.essary for the
eXf,enses of living. The College would only be called upon to erect the building
and supply the chemicals and apparatus. I f the Board doe~ not see its way clear
to establish this station, it may be best to accept the land and establish the
station sometime in the near future, when the income of the institution will permit
of the outl?y. You will greatly oblige by call ing special attention to this
matte:!:.
The Museum has been very much improved by the erection of large and handsome glass
cases in which the arrangements of the collection has been so made as to facilitate
the study of the forms of Natural History and Geology with perfect satisfaction;
at the ' same time the specimens are well preserved from dust, injurious insects and
careless handling. The addition to the Museum this year ha e been amounted to 763
specLmens--one box from Pale~o Sicily.
The class in, Telegraphy has been very much embarrassed because of the imperfect condition
of the instruments. iVhen I took charge of this work seven years ago, there
were four cheap and nearly worn out . in~t ruments . With the small amount of money
then at my command, I purchased one set consisting of a Sounder, ey and Relay.
With this apparatus, I have attempted to teach the practice of Telegraphy, but the
instruments are now in such bad conaition I wil l either have to discontinue the
work next session or a sufficient sum of money will have to be appropriated with
which to purchase sounders and keys. The sets cost $8.00 apiece. I would respectfully
suggest the pr opriety of p~rchasing at least six sets.
By your request, I assumed charge of the Printing Off ice, and started a class of
twel ve stuc.ents in printing with Mr. Allen as foreman. The work progressed finely
and the young men made such rapid advancement, as to encourage me to place the
printing of the catalogue in their hands. The character of the work here illustrated
will speak for itself. I think we now pronounce the printing office as one
of t he established facilities of the ColJege for instruction .
/ 294
Permit me to remind you of the suggestion made to you sometime since of having a
special appropriation made f or this Department in order to increase the facilities
for turning out first class printers. It is not necessary to elaborate this point
because I have already had a full talk with you on the subject and I trust you
have presented the matter in its strongest light in your report to the Board.
The Alabama Weather Service is still under my charge and its growth has been
steady. There are over 40 earnest observers allover the State in hearty cooperation
with me and 112 stations are reaping the benefits from my daily signals. The
advertisemant given of the College by means of the monthly bulletins is of great
value because . I am sending them out as College work and the public so understand.
In accordance with the liberality of the Chief Signal Officer, I am now enabled
to engage assistance in the cl erical work; and it is my intention to offer this
position to the students of the College who stand in need of aid in their struggles
to obtain an education. At present, the position of clerk is held by Mr.
Lamar, a recent graduate of the College and who is preparing himself for the legal
profes sion . Without t he aid thus extended to him, he would find it impossible to
pr osecute his studies~
The bulletins are now print ed in ashington by the Signal Service until other arr
angements can be made. It has occurred to me this work might be done in the
Printing Office of this College and thus give to the class in printing employment
that will be of pecuniary advantage to them. The Chief Si gnal Ofncer will
after the 1st of July furnish me with a sufficient sum to partly pay for the expense
of this work. If the College will furnish the material, I will be able on
account of this liberality on the part of the Signal Officer to compensate the
young men for their work.
During the year, I have examined quite a large number of insects for farmers throughout
the tate and remedies suggested for exterminating these pests. A number of
mineral specimens have also been exam °..ned and advi se given to those seeki ng- '.inf
ormation on t hi s s ub j ect . ~o u ~i 1 greatly oblige if you will ask the Board to
appr opriate for the running expenses of my chair, during the session of 1885-86
the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars.
Permit me to express to you my thanks f or the many courtesies and kind attentions
extended to me during the past year· and I hope that this institution ~dll receive
the benefit of your valuable xervices for many years .
Very respectfully submitted,
P. H. Mell, Jr., Professor
l atural History and Geology
Doctor W. LeRoy Broun
President A & 1. Coll ege
Auburn, Alabama
Dear .:>ir :
Department of Chemistry
Alabama Agricultural and Fechanical College
Auburn, Alabama
June 15, 1885
295
During the year just ending, I have taught four classes , viz : 3rd class in General
Chemistry, 1st class in Analytical Chemistry and 1st class in A ricultural Chemistry.
The 3rd class recited 5 times a week in 1st term, and. 3 times in 2nd term . The 2nd
class recited daily, and in addition worked in the Laboratory 3 times a week .
The 1st class in Analytical Chemj.stry recited thr ee ti:nes a week and worked in the
Laboratory 3 times a week . I he 1st class in Ag. Chemistry recited twice a week .
I have had good material and fair interest in their work. has been manifested by all
my classes , but owing to the prolonged interruption of work during past two months
their progress has not been as advanced as I had expected .
I have received from fees
II appropriations
Breakage
$120 .00
200 .00
16 .00
al l of which has been expended in the Laboratory. I have added to the balances
impprted by James • ~een and Company . I respectfully ask that the usual appropriation
of $100 and fees be continued for the ensuing year .
Respectfully submitt ed,
.• C. Stubbs
Professor of Chemistry
. ) ~
- -- -- - - -
296
Laboratory of State Chemist
Alabama Agricultural and 1echanical College
Auburn, Alabama
Doctor li. LeRoy Broun
resident A & H College
Auburn, labama
Dear Sir:
June 15, 1885
During the year just passed, we have made over 300 analyses of Fertilizers, Phosphates,
marls, soils, ores, et c. e have expended %686.54 of which there has been
paid 608 .25 leaving a balance due of $78 .29. The amount due if for chemicals
just rec ~ived and unconsumed. The cost of chemicals for analysis made this year
has b~ en about $200 apiece.
Besides the above quantitative work a large number of qualitative analyses has been
macte for parties allover the State.
e have on our books $73 5.00 for work done in Laboratory for private persons. Of
this amount we have collected and paid over to the Treasurer $670.00 leaving a
balance due of $65.00.
We have had in our employ as Assistants during the past year, Messrs. W. L. Hutchinson
and B. B. Ross . They have done excellent work and have rendered me very
efficient servi ces. The former. I paid $500 per year, the latter, I started on
trial at $25.00 per montp with the determination if found efficient to increase
his salary to $500 per year at the middle of the session, January 1st. Having
reported to your Board of Trustees in December that I was p yiug him only $300 .00
you were of the opinion that I should not raise his salary without consent of the
Board. I accordingly wrote Judge Clayton and herewith enclose c rrespondence.
I earnestly recommend that Kr . Ross be paid at rates of $500 per year since January
1st or just 100 in addition to what has been paid. Indeed, had it not been
for my assurances that the Board would allow this increased salary, I would have
lost nis valuable services in January and without his at that time our work would
have been materially delayed.
I r espectful ly recommend that $1,000 per year be paid }~ . Hutchinson and $750 per
year I~ . Ross for the ensuing year . As you know they work 12 months instead of
nine and six days in a week instead of 5. They are very industrious as the number
of analyses done the past year will att est. The work in this Department is on the
increase. The fa~ers are beginning to take advantage of the law and having their
guano analysed here without charge . Under law passed by the last Legislature, the
farmer can have any work done here that our Commissioner of Agriculture may order.
To popularize this Department it is necessary to do a great deal of work for individuals
allover the State. Hence, our "Laboratory has been filled all the year
with samples from all parts of the State . ~ e have now on hand several samples
which will carry as to the middle of July. From the increased work of the past
session, it is reasonable to suppose that the same amount of appropriations $600
will be needed. I would sug-est that a r rangements be made whereby should an excess
of this amount be needed, that the President could order it paid without the
delay i ncident to a correspondence with the Executive Committee.
f- 297
The servant assigned t he Chemistry epartment the year has been efficient. His
services are indispensable and I ask a continuance.
It is highl y probalbe that under the workings of the new law, the cash receipts.
for analys es will in the future be greatl y r educed.
Respectfully submit ted ,
• C. 'tubbs
Chemist in Char ge
P. S. I f or got to mention that a large number of germination tests of garden
and farm s eed rec eived from various sources have been made .•• r esults of which
are now being prepared for the press in forms of bulletins ••
• C. Stubbs
298
Dr . W. LeRoy Broun
President
Sir:
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College
June 16, 1885
I have the honro to make the f ollowing report of the work done in my Department
this session.
Civil Engineering
The first class has numbered four members throughout the sessiofl. It recited five
ti es a week and studiea ~~hons Civil Engineering and Von Otts Graphic Statics .
The lat ter is a work introduced by me for the purpose of teaching the class how to
determine the character of intensities of strains, etc . upon different members
of framed structures , without making intricate mathematical caluulations .
In the field this class ran a preliminary line over a mile and a quarter long and
afte rwards located it by putting in curves of different kinds running a line of
levels , etc. It would have done more but for the trip to New Orleans. The progress
of the class has been commendable not withstandino the frequent absence of some of
its members.
The second cl ass started with nine member s and now numbers five . It rec i t ed five
ti~ es a week and studied Hencks Field book and Gillespies Roads and Rail Roads ,
embracing all the subjects laid down in the Catalogue .
I t spent eight weeks in the field, running levels of different kinds, establishing
tangent lines and putting in the various kinds of curves by different methods . This
has been a model class , both in deport ent and progres s . Some of its members have
not missed a single recitations .
This department has recently been supplied with some new instruments but needs
more.
Drawing
The 1st class in drawing i s the same as the 1st in Engineering . It r ecited five
ti~es a week and has made some very handsome drawings of r oofs , houses, bridges ,
engines, mills and other machines .
The 2nd class , the same as the 2nd class in Engineering also r ecited five times
a week and made drawings of brick work, wood work and machines of different kinds.
its pr cgress has been very com~hendable .
The 3rd class has had as many as twenty-five members in it , but it now numbers
only fourteen . It recited four times a week and was taught orthographic and isometric
pro j ections and tinting in India ink and water colors . Some of this class
have done ren~rkable well, others tolerably and the r est badly .
The drawings of all these classes will be on exhibition and I hope it will be
the pleasure of the Board of Trustees to inspect the same im person and judge for
themselves as to the character of the work done in this department .
The 4th class in Drawing recited t o Pr ofe ssor Frazer .
..,a-- 299
Personnel
It wi ll be seen from the aboye that I had 24 recitations a week t hroughout the 1st
term and t hat I was closely engaged every College recitation period but one. Throughout
the 2nd term, I have been engaged the same length of time in the lecture room(24
recitations a week t hroughout the 2nd term and that I was closely engaged every College
recitation period but one) and have in addition spent 3 afternoon~ a .week in
the field whenever the weather would permit. My whole time therefore has been devoted
to the College--more than has been required of me in any of the several institutions
with which I have been connected.
I make this simple statement of facts about myself, not in a complaining spirit,
because I came to work, but that I may receive full credit f er my honest and l aborious
efforts to make t his I nst i tution of l earning a , success, so far as my own individual
ef fort s are concerned .
Respectfully submitted ,
James H. Lane
Professor, Civil Engineering and Drawing
At the suggestion of Mr . Haralson, I put on the r ecords a letter to the Board of
Trustees the foundation of a resolution introduced by Mr. Haralson.
To the Hon. Board of Trustees
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College
\' Auburn., Alabama
June 22, 1885
Alabama Agricultural and ~ echanical College
Gentlemen:
When you honored me with a position in your College, nothing whatever was said to
me officially or etherwise about the indebtedness of the institution to the older
members of the Faculty. It was a very simple business proposition you informed
me through one of your own members, Judge ¥~lone, that I had been elected to discharge
certain duties for whi ch I was to receive $1800 per annum and there is
nothing t o the contrary in your recorded minutes at that time or since. I have
discharged my part of the obligation, have performed my duties faithfully and to
the best of my ability; but your Treasurer on the plea of , putting me on the same
f ooting with the older members of the Faculty has ever since my connection with the
College persistently withheld a quarter of my salary, $450 .
I am not alone in the opinion that it is neither just nor busines slike ; and I now
respectfully appeal to you to perform your part of the agreement by ordering your
Treasurer to pay over to me on the 1st of August next, our next College pay day,
$900 and legal interest on $450 of it for two and a half years, in full payment of
the indebtedness of the Coll ege to me to the close of the present ses&ion.
Order your Treasurer to pay me this just debt, and you will enable me t o pay my
own just debts.
Respectfully submitted,
J ames H. Lane, Profe ssor
Civil Engineering and Drawing
Doctor W. L. Broun:
Department of Latin and History
A & M College
Auburn, Alabama
June 17, 1885
I hereby submi t my report of the Department of Latin and History for the scholastic
year, 1884-5.
I have given recitations in Latin to the students of the Latin Science course of the
4th, 3rd~ 2nd classes during the year; also I have taught History to the 4th and
-3rd classes in all the courses.
The 4th class took t he History of the Uni ted tates; the 3rd class a general course
in History. Both have taken very decided interest in the study and made satisfactory
pr ogress.
The time given to the subject is too brief to att empt more than the mere outlines
of history.
The 1st class has taken Political Economy \~th me, and have studied t he subject
with increasing interest as they progre ss. I have also had a class in Elementary
Greek, which has done well for the time devoted to the subject.
Under the changed course of the College, I have very much abbreviated the amount of
Latin to be taken. The time given is still enough to make a very good Latin scholar
if the student has proper preparation on entrance. I propose to conduct a class confined
to the study of Caesar, Cicero, Virgil and Horace; adding grammar. and written
exercises. The course in Greek is altogether optional and confined to two years.
It consists of elementary grammar and r e ~ ding extracts from Xenophon and Homer.
The purpose of my instruction in each of these languages is three fold: one, a
knowledge of the languages themselves, disciplinary--their r elation to our language
and scientific nomenclature.
I wish to embrace in the study of History and Political Economy instructions on the
political history and structure of our government as embodied in its constitution.
The t ime wil l only be sufficient to outline this subject which I deem highly important
to the young men as the citizen of a free government. To aid in this work,
it will be necessary to have some books and ref erence and maps if the Board of Trust
ees can spare the money.
Respectfully submitted,
J. T. Dunklin, Professor
Lat in and History
Doctor W. LeRoy Broun
President A & 1-1 Coll ege
Dear Sir :
..p-301
Report of the Department of Mathematics
I respectfully summit a report of the work done in my Department during the present
year.
The 4th class , 34 in number, have passed the subjects of Algebra through Inductive
Equations and Geometry from books. Th~ 3rd class finished Geometry, Trigonometry
and Surveying, with the usual amount of field w rk . The 2nd class finished Analytical
Geometry, Differential 'and a ,portion of Integral Calculus • . The 1st class has
accomplished Loomis valculus. The 1st and 2nd class have done more and bet ter work
than any cl asses I have ever taught. I would specially commend to your notice the
2nd class . The cadets in the other classes have made commendabl e progress .
The refurnishing of my lecture rOom has added very much to ,my facilities for instruction~
~eturning my acknowledgements for many kind favors , I respectfully submit this report
o. D. 3mith
Professor Mathematics
)- 302
\
Doctor W. L. Broun
President
Sir:
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical Col.
Auburn, Alabama
June 20, 1885
I hereby submit a report of my work during the scholastic year just ending . At
the annual meeting in 1884, the Board of Trustees elected me Commandant of Cadets
and Instructor in Mathe atics and Languages. In . addition to my duties as Commandant,
until June 1, 1885, I taught the junior and senior classes in Military
Science and Tactics, ·4th class Linear Drawing, sub-section 4th class Algebra, 5th
class Geometrical -Drawing and 5th class Penmanship. Upon the resignation of Professor
Maxson, Principal of the Grammar School in December 1884, the Faculty appointed
me to take charge of his Department. This change necessitated my teach~g a greater
number of hours each day, consequently, in accordance with a change in the schedule,
I taught my 4th Drawing, 5th Drawing and enmanship in the afternoon of each day.
Ny dril.ls have been wel l attended and the progress in learning Military details
have been satisfactory. The 4th class has shovm remarkable fondness for dravdng
and their examination in this study shows that they have made good use of their
time.
On taking char ge of the Gr ammar School, .I found twenty-three students in at t endance
The progress made in this Department has been very satisfactory.
Yours respectfully,
F. H. Frazer
303 r
Doctor \ • L. Broun, President
A & College
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
June 15 , 1885
In pursuance of the custom of the Colleg ~, I herewith subnut a r eport of my work
which you wi ll .do me the f avor to transmit t o the Board of Trustees at their annual
meeting on .the 22nd inst . I find from examination of ~ cl ass rol ls that the total
number enrolled during the session is 37; divided as fol lows: In the first class- I ,
in the second class- 12 and in the third- 24 . As evidence that the cadets have no
aversion to the study of Agr i cul ture as has been supposed by some , two- thir ds of
the sophomore class of 1883- 4 who were .advanced t o the junior class of 1884-5, selected
the course of Agriculture and e hemistr y .
The interest ~~ifested in the study and the progress made have been very gratifying .
It is a source of regret that ci rcumstances have conspired to prevent as much field
instruction as I anticipated and desired . Being compelled to push f orward the work
on the farm at the proper season, it is not always practicable to have the classes
present while the most instructive work is under progres5.
I hope , however, that as practical work becomes more appreciated and the duties of
the dif ferent departments become better systematised these difficulties wil l be
overcome .
This will be facilitated when the farm can be devoted more exclusively to the pur-poses
of instruction as I hope it may be in the near future. have refrained
hitherto from asking anything i n the way of equipment for a lecture r oom--instruction
in the f orm of models, skeletons of animal s , plates , etc. fuen the means at
the command of the Board will justify it, I will be pleased to have cas es placed in
my lecture room for the reception of specimens of vegetable products , models of farm
implements and machinery, soils , plates , etc. illustrative of the sub·ects taught
the clas ses . In addition t o these 'mproved implements , are needed on t he farm not
only f or thepurpose of facilitating the progress and economy of the work t hereon,
but to f&~iarize the members of my classes with their practical use in the aid
of our efforts t o dignify labor and to render farm life more at tractive to growth .
The experiment conducted upon the farm are utilized as far as practicable in the
i nstruction of the Cadets and an ef fort made t o impress t hem with a neces sity of
extreme accuracy in al l agricultural investigations for the purpose of instructing
t hem in the methods of scientific stock f eeding, additional appliances in the way
of a barn constructed with special reference to the object in view catt le scales ,
a mill for preparing f ood all arranged in regard to convenience and economy are
needed .
The farm is being prepared as r apidly as the means at my command will allow f or
instructive experiments in stock breedi ng and for elaborate experiments in all
the departments of horticulture . The grounds for the cotten purpose will be ready
for occupancy next fall , when means for the purchase of frui t t r ees , vines and
varieties of smal l fruits will be necessary to commence thei work on a respectable
scale . Experiments in Agriculture are in pr ogress on oats , corn, potatoes , millet ,
cane , melons , chufas , sorghum, milo maise and cotton . all of which will be utilized
for instruction of my classes as well as through the bulletins of the Department
of Agriculture for the i nformation of the fart::lers of the State , recogni zing the
304
fact that large demands had been made upon the fund available and i ntended mainly
for the maintenance of my Department. I asked at the last meeting of the Board
the minimum amount likely to be needed before the annual meeting. It has been
found impracticable to accomplish all that I hoped with that amount. L re$pectfully
ask that a liberal appropriation be made for the equipment of the farm for
the purposes of education, through the experiments conducted thereon.
I invite a thorough i nspection of the work in every branch of my department including
the expenditure of the amount appropriated for its maintainance.
All of which is respectfully submitted,
J. S. Newman
Professor
Doctor IV. L. Broun
President
A & College
Auburn, Alabama
June 22 , 1885
05
I herewith re spectfully .submit a report of the work done during the current academic
year in t he Department of English Literature- -the number of students--munber
of recitations , etc . may be best seen from the following table :
No . Reci tations Total
Class 'ubject No . Students Per eek Recitations
1st English 5 2 40
2nd " 21 3 108
3rd II 27 3 108
4th " 39 4 144
French 6 3 108
German 7 3 108
In addition t o this .class room work , I have required frequent exercises in composition
of all the classes and held r egualr exerci ses in declamati on in 3rd class .
I have also opened the Library at fixed times for the students and am glad to report
a lively interest during the year in reading about 1, 000 books , being drawn out
since eptember .
I beg permission to .say that any appropriation you can make for the Library wil l
be most opportune • .
The work done in my .classes uring the year, I am glad to say , has been eminently
satisfactory .
Very respectfully,
C. C. Thach , Professor
~glish Literature and odern Languages
(Over, Report of Treasurer r ecopied. )
To the Honorable Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and lechanical Col l ege of
Alabama :
have the honor to submit the fol lowing report of the Financial transactions of
t his office for the year ending June 15, 1885 :
Receipt s :
To State Treasurer
" Inciaent al and Srugeons fe es
" Chemical fees
" Expense ( i plomas)
" Fuel Coal sold
" Adverti sing (Error)
Balance
Di sbursements:
By balance as per amended report
" Expense of r ofessors
II ~en se account
II Stationery
II Exchange
" tJ.usic
" ilitary
II Trustees
" Servant hire
" Speakers
" Special appatn.
" Salaries
II ostage
" Fuel
II Printing
" " Present
" House rent
" Insurance
II Chemical
II Advertising
" Sur eon
catalogue
$
$
20, 280 .00
1, 270 .00
120.00
45 .00
35 .64
5.00
~,28 . 16
22,218 .30
744 .64
496 .47
142 . 95
22.40
5. 65
100.00
116 . 50
395.40
180 .00
34.10
271.10
17, 575 .00
108 .41
275 .18
150 .00
124 .70
200 .00
300 .00
320.00
206.30
44,2 .00
$22, 213 .80
-- -- - - - ---- ---
State Appropriation a/c:
Recei pts :
To balance Jun~ 16, 1884
" State Treasury August 16, 1884
" Repair (articles sold)
" Natural History alc from Professor. Nell
Disbursements :
By repai r
" frei ght and contingent
II fumitt;.re for lecture rooms
" Langdon Hall
" m gineering Department
" 1 at ural History
" Physics
II lanting trees
II Library
II Balance
Receipts :
To Cadets
Library Account
II Balance Stat~ Ai,propriation alt
Disbursements :
By Balance June 16, 1884
II Books and Periodicals
$ 7, 257 .11
7, 500.00
48 .28
84.06
$ 1, 061. 75
63 .45
407 .50
1, 013 .29
460 .27
684 .06
879 .17
29 .25
485 .56
9.805.15
$220.00
485 .56
$ 30. 55
675 .01
Experiment Stati on Account
Receipts :
To Cash from Cel . J . S. Newn an, Director
II Balance Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements : .
By Cash paid Col . Newman , Director
II II II II II , alary
$1,012 .40
3.457 .02
$ 3, 944 .42
525 .00
-/: 307
$14 .889 .45
$14, 889 .45
$705 . 56
$705 .56
)\308
State Chemical Department
Receipts :
Balance Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements :
By cash paid Pr of . Stubbs , chemicals
II II II II II , books
Salaries of Assistants
.:3ervant hire and contingent
608 .25
200 .00
600 .00
145.00
Pr i nting Office ccount
Receipts :
To Cash of Commi ssi oner of Agriculture
II College Printing al c
$698 .75
150 .UO
124 . 70
152 . 58
II Balance Agricultural Bureau.
II College rinting , present catalogue
Disbursements:
Expenses of Printing Off i ce
Agr i cul t ural Bureau Account
Recei pts :
Amt . brot . f or'd omi tted last r epor t $ 14 .18
Cash from Commissioner 7 , 988 . 54
Disbursements :
By balance on re~ ort of last year
II II Exper iment Station .
II II Chemical Laboratory
" II rinting Office
Balance
$1,301. 36
3, 457 .02
1, 553.25
152 . 58
1 , 538 . 56
Analysis Account
Receiklts :
To balanae on hand June 16, 1884
II cash from Pr of. Stubbs
Disbursements :
$370 .00
670 .00
By cash pai d Pr of. Stubbs order of Bd . ~ 200 .00
II Balance 840 .00
$1,.553 .25
$1 , 553 . 25
$1 ,126.03
$1, 126 .03
$8 , 002.72
$8 , 002 .72
,1, 040 .00
$1 , 040 .00
R.eceipts :
College Account
State Appropriation
Agricultural Bureau
Analysis Account
Disbursements:
College Account
State Appropriation
Agricultural Bureau
Analysi s Account
Balance on hand
Recapitulation
$ 21, 755 .64
14, 889 .45
8, 002 .72
1 . 040.00
22 , 213 .80
5, 084 .30
6, 464.21
200 .00
11. 725 . 50
$ 45 , 687 .81
$ 45 , 687 .81
Respectfully submitted,
E. T. Glenn
Treasurer
A & M.College
Amended report ending June 15 , 1884
To balance per report June 15th
II balance
$ 1, 055.36
744 .64
By amount paid Professor evnnan , .Salary
State Appropriation Account
Receipts :
To amount from tate Treasurer for r eport June 15
Credit :
To amount aid for Sand Exp . t . per rpt . June 15
II Repairs on College building
" Langdon Hall
II Balance
,2,844 . 55
6, 915 . 02
5,483 .32
7 , 257 .11
Agricultural Department
Receipts :
Amt. from Commissioner of Agriculture
Balance
Disbursements :
By equipment State Chern . Dept.
" Salary of Asst . Chemist
II Part salary of Director of Exp . t .
II Printing Frt . & fixtures
" Exp . tation balance
$7, 215 .10
1 ,301.36
1 , 8u6 .Q9
1 , 200 .00
700 .00
996 .96
3 , 8ih3 ·44
$ 1 . 800 .00
1 , 800 .00
$ 22, 500 .00
$ 22 , 500 .00
$ 8, 516 .49
$ 8, 516 .49
1 310
Experiment Station Account
Rec eipts:
Farm roducts
Sale of Fer t ilizers and other sources
Balance
Credits :
$ 629 .20
153.25
. 3.813.44
Paid to Col . J . S. NewmanDi r ect or of Station
Recapitulation
E. T. Glenn , Treasurer Debit
To College a/c er report June 15
Salary of rof . t,evsman as rofs.
transf . from Agl. Bureau
ot included in r eport , June 15
State Apprn . a/c per report June 15
Less Chern . Acct. t rans'd to Ag. Bureau
Ag . Bureau a/c per report June 15
Broun's salary not incl ded
d Chern, t r ans 'd f rom State Appn. a/c
Printing a/c included in report June 15 .
ewman ' s salary trans'd to College a/c
Which amount deducted from the sum of
Leaves
Pr inting a/c i ncluded in r eport June 15
Bal ance .
Dr. .
To Balance per re ort June 15 .
Cr. .
By Salary paid Prof. NeWman
If If If L. Br oun
Balance June 16
(Over)
$20 ,481.84
1, 175 .00
625.00
17,048.98
1, 806.09
7, 368. 56
600.00
1.806.09
83.16
1,175 .00
$ 1,258.16
9, 774.65
8,516.49
83.16
5,497 .95
625 .00
600.00
5.497.95
$4.595.89
$4,595.89
$22 , 281. 84 X
15,242 .89 X
9,774 .65
8, 516.49 X
83 .16 X
5,497.95 X
51, 622 .33
6,722. 95
6,722. 95
Dr .
To balance to credit State Appr opr i ation
account , June 16
Analysis Account 'er r epor t , June 15
Cr .
Balance paid on College alc to June 15
II II Ag . Bureau Account
II II Printing Account
II on hand
$7, 257 .11
370 .00
.$ 744 .64
1,301.36
83 .16
5, 497 · 95
i 31'
$7, 627 .11
7, 627 .11
Montgomery, Alabama
' August 27 , 1885
The Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and .echanical College of Alabama met
in the Reading Room of the Exchange Hotel , Montgomery, Alabama ; and the SecretapY
of the Board not being present , Mr . ~ . T. Genn was requested to act as Secretary.
There were present of the Board : His Excel lency E. A. O' Neal, Governor of the
St ate and essrs. Clayton, Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist , Haralson , and Langdon .
ON Ke TION, t he reSignation of r ofessor • C. 3tubbs was accepted .
ON I,. TI of hr . Ha r al s on , That Professor N. T. Lupton be elected Professor of
Chemistry in the A M College of labama , at the salary and compensat i on offered
Pr ofess or St ubbs , viz $1800 salary, payable as the other rofessors have been and
are receiving their salaries and 300 out of analysis funds. Unanimously adopted .
ON ':OTI 'N of 1- r . Clayton , That the sum of $200 be paid to Professor Lupton as
comensuration f or house rent , in addition to the pay offered him as compensation
f or his servic es as Pr ofessor of Chemistry in the A & M Coll ege , payable out of
such funds as the Board may hereafter di r ect. That Dr. Br oun, the Presiuent, be
and he is hereby authorized and directed to correspond with Professor Lupton and
communicate to his his el ection and the compensation offered hill. Adopted .
ON MOTION of ! r . Haralson, That the Fac 1 ty are hereb" aut horized and directed to
ar ange as early as practicable a ~pecial course of i nstruction in Pharmacy adopted
to qualify young men by systematic work in Chemistry and other sciences to becGme
practical pharmacist s and chemical manufact.u ers . Adopt ed.
R3JOLV3D by ~ r . Haralson , That in view of the increased f acilities f or inst ruction
of Agriculture and the techni cal departments of Education, now pos sessed by this
College , especially in the Depa r t ment of echanic Arts , made possible by the recent
donations from the State . The Faculty are aut horized in addition to the legal
name of this Coll ege to print on t he catalogue t he words Alabama olytechnic Instit
ute as significant of the expanded system of practical instruction in industr ial
science in the courses of education now pr ovided for. Ado ~ted .
The Committee appointed b: the Board at its last meeting in June to publish a report
of the finances and general nagement of the College submit t ed their report which
was adopted and recommittea to the Committee for publicati on .
Board adjourned .
E. T. Glenn
ecretary Pro Tem
The above anci f oregoing are proc eedings of the Board held in Montgomery, Alabama
August 27 , 1885 as r eported t o me by }lr. E. T. Glenn , acting Secretary .
F. M. Reese
Secretary to Board of Trustees
On opposite page is the report referred t c in the proceedings , cut from the
Advertiser .
Report of the Trustees of the State Agricultural and Mechanical College Filed with
the Auditor
By the fifth sect ion 0 lIan act to assist the Agri cultural & ~ echanical College,"
&c., approved February 239, 1883, it is made the duty of the Trustees of that
institution or a committee designated for that purpose, to make quarterly reports
to the Auditor of the State, embracing a full account of the receipts and disbursements
un er the provisions of the act. At a meeting of the trustees in June last,
a committee was appointed to prepare a r eport covering not only the subject required
by the act, but other matters of public and general interest, which was intended to
be filed with the uditor. For various reasons the committee has been delayed in
making their report. The Board of Trustees now ~ session, made necessary for another
pr~,se , make the following statements in regard to the past history of the
coll ege, its present condition and future purposes, and also its financial management.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE
On the 2d day of July, 1862, the Congress of the United States passed an act donating
to the States and Territories which may ~rovide colleges certain lands f or that purpose,
and by the 4th section of said act provided that the :oney erived from the
sale of said lands should be invest ed in stocks of the United States or of the State
or some other safe stock, and that the money so invested shall constitute a perpe-
. tual fund, the capital of which shall remain forever undiminished and the interest
of which shall be inviolably appropriated by each State, which may take and claim
the benefit of this act , to the endowment , support and maintenance of .at least one
college , where the leading object shall be, without excluding other sc i entific and
classi cal studies and including military tact~cs, to teach such branche~ of learning
as are relat ed to agriculture and the mechanic arts as the Legislatures of the States
may respectively prescribe, in order to promote the l~beral and practical education
of t he indust,rial classes in the several pursuits and profess i ons in life."
The fifth section of said act provided the conditions upon which the grant of Congress
was made and that the several States should signify their assent to the conditions
upon which the' grant of Congress was made and that the several States should
signify their assent to the conditjons and trusts contained in said act by legislative
enactment. Among them was the provision that if the fund invested under the
said act, or any portion of the interest thereon should be lost, it should be replaced
by the State to which it belongs , so that the capital o~ the fund should remain
forever undiminished; and that the annual interest shall be regularly applied
without di. inution to the purposes mentioned in the fourth section of said act; and
one of the conditions was that the tate claiming the benefit of the provisions of
this act should provide within five years at least one college as Aescribed in the
fourth section of this act.
In consequence of the war, Congress, by acts supplemental thereto, on the 14th day
of April, 1864, and July 23, 1866, extended the time in which the States might acc.
ept the same and signify their assent thereto and provide and establish the colleges.
By the terms of said donation of Congress, Alabama was entitled to landscript amounting
to 240, 000 acres, and the legislature of the State passed an act approved
ctober 10, 1868, by which it was enacted lIThat the Governor of t his State is
authorized and it is hereby made his duty to secure the landscript from the Govern-
i 314
ment of the United States for the 240,000 acres of land, for the purpo se of establishing
an Agricultural College in this State,1I and the sarne legislature passed an
act appr oved ecember 31, 1868, in which by the 1st section it was enacted "that
the Stat e of Alabama hereby accept the benef its and trusts conferred by an act of
Congress appr oved July 2, 1862, and acts amendatory thereto entitled, lIan act donating
public lands to the several Stat es and Territories, which may pr ovide colleges
for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts," and by the 2d section
of the said act , it was enacted, "that the State of Alabama hereb-- aS t;ents to all
the conditions, limitations , restrictions and trusts under which the grant of
land and landscript is authorized to be made under the provisions of said act of
Congress as set forth in the 5th section thereof as well ~ s to the other provisions
contained in said act of Con g res~.
The le~islature passed an act approved February 27, 1871 , authorizing the Governor
to receive from the proper authorities of the Unit ed States t he landscript t o -be
issued for the lands granted to the dtate by the acts of Congress before mentioned
and to receipt f or the same . The act consti tuted the Governor, Lieutenant Governor,
Attorney General, the Superultendent of Public In struction and the Auditor of t he
State a board of commissioners to sell the land scrip for cash and invest the same
in stocks of the United States or the State of Alabama.
This act by its eighth section makes it the duty of the Auditor by the approval and
concurrence of the board of commissioners, to invest the funds arising from th~
.,ales of said land scrip in the stocks of the Uniteu Stat.es or the ~tate .of illabama,
and constitutes the same a perpetual fund, the capital of which shall remain forever
unidminished.
By the act of the legislature of Dec. 15th, 1871, the Governor of the State was
authorized to i ssue the bonds of the State for one million of doll ars , bearing
interest at not 'a greater rate than eight per centper annum, and interest payable
ser.ti - annually and the bonds payable at the expiration of twenty years , and by
the 8th section of said act the Audit or was required to i nvest the funds arising
from the sal e of the land scrip in th~s e bonds. Under and by virtue of this law
the money arising from the sale of the land scrip (except a small amount which had
been pr evi ously invested in other State bonds) was invested in these State bonds;
which said investment gave the college an endowment of t 0 hundred and fiftythr
ee thousand and five hundred dollars in Alabama State bonds bearing interest
at eight per cent per annum, payable semi- annually, which constitutes t he endow'
ment of the college, and the interest on which the St ate is bound to pay to the
t r easurer of the college semi-annual l y and if any portion of said interest is
lost or diminished the 'tate i s bound to replace it or make it good to the coll
ege under the act of Congress aforesaid . up to this time the college had not
been established. n the 26th day of Februa~r , 1872 , the General Assembly of the
tate of Alabama enacted IIthat t here be and hereby is established at Auburn, Lee
county, Alabama, a college for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic art s ,
whose l eading ob j ect shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical
studies and including military tacti cs, t o teach such branches of learning as
relate to agriculture and the mechanic arts in conformity to the acts of Congress."
At the same date the Legislature passed an act establishing a Board of Direct.ors
fo r said college consisting of seven members , and making it their duty to meet in
Auburn and take charge of the said college and authorized them to grant diplomas
and confer degrees both academic and honorary as other colleges .
-Early in t he S ~ rin g the Board of Directors did meet in Auburn, the Alabama Conference
of t he ~'i eth odist L!: . Church, South , having by its cor poration, the East Alabama
-f. 315
College given the building to the tate for said college) , and did organize a college
for the benefit of agriculture and mechanic arts , whose leading object is without
excluding other scientific and classicla studies , and including military tactics ,
to teach such branches of learning as relate to agriculture and the mechanic arts ,
according to the requirements of the acts of the Congress of the United States , and
the acts of the General Assembly of the t ate of Alabama, accepting the grant and
establishing the coll ege .
It will be seen that the endowment of the college was two hundred and fifty-three
thousand and five hundred dollars in these State bonds, drawing interest at eight
per cent , payable semi-annuall y, .which the directors were alone autho:rized to use ,
The State paid the same in tate certi f i cates , known as Patton .money, which was
discounted .at five per cent , or more, (which was ternty thousand, two hundred and e
eighty dollars annually) until the issuance of the tate certifi cates or what was
called the "horse-shoe money," under the act of the General Assembly entitled an
act "to provide for the funding of the domestic debt of the State, " approved December
19, 187J, when the Treasurer of the State , under the direction of the Governor,
refused to pay the said interest in any currency except the said certificates
. These certificates were at a discount from fifteen to twenty per cent.
The directors had engaged the professors at a salary of eighteen hundred dollars
each, except the President , who was paid something more .
The pr ofessors said they would take the certificates or "horse- shoe money" at what
they were worth, that their salaries were eighteen hundred dollars in money, that
they stood on their contract and that they were notable nor were they willing .to
to be paid in the State certificates at par . The directors had put their salaries
at eighteen hundred dollars each, and were well satisfied in law that they could
not compel them to take the State certificates at par; that if sued the coll ege
would have to pay in that which was a legal tender in payment of private debts .
The State had just been redeemed from the worst carpetbag and radical misrule, and
the directors fel t that as good patriotic citizens it was better to take the money
as offered by the treasurer and trust to the proper sense of the State in making it
good, as it was bound under the acts of Congress and the different acts of the legislature
above quoted to make good or repay any loss or diminution in any portion of
the interest . During the period the treasurer of the college received of these
State certific tes and other State money the Sum of one hundred and thirty-six
thousand seven, hundred and eighty dollars. (136 , 789) in the payment of the interest
due on the said bonds, constituting the endowment of the .college as aforesaid, the
discount on which , at the average of fifteen per cent would as is readily perceived
amount to over twenty thousand dollars.
The directors recognized the liability of the college to ay the professors in current
funds , and claimed the discount as not only a just debt against the State , but
one the State had solemnly pledged itself to make good in accepting the donation
from the Congress of the United jtates . This discount constit tes in part what is
called the "back salaries" of the professors , and the whole of it was paid before
the appropriation of the thirty thousand dollars was made by the legisl ature bef
ore the last to the college .
The writer of t his went before the commi t tee of the house of repr esentatives of
the ~ tate at the ses i on the thirty thousand dollars was appropriated and
urged the same on the grounds that the State was bound to pay back or make good the
discount on these tate certificates under the act of Congress and the acts of the
Legislature accepting the donation and was fully assured that that committee at
y 316
least saw and recognized the claim of the college on the State to that amount . By
the constitution of December 6th, 1875, the college was put under a ~oard of Trustees
instead of directors.
GENERAL REMARKS
The coll ege has been conduct ed with varying success, limited as it was in its
means for giving pr actical instruction in those sub jects of Slidy which constitute
its· 1I1eading object," until he Legislature made an appropriation of $30,000 to
aid in more thoroughly equiping the departments of agriculture and mechanic arts,
to provide increased facilities for inst ruction in the sciences and to repair and
construct buildings, &c. The trustees have labored diligently and faithfully to
carry out the purposes of the act of Congress and the State Legislature . Diff iculties
and embarassments met them on every hand.
The character of work to be done was new, and being without the advantage of successful
precedents, had to be shaped to meet the wants of our peopl e. The work
therefore had to be done cautiously and hence slowly. Many were in favor of making
it a . purely agricultural and mechanical college, but this could not be done in accordance
with the acts of Congress and of the State Legislature. All that could be
done was to give especial prominence to the teaching of IIsuch branches of l earning
as are r elated to agr i culture and the mechanic arts," without excluding other
scientifi c and classieal studies, "in order to promote the liberal and practical
education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of
life . 1I
The catalogue, as approved by the t rustees states that lithe leading ob'ect of this
college is to teach the principles and t he applications of science."
It sets forth in a very clear manner that a student may devote himself to any
specialty he may prefer that is included in the subjects taught in the college .
He may, if prepared f or the work, devote his entire time to sci entifi c agriculture
to the mechanic arts, to practical chemistry or to engineering.
The catalogue also shows that the subjects taught are so arranged as to present
three regular courses of educat ion requiring four years for completion and two
partial two-year courses. Of ·these five courses four are special and technical
and relate to agriculture , chemistry, engineering, and mechanic arts. ne only is
a general course, t is general course of education, the catalogue st ates, "has
been arranged to give a general and less technical education in sub j ects of science
and language t o meet the wants of those stndents who have selected no definite
-vocation in life, as v/ell as of those who do not now propose to enter a technical
pr ofession, but who propose ultimately to ' engage in sane commercial or manufacturing
course or business ." And such is the encouragement given to the technical
courses in t he college that general ly more than four-fifths of the st ents are
found in them.
Many patrons of the college , who are equally with others entitled to share its
benefits, desire t hat their sons shall in addition to the thorough course in
English re uired of all students, also have a knowledge of the ancient or modern
languages.
ile these sub j ects are taught in compliance with the acts of Congress and of the
State, it is the privilege of any student to exclude these l inguistic studies from
his course if he desires to do so , and confine himself st r i ct ly to the prinCiples
and applications of SCience , or to any special depart rrent o~ science.
;4-317
C GE OF I NSTRUCTORS
The trustees regr et to, state that the college has lost the valuable services of
Prof . ~ tubb s , who resigned. his position as Profes sor of Chemistry to accept a .
mor e lucrative one in Louisiana. They take pleasure , however, in stating that
t hey have procured in his stead the ser vices of Dr . Lupton, who is not uny~own to
the people of Alabama.
For some years the Tru~te e s have endeavore t pr ocure fie detail of a gr aduate of
'est oint as instructpr of ' litary Science apd Tactics.
In making t is detail the States of Alabama and Florida are grouped together, so
that only one state is. suppl ied at the same t· e .
The latter State has had the J etail for three year s past , and as soon as it was
learned t hat Alabama was entitled to it , application was made, and Lieutenant
Richards, of 2d artil l~ry , . was s ec r ed f or the purpose named.
FINANC L
For the papt two years the. college has had three separate funds for distinct p rposes
.
.
1st . The col lege fund proper, being the interest paid by the. State on t he
endowment fund by Congress .
2d . The State appr opraiti on for bu ' ldings , repairs, equipme ts , c.
3d . That arising from the agricultural department .
Of the first we h~ve spoken at length above, and have only t o add here t hat there
have been times in the history of the coll ege when the treasurer was compelled to
borrow' oney to meet pr esent exigencies, as f or instance, when on one occasion,
t he r oof of the college was partial ly blown off by a stor n, and at oth.er times when
the interest was paid in depreciat ed currepcy an~ it was necessary to pay bills in
current or par funds . Thus an inter est account w s creat ed.
. ,
The. accounts of t he treasurer in r espect of t his fund , running through a series of
years have been critically exarr~in ed by the Jtate examin r of public accounts and
errors f ound on bot s~ es amounting to between two and thr ee hundred dol l ars, all
of which have been corr ected. It s j ust t o the t reau sr~r to say that in our experience
it is ra r~ that ac ~ ount s of the l ength and amoupts of these are entirely
f ree from error.
STATE AP ROPRIATION
Herewith is presented a condensed statement of t he receipts and expenditures of
the State. appropriation as follwws :
1883
Sept . 23
Oct . 22
Nov . 28
Receipts
Cash from State Treasurer
"
"
"
"
" II "
"
2, 5uO.OO
2, 500 .00
5, 000 . 00
.. 318
1884 For'd
Feb . 27 - Cash from tate Treasurer
¥18.y 9 " " " " Aug . 16 " " " "
Disbursements
For the year June 15 , l e83 to June 15 , 1884:
amo nt aid f or land ; experiment station
epairs on College and bui lding bal .
Amount paid, appropr i ations , apparatus and
library f or t he year June 15, 1884 to June
15, 1885
Bills payable under appropriations made
during the year 1384-85 to the departments
of physics and mechanics , machinery and apparatus
now being received, (June 15 , 1885)
Balance
$10 , 000 .00
$ 7, 500 .00
5, 00 .00
7 . 500 .00
$30, 000 .00
$ 2, 844. 55
12, 398 .34
4, 951. 96
7,120 .83
2 , 684.32
$30, 000 .00
This shows an unexpended balance in June last of $2, 684 .32, when $2, 500 .0 ~as
set apart for building purposes, this being the only fund at the disposal of- the
trustees available for that purpose . The remaining sum of $184 .32 was reserved
for contingencies.
here was , at one . time, borrowed of this fund, by the Treasurer, the sum of
2, 046 .10, to meet appropriat ions in another department which then had no funds ,
but whi ch was soon t hereafter replaced from the proper source .
It was a uestion with him whether he would t hus use the money and save interest
or borrow it temporarily from some other source and pay interest .
The Treasurer's account of this fund showed a large amount on hand at one ime .
It was , by act of the legislature; required that this money should be dra\\'l1 before
the close of the fiscal year, 1884 . At t he meeting of the trustees held
January 22d, 1885, 5, 000 was appropraited to the department of mechanic arts and
other amounts to the different scientific departments for apparatus , etc ., and
its expenditure authorized under the direction of the president of the college .
The pr esident finding it inconsistent with his other duties , at that time inadvi sable
to leave the college , was delayed in making the anvestigations necessary to
its judicious expenditure. These various amountv were , however, at that time ,
more properly to the credit of the president for the purposes named .
Befor e the amount was r eceived the treasurer was required to give an a ditional
bond as provided by the act, and for stil l greater security he was r e ' uired to
make is deposits in some safe bank instead of keeping it in hi s safe in the
college where it would have bean in greater danger of loss from burglary .
The committ ee entrusted with the drawing of this moenywas a careful one , and the
money when drawn was neeQe for immediate use or in the near future. It was perfectly
safe~ and in fact is nearly al l expended except as stated above .
An itemized statement or account of the expenditure of this ap ropriation is herewith
filed in the Auditor's office .
-It- 319
REX; IPT F MAG. CULTURAL D A Th::ENT
The following is a condensed statement of the receipt s and expenditures of amounts
from the Agr i cultural epartment ; ite ·zed accounts of which are also filed in the
Autiitor ' s office :
Receipts:
For the year ending June 15, 1884 •••••••••• $7 , 215 .13
For the year ending June 15 , 18 5 ••••••••••• 8, 002.72
Disburse ents :
Paid on exper iment station account
for the year ending June 15, 1884,
exclusive of receipts from stat i on
( . 782 .45 and including past salary
of irector ( 700 .00) ••.•..••••.•••••••••��� $4, 513.44
Paid tate Chemical Depa tment for
the year ending June 15, 1 84, in-cluding
salary of Assistant Chemist .
( ~l , 21 ) .................................. $3 , 006 .00
Printi.n.g Press . . ........................... 996 .96
Paid on experiment stat i on acoount
for t he year ending June 15, 1885,
exclusive of receipts from station
. (1 , 012.40)incl di ng past salary of
Director( 25 .00) •.••���•••••••••••••••••••• 3, 457 .02
aid tate Chemical Laboratory for
the year ending June 15, 1885, incl uding
past salaries of Assistant Chemists
( 6, 000) . .................................. $1, 553 .25
rinting Offie e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 . 58
B alanc e .~ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• $1, 538 . 51
15, 217 .85
$15 , 217 .85
In presenting this report the trustees would respectfull y invite attention to the
increased facilities f or instr uction in the sciences and their applications now
possessed by the Agricultural and Mechanical Col l ege, and made possible by the
appropriation from the State and th~ income r eceived f r om t he Department of Agriculture
.
In the past two years agric lture has been made more pr ominent and enlarged in its
scope by making the Pr ofes sor also Oi r~ct o r of the Experiment Station and a new
depart ent of l-lechanic Arts has been established.
An additional farm has been purc has~d and equipped for the agricultural work
required where experiments are being annually made from which r esults of great
value to the agricultural interests of the State are anticipated .
A special chemical laboratory has bean e uipped for the anal sis of fertilizers ,
agricult ral pr oducts , &c., where since its establishment , about four hundred analyses
of fe r tilizers , marls , &c ., have been made in the interest of the farmers of
the state .
In t he past two years , t he Board has expended in enlarging, equipping and supporting
the chool of Agricultural and the ChemiaiLaboratory in connection therewith,
t he sum of ~ 19 , 349 . 35.
{' 320
The Agricultural Exper iment tati on and the Chemical Laboratory are now well
equipped, not only for the pur poses of teaching, but also to do work of a valuable
character to the agricultural interests of the whole St ate, by conducting
careful experiments in s cientific agriculture, by dis s eminating to the farmers
the r esults and deductions drawn from the experiments ~ade , and by affording,
through the chemical anal ysis made , protection from imposition by the sale of
inferior fe rtil izers .
The department of mechanic arts , ' f or whieh-$5, OOO was appropriated , has been
established and equipped for woodwor k, with the machinery and t ools required and
used in t he best inti tutes of technology .
It is believed t hat this department of manual technolo , t he first established
in the St ate, will prove of gr eat val ue in teachi ng that branch of educat i on in
the mechanic ar t s , w ich, i n the near future will be of e pecial value to our
young men . , .
The State appr opriat i on has also enabled the Trustees to repair in a SUbstantial
manner the excell ent college buil ding, to bui~d a large f~ll for a chapel and
!echanical Arts Lab urator y, to add valuable· apparatus -to· the· departments · of Physi cs
Chemistry, gineering and atural History; -and -also· to · make· additions of value
to the Library and Farm.
The expenditures have been made as r equired by the Act of t he Legislature , with
great care , and in all cases have been contr ol l ed by views of economy and utili ty.
The Trust ees of t he Agricultural and (echanical College feel proud of the work in
w' ich they have been and are engaged. All of them were brought up on the f arm, and
feel that they are i nspired to a zeal ous dischar ge of their duties by past associ ation
as well as present interest) for while · many· of · them· are -also· engaged in other
pursuits , wit h all the fa is bot h a pleasure· and· a -necessity . They do not complain
at the r estlessness which has been·manifested at · a · seeming· s10wnes s ; · unavoidable
in the very nature of things ; but consider i t rather an i ndication of a
g nuine public- int erest in a grand work, which if rightly done will bring incalculable
benefit .
E. A. O'Neal , Governor and ex-off i cio
President Board of Trustees,
C. C. Langdon,
W. H. Barnes , '
H. • Clayton,
Jon' Haralson,
John W. Bi shop,
J . G. Gilchrist .
The other members were not present .
, . |
| title |
1885 [pdf for printing]: Board Minutes of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama |
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1885 [pdf for printing]: Board Minutes of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama |
| author |
Auburn University Board of Trustees |
| author_facet |
Auburn University Board of Trustees |
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AUbot7349 |
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http://content.lib.auburn.edu/u?/bot,7349 |
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https://cdm17353.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getthumbnail/collection/bot/id/7349 |
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1782466962493800448 |
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1885 [pdf for printing]: Board Minutes of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of AlabamaAuburn University (formerly Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama); Board of TrusteesMinutes of the Board of Trustees meetings held in 1885Montgomery, Alabama
January 22, 1885
At a called meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and Mechanical
College of Alabama held in the city of Montgomery; and the roll being called there
were present:
E. A. O'Neal, Governor of the State and Ex Officio President
of the Board
S. Palmer, Superintendant of Education
Barnes
Bishop
Clopton
Gilchrist
Langdon
Ligon
1Il8.1one
Stansel
Absent: Mr. Haralson.
Doctor William LeRoy Broun, Presic' ent of the College, read and submit ted a report.
ON KOTION of Mr. Palmer, the report of Doctor Broun be taken up and the suggestions,
recommendations,etc. be considered in their order. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr. Barnes, That the Board approve of the appropriations named and
specified in the report of the President of the College, heretofore authorized
by the Executive Committee. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr. Barnes, That the President of the College be authorized to ex-pend
the sum of $5,000.00 appropriated for the establishment of a mechanical department
of the College in such manner as he may deem to the best interest of the
Gollege; hereby giving him full power and authority to employ a Professor f or that
Department and to arrange the same; and that the President report his acts and doings
in the premises to the Board at their next annual meeting, subject to their approval.
ON MOTION 0 f Mr. Clopton, 1bat the matriculation fee of $5.00, Surgeon's fee of
$2 .50, and Library fee of $1.00 as published in the catalog, be approved. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr. Stansel, That the sum of $100.00 be appropriated for the ~ilitary
Department; and $120.00 for the Chemical Laboratory of the College. Adopted.
ON MOTION of ¥r. Clopton, That the sum of $50.00 be appropriated for the purpose of
planting trees on the College campus. Adopted.
ON Me TION of Mr. Barnes, That the sum of $100.00 be appropriated to purchase balances
f or the Department of Chemistry. Adopted.
RESOLVED, by Hr. Clopton, That no purchases shall be made or expenditures of special
appropriations except on estimates to be submitted to the President of the College
for his approval and upon warrants issued by him. Provided that the Professor of
Agriculture may draw through the President appropriations made to his Department
monthly, as may be required, and report the expenditure of the same to the Board
through the President of the College. Adopted.
- ------- - --
266
RESOLVED , by _r. Clopton, That the State Laboratory and Experimental Station are
parts of the Agricultural and Mechanical College in all respects as other Departments
and under the general supervision of the President of the College; and that all
reports from each of the Departments shall be made to and through the President •
Adjourned.
F. 11. Reese .
Sec retary
January 23, 1885
The Board met according to adjournment, and there were pre sent:
The Governor, Presi dent Ex Officio
Messers Palmer, Superintendent of Education
Barnes
Bishop
(';lopton
Gilchrist
Langdon
Ligon
Malone
Stansel
Absent: Mr. Haralson .
-A 267
A communication fram Professo~ G.
and the resignation was accepted.
Maxson, tendering his resignation was read
ON MOTI ON of Mr . Palmer, That the difference between the sum of $1600.00 and $1800.00
as salary be all owed to Pr ofessor ¥~son.
RESOLVED , That the salary of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees he restored to
the sum of $200 per annum and that the resolution by which the said salary was
reduced below that amount be and the same is hereby repealed. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr . Ligon, That the Board rati fy the expenditures made by the Experimental
Stat ion xo Jan~ary 1, 1885. Adopted .
RESOLVED , By ~}il' . Clopton, That the sum of 1000.00 or so much as may be necessary
t o meet the expens es of the Experimental Station until 1st of July next, as asked
by the Prof essor of Agriculture, be allowed; $400.00 of which may be paid now, and
t he balance in monthly installments. Adopted.
ON MOTION, That t he President of the Coll ege be authorized to communicate with the
War e artment and make such arrangewe~t s to procure a detail of an U. S. Offi cer
as Commandant , as he may think pr oper. Adopted.
F. M. Reese
uecretary
\
( 268
To the Trustees of the A & 1-1 College
Sirs:
A & M College
Auburn, Alabama
January 20, 1885
I have the honor to report, that there have been matriculated in the College the
present half session 112 students, the average of whose age is 17.6 years. Of
these, 20 are in the Preparatory Department. The students are attentive and orderly
and are making as rapid progress as thei r previous preparation will justify; and
the officers in each Department are faithfully performing their regular work.
Resignations
In August, 1884 Adjunct Professor W. LeRoy Broun, Jr. resigned his position of
Assistant in the Chemical Laboratory and Profes.sor. G. W. Maxson resigned his
position in the College January 1, 1885. The duties assigned Proressor Maxson
are now performed by ¥~jor T. H. Frazer.
State Appr.opriations
Of the $30,000.00 appropriated by the Legislature of the State to this College,
there were expended according to the report of the Treasurer:
For repai r on College Building
" Langdon Hall
" Experimental Farm
This would leave a balance of amounting to $14,370.62.
$7,297.51
5,483.32 .
2,844·55
$15,625.38
(1) Of this amount the Executive Committee haa approved the following:
To Department
" "
II "
" "
of Physics
" Agriculture
" Natural History
" Engineering
Completing Langdon Hall:
Furniture for Lecture Rooms
For Library
For repairs and improvement
Freight and contingent expenses
Rese rved for Mechanic Art Laboratory
$ ~ $ ~() O{:. o" J.OG-;Ocr :J / Q W • J .)
600.00
500.00
$ 500.00
400.00
500.00
500.00
250.00
5,000.00
$12,250.00
The amount thus appropriated to the sci entific department will beused during the
present year after careful correspondence has shown how the best results ~ can be
served.
., 269
Agricultural Experiment Station
The Treasurer reports that in addition to the original cost of the Experimental
Farm, t here has been expended di rectly and indirectly for the experimental station
and the Chemical Laboratory connected therewi th, including the cost of the printing
pr ess set up to January 1st, 1885 the sum of $12,355.84. This is in excess of the
receipts from the Commissioner of Agricul ture for the past year, to wit, $7,229.31
by $5,126.53, which amount is now due the state appropriation.~rovided all bills
for prL, t ing bulletins are paid, the amount now due t he state appropriation. from
t he Agricultural D~partment is estimat ed at $4,526 .53.
Treasurer's Report of Cash on Hand
The Treasurer reports also, t hat bel ongi ng to Stat e appropriation then was January
1st.
I,;ash on hand
Amo~t due from Agricultural Department
Amount due for College Endowment
Total
. Mechanical Art Laboratory
$ 7,587.21
5,126.53
744.64
$13,458.38
Of t he $5,000 appropriated by the Executive Committee to equip a Mechanic Art
Laboratory, nothjng has yet been expended. The first story of Langdon Hall is
well adopted for thi s Laboratory, but authority and means to properly fit up this
room, and t o construct an engtne and boiler r oom will be requir~d.
I deem it essential to the prosperity of the Coll ege, that this Department should
be established as soon as possibl e, by the appointment of a wel l trained andr' oompet
ent Pr ofessor of Practical Hechanics, and by equipping the Laborat ory as. well
as t he means at t he di sposal of the Board will justify.
Thi s charact er of educat ion has proved eminently successful in many of the scientific
i nstitutions of the country and is now the subject of consideration on the pakt of
t hose who are interested in industrial education. By its establishment, the College
will place i tself in more . perfect accord with the educational demands of the a ge,
as well as with the Act of Congress t o whi ch it owes its existence; and by the
i nstruction techni cal knowledge, this will tend to direct the minds of its students
t o i ndustrial pursuits and to qualify them for success in the vari ed industrial
voaations of life. I therefore recommend to your consideration the propriety of
adopting for this Col l ege in t he fut ure .whi le retaini ng its present legal name -
the name of Alabama Polytechnic Institute as more significant of its enlarged
sphere of educational work. There are many strong reasons in favor of this change
of name.
Physical Laborat ory
I also recommend that measures be taken as soon as the means at your disposal will
permit, t o establish and equipe a Pny~ical Laboratory, and that it be furnished
with the appl i ances necessary t o teach the principles and the industrial applications
of electricity .
270
Printing Fress
The Treasurer reports that the Printing Press , material, etc. cost originally
$996.96 and that the other cost of labor, material, etc. in printing up to the
present time will exceed the receipts by about $100.
Three students practical printers were employed prior to January 1 in printing the
bulletins of the Gommissioner of Agriculture. The Commissioner states that in the
future, the printing for his Department must be done by the State printer; hence
no more work of this chaucter can be done at the College office.
Board
The success of the College demands not only a competent and faithful faculty, with
well equipped departments, but also that the cost of living of the students should
be made as small as possible . If the College owned or controlled a few dormitories,
supplied with. some of the essential articles of furniture which they could offer
the sutdents free of rent, board could be obtained at the price of ten, probably
eight doll~s. per month.
I respectfQl ly submit this subject as worthy of careful consideration as soon
as means can be obtained to pr ovide the dormitories necessary.
Entrance Fee
The entrance fee for each session, I was informed, when the catalogue was prepared
had been considered by the Board and was fixed at $5.00, less than the fee formerly
paid; and it was so published. Since then, I have found no record of such action
by the i oard . I respectfully asked that the entrance fee as published be confirmed
for the present year, and that the fee to be paid be definitely fixed for the
future.
Appropriations
There was no a propriation made at the annual meeting of the Board for the
Military Department or for Laboratory servants. There will be requir ed for the
l- ilitary Department $100 and for Laboratory servant $120.
I recommend the appropriation of $50 for planting trees on t he Gollege grounds.
I also recomnlend when the funds are available, an appropriation of $250 to the
Departnlent of Natural History to purchase microscopes and $100 to the Department
of .L:hemistry t o purchase chemical balances.
I would respectfully ask that you clearly indicate, the · relation of the experiment
station and the Depa rtment of Chemistry in connection therewith, to tHe College
and my responsibi]iy and r elation t hereto.
Respectfully,
Wm. LeRoy Broun
President
,-
Auburn, Alabama
June 22, 1885
-P- 271
This being ,the day designated for the annual ·meeting of ·the BoaFd of Trustees of
the Agricultural and Mechanical Coll ege of Alabama and .the Secretary calling the
roll, there were present, Messrs. ~lopton, Gilchrist, Langdon, Ligon, Malone, and
Palmer.
In the absence of the Governor, Ex Officio President of the Board:
ON MOTI ON of Mr. Ligon, Mr. Clopton was called on to preside. Messrs. Bishop
and Haralson, after the organization of the Board, appeared and took their seats.
Absent: The Governor of the State and Ex Officion President and Messrs. Barnes and
St ansel.
The proceedings of the adjourned meeting of the Board held in the aity of Montgomery
in January 1885 were then read and approved. .
The r equest of one of the fraternities for the use of the hall in the College was
granted.
Dr. Broun, the President of the Coll ege, being present, r ead and submitted his
annual report, which was l aid on the table for the present and for f urther consideration
and action by the Board.
ON MOTION of Mr. Ligon, the recommendation of the President of the ·College to confer
degrees on the graduating class was adopted. (See report of the President for
names of graduates.)
The Treasurer of the College read and submitt ed his rep6rt together with the report
of the State Examiner of Public Accounts.
N ~ TI GN of Mr. Langdon, Tnat the name of Yr. Gilchrist be placed in the place
of that of Mr. Hardie on the several committ ees of whi ch he was a member, and that
of Mr. Palmer in the place of .Mr~ AFmstrong. Adopted.
The Committees are as f ollows:
Finance: Messrs. Barnes, Clopton, Malone, Gilchrist, Langdon, Bishop.
~ ourse of Study: Messrs. Stansel, Ligon, Malone, Haralson, Clopton, Bishop.
Revision of Laws: Messrs. Clopton, Barnes, Stansel, Ligon, Haralson.
Agriculture: Messrs: Ligon, ~almer, Gilchrist , Langdon.
College Lands and Pr operty: Messrs. mlone, Palmer, Ligon, Gjlchrist, Langdon.
Claims: Messrs. Harlason, Barnes, Palmer.
The Secretary read the reports of the Professors 0 the College to the President.
That of Professor Newman was referred to the Committee on Agriculture. That of
Professor Mell to the Committee on Course of Study. Those of Professors Laae,
Dunklin, Smith, THach, and Frazer was ordered on file.
Adjourned.
F. M. Reese, Secretary
Evening session, June 22.
The l:loard met at 4 0' clock p.m. and there were present: The l,;hairman, l-'lr. l,;layton
and essrs. Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Ligon, Malone, Palmer.
Absent, the Governor and r. Stansel.
ON ~O TI ON of Mr. Palmer, That portion of the President's report whi ch referred to
the Gourse of Study to be pursued in the College was referred to the Committee on
the Course of Study. Also that portion in reference to the Department of Chemistry
to the Committee on Finance.
ON MOTION of Mr. Haralson, That part of the President's report referring to the
salary of Instructor of Mechanic Arts to be chosen by the Board of Trustees was
referred to the Commi ttee on Finance.
ON MOTION of Mr . Ligon, The report of the State Examiner of public accounts was
referred to the Committee on Finance.
On suggestion of the Chairman, that port on of the President's report in regard
t o the incidental fee to be required of the Cadets was referred to the Committee
on Finance.
Also that as to Rules and Regulations was re·ferred to the Commit t ee on Revision of
Laws.
ON MOTION of ~r. Ligon, The suggestions of the President as to proY1s10ns f or
board and accomodations .for cadets .was referred to t he Committ ee on Finance.
Also in r egard to a reserved fund t o the Committee on Finance.
On suggestion of the Chairman that p rt o{ the President's repcrt recommending
change in the age of Cadets matriculating in the College was referred to the
Committee on Course of Study.
The Chairman presented a co~unication . from ¥~. J , J. Padgett, suggesting a
guard to be employed for the College building as night watchman referred to the
President of t he College f or his consideration and endorsement.
The re port o~ the LiQrarian was referred to the Commi t tee on Finaqce.
. . ..
A communicatiqn from Professor Lane was read by ~~. Har~son which at the recommendati
on of the Chairman b~ referred to a special commj.ttee to consist of Messrs.
Hara~son, Li gon and Palmer. (Recorded ~ong repprts.)
ON ~ TION , The report of the State Examiner of publi c account s was withdrawn and
referred to the Special Committee herein named.
Board. adjourned until 9 o'clock t omorrow.
F. M. Reese, Jecretary
--------~--- -- -
Auburn, Alabama
, June 23, 1885
i. 273
The Board met at 9 o'clock a.m. and there present: the Chairman, Mr. Clayton, and
Messrs. Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Ligon, Malone, and Palmer.
Absent the Governor of the State and ~~. Stansel.
Hr. Barnes, lJhairman of t he Committee on Finance, made the f ollowi r:g re .ort :
The Committee on Finance, to which was referred the report of the Treasurer of the
College, have had t he same under consi derat i on and i nst ruct me t o report t he same
back to the Board of Trustees and recommend that the same be ref er r ed to the Special
Commit t ee for examinat ion and t o r eport t hereon. Adopted.
The business of t he Board was suspended on receipt of a COmDlun i cation from the
President of the ColleEe, stating t hat the Facul ty rec ommend that t he degr ee f
Civil ~ ln eering be conferred on W. Dana Taylor.
ON MOTION, It was unanimously voted that the degree of Civil Engineering be conferr
ed on ¥~. Taylor .
Mr. ¥~one, from the Committee on Finance, reported that the Committee to whom was
referred that portion of the President's report, in regard to inc .ease of the Incidental
fee, be dopted; and t hat hereafter each student is required to apy the sum
of $7.50 per term or $15.00 for the scholastic year .
The report was postponed for further consideration and action by the Board .
Mr. Clayton f rom the Committee on Finance submitted the following, Your Committee
on Finance to whom was referred so much of the report of Professor Stubbs as relates
to the compensation of Mr. B. B. Ross as Assistant Chemist in the . State
Labaa t ory have had the same under consideration and instruct me to repor~ the
following and to recommend its adoption.
R~OLVED , That the additional compensation of $100 be allowed Mr. Ross in accordance
with the recommendation of Professor Stubbs. Adopted.
Mr. Gilchrist from the Committee on Finance reported, The Committee on Finance, to
which was referred that portion of the President's report in reference to the employment
of Instructor in Mechanic Arts instruct .e to report that ~he committee
approve and ratify the action of the President of the College and recommend that
Mr. Bryant, the gentleman engaged by the, President of the College, and recommend
that Mr. Bryant be paid at the rate of $1200 per annum for the time he ~as been
at the College. Adopted.
Mr. Bishop from the Co~mittee on Finance to whom was referred that portion of the
report of the President submitted the following resolution (Cadet accommodations)
REJOLVED, THat the sum of $2000 of the State appropriated funds, unexpended be and
the same is hereby set aside, permanently; and appropriated to the erection of
Dormitories. The report received and on motion of Mr . Clayton, That the resolut
'on be amended by sticking out the words "dormitories" and inserting in lieu the
wgrEi "suitable buildings" also by striking out the sum of $2000 and inserting in
in lieu of $2500 . The resolution as amended was adopted.
274
ON MOTION of Mr. Clayton, the Secretary be inst ructed to invite the Faculty to
meet with then at 4 o'clock p.m.
Board adjourned until tomorrow at 9 o'clock.
F. H. Reese,
Secretary
June 23rd
Evening .:lession
Board met at 4 o'clock p.m. and all the members were present who attended the
morning session.
ON MOTION of V~. Barnes, That the . Treasurer's report be withdrawn from Committee
on Finance and referred to the Special Committee.
In accordance with the resolution inviting members of the Faculty to . come before
the Board for purposes of consultation. Professors Newman and Dunklin appeared
before the Board. After the interview with them, the Board adjourned.
F. M. Reese
Auburn, Alabama
June 24, 1885
The Board met at 8 o'clock and there were present the Chairman, Mr. Clayton
and essrs. Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Ligon, Malone and
Palmer.
Absent the Governor and Mr. Stansel.
By suggestion from the Chairman, the communication of Mr. Padgett was referred
to the Committee on Coll ege Lands and property.
Other members of the Faculty then' came ~efore the Board, viz. Professors Stubbs,
Mell and Smith.
The Board then adjourned till 3 o'clock p.m.
F. M. Reese
Secretary
• 275
Evening Session-June 24
Board met at 3 o'clock p .m. and there wer e -present the Chairman and Mesers. Barnes,
Bi shop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Li gon, }~one and Palmer. The same absent.
The Secretary read minutes of the Board heretofore made all of which were approved.
~tr. Malone from the Committee on College Lands and Property submitted the following
report. Your Committee to which was referred the communication of gr. J. J. Padgett
with the endorsement of the President of the College have had the same under
consideration and instruct me to r~port that they deem it inexpedient to employ a
night watchman for the College building~.
Mr. Haralson, from the Committee on Claims submitted the following: The Committee
to whom was referred the clain of Professor Lane, beg leave to r eport that they
find it to be true; that then when elected a Professor and his salary was fixed
at $1800, nothing was siad about the manner of its payment, whether in advance,
quarterly, at the end of the year or otherwise; but the fact is, at that time, .
owing t o causes which are well understood by t he Board, and with which he must
have become informed during the first year of his service as Pr ofessor, the Board
had necessarily to be t behind in the payment of Professors , and the rule of payments
was to pay quarterly. 'So while the Board from the necessities of the case
were unable to pay their ,Professors, promptly at the end of the quarter; and while
this fact worked no doubt inconvenience to the Professors (a matter the Board must
regret), it operated in the opinion of the Committ ee no more hardly on one than
on the others.
To accede to General Lane's claim, in the opinion of the Committee, would be to
order a difference in rules of payment in the case Qf his salary from others.
Your committee reports therefore, adversely to General Lane's ,claim, accompany-ing
it with t hese expl anations for his greater satisfaction. The Committee would
trea~ his request with due respect, while they find themselves embarrassed by their
inability and out of respect to the rights of others, to favor it.
Your Committee, jf it is in order to do so, would respectfully rQcommend that the
expenses of the I nstitution on salary account be so curtailed as that the Professors
may be paid, promptly at the end of each quarter and so a~ to have a surplus fund
on hand on that account as recommended by the President. Adopted.
The invitaticn extended by the Alumni of the College to the Board of Trustees to
participate with them in a banquet to be given by them this evening in the hall
of the Col lege was accepted with the thanks of the Board.
ON MOTION of r. Haralson, The Board of Truetees decline to recognize the claim
presented by ¥~ . Adam Hardin. Adopted.
ON MOTION of Mr. Haralson, That th~ degree of LL. D. be ~onferred by the Board of
Tr ustees of the A & M Coll ege of Alabama on Profe sor Robert Frazer of Judson Female
Institute of ¥~rion, Ala~ama, which motion was adopted by the unanimous vote
of the Board.
Mr. Palmer, from the Committee on Finance, moved to take up the subject of the
incidental fee alluded to in the report of the President which being adopted
- -- -----_. - ----
\
1~76
Mr. Palmer from the Committee on Finance moved That the incidental fee as recommended
by the President, viz. $7.50 per term, or S15.00 for the scholastic year, be required
of each. student on entering the College; and in no case to be remit ~ ed or paid
back~ and to be appropriated for general incidental purposes. Adopted •
. Mr. Ligon from Committee on Course ~ of Study reported back without recommendation
the subjects embraced in Professor Mell's report to the President.
And ON . lViOTION of :Hr. Ligon, That the Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College of Alabama return their very sincere thanks to Mr. Postell for
his generous donation of a flat of ground on St. Simons Island in the State of
Georgia; and that they regret to inform l{r. Postell, that at the present, the
College is not in a condition to make such improvements on the grounds as is
suitable or desirable for the objects of the donation; and that Professor Mell
be requested to communicate with Mr. Postell enclosing him a copy of their action.
Adopted.
Mr. Barnes submitted the following resolution, RESOLVED, By the Board of Trustees
of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama:
1st That a Committee of three be appointed by the Board to prepare for publication
an explanation of the amount of the interests on the bonds; the endowment
fund of the College which was paid to the College in State Certificates known as
the Horse Shoe Money and the depreciation of the same at the date of such payment
which the college was compelled to and did take at par and the rate at which it
sold and used the same in payment of the ~aries of professors and officers and
expenses of the College. Adopted.
Hr. Gilchrist in the Chair; Mr. Clayton offered the following amendment to the
foregoing resolution:
2nd How the funds at their disposal have been appropriated by the Trustees.
3rd The general plan and purpose sought to be advanced in the conduct of the
College and how the Trustees have administered their trust • •
All of which was adopted.
Mr. Gilchrist named as the committee called for in the resolution, Messrs. Barnes,
Langdon and Clayton.
ON t'iCTICN of Mr. Malone, That President Broun be requested to furnish a copy of his
baccalaureate address for publication and the menner of giving publicity to the
same be left to the discretion of the Executive Committee after consultation with
the President.
The Board adjourned until tomo~row at 8 o'clock.
F. M. Reese,
Secretary
fL 277
June 25, 1885
The Board met at 8:30 o'clock and there were present: . The Chairman, Mr. Clayton,
Messrs. Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist, Haralson, Langdon, Ligon, Malone, and Palmer.
!1r. Haralson,from the Special Committee to whom was referred the Treasurer's report
and that of the St ate Examine~asked to make the following report.
Your Special Committee to whom was referred the Treasurer's report, a sk to submit
the following. They find the several accounts, as rendered to the Board of Trustees
by the Treasurer to be correct; and that he has in hand in bank the balance as
shown by his said account. They have compared the said accounts with the books of
the Treasurer and save examined all of his vouchers and added up all the columns
in ascertaining the result reported.
The reference to the Printing Account they find no error in it, but said account
may need adjustment in reference t o the other accounts of the College and the
Treausrer asks permission to review the same for that purpose and to make report
thereon hereafter with the view of ascertaining if any transfers to and from other
accounts are necessary in order to show the proper expenditures in the several departmenta,
on account of printing; and the Committee recommend that he be all owed
to do so; and that he and Professor Newman be re~uested to review said account for
the purpose stated; and to make report thereon to this Board at their next annual
meeting. And the Committee recommend that the amended report of the Treasurer be
spread upon the r ecords for the purpose of showing expenditures and state of ·accounts
in the several Departments of the College •
. The Committee further report that they have examined the report of the State Examiner
of errors in accounts of the Tr easurer, and find that there is a balance of $229.47
due from the Treasurer to the Col lege on account of errors therein reported by the
State Examiner and t he Committee recommend that the Treasurer be required to charge
himself with that balance, as that much paid to him as cornpensatkm for services as
Treasurer of the College. The report was received and adopted.
It was moved that the amount of $8.60 be allowed to D. F. Boyd, late President of
the College, on accounts rendered by him for money he paid on account of the College.
Adopted.
Mr. Ligon, from the Committee on Course of Study, made the following report:
The Committee on Course of Study to which was referred that portion of the President's
report, which referred to the age of cadets upon admission into the College,
direct me to report that the President's recommendation fixing the age at 15 be
adopted. Adopted.
Mr. Ligon, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted t~e following:
The Committee on Agriculture to which was referred the report of the Professor of
Agriculture direct me to r epoDt: That the amount of this two thousand dollars, or
so much thereof as ~ be required, be appropriated for the benefit of the Experiment
Station, for the collegiate year 1885-6 out of the funds derived from the
Agricultural Bureau. And that the pr oceeds arising from the sales of the .crops,
produced and made on said Experiment tation be passed .to the credit of said
Station; and that the Pr ofessor of Agriculture be authorized to sell the same
upon such terms as he deems best, applying the proceeds to the purchase of such
things as are required in managing and conducting said Experiment Station; and
report the same in his annual report.
y 278
\
The Committee append to their report a statement of the Pr ofessor of Agriculture,
setting forth the wants of said Station, and t he direction which he proposes to
give the f~ds hereby appropriated. Adopted.
Note: The f ollowing is a copy of statement accompanying the report of the
Committee: IIFurposes for whi ch appropriation to Station:
Cattle Scales
Barn and Shed
Stock
Trees, plants, etc.
Implements and }1achinery
Fertilizers
Laborll
By Mr. Ligon, RESOLVED, 1st, RESOLVED , That the Board of Trustees of the Agricultural
and Mechanical College of Alabama respectfully renew their application to
t he Secretary of v,ar for the detail of Lieutenant John McDonald, 16th Calvary, as
Instructor of Military Science and Tactics in this Institution.
2nd, That in the event ·that the detail of Lieutenant John McDonald cannot be had,
the Board respectfully request the detail of or for the
purpose named. Adopted.
By ~~. Ligon, RESOLVED, That H. D. Clayton who is about to visit Washington be
authorized to fill the blank in the 2nd resolution, asking a detail of a Lieutenant
from the regular service as Instructor of Military Science and Tactics this day
adopted the Board with such names as may appear best to him on further information.
Adopted.
Mr. Malone, reported to the Board that he had had an interview with President
Broun soliciting a copy of his address for publication and the request was complied
with; and Mr . ~almer was requestedto interview the edito~s of the Advertiser
and request the publication of the same; and further t o request the editor to
correct mistakes made in bis ,issue of the 25th tnst. as to the leading objects
of this Institution.
The Board t hen went into Executive Session.
On the return of t he ~ ecreta ry, the following proceedings were reported to him
as being had by the Board:
RESOLVED , That the Marshall of the town of Auburn be paid twenty dollars for
services as ni ght watchman. Adopted.
RESOLVED, That Langdon Hall be tendered the Alabama Teachers Association and the
Agricultural Association when they meet in Auburn.
RESOLVED, That Langdon Hall be insured. (No amount stated.)
Mr. Ligon handed to me in t he handwriting of President Broun resolutions marked
"Aq,opted." Also a list of appropriations marked "adopted" and .which are in the
following words and figures:
279
RESOLVED , That the Librarian shal l be responsible for the care and preservation of
all the books in the Library belonging to the College.
He shall make an annual report to the Board of Trustees, which repor t shall show
the number of volumes in the care of any Pr ofessor ••• the number of volumes added
during the year by purchase and by dGnation ••• the number drawn from the Library
by the students .during the session and the number and names of the volumes as
missing from the Library.
RESOLVED I, That in consideration of the duties imposed on the College by Section 17
of an Act to establish a Department of .Agriculture, it is the right and privilege
of the Commissioner of Agriculture to 0btain from any Professor, information in
regard to any subject appertaining to nis Chair.
II, That it is hereby made the duty of -each Prcfessor in the College to furnish to
the Commissioner 0 Agriculture on his .application for use in his bulletins, any
i nformation relating to the subject of his Chair, of wh'ch he may be possessed,
provided the preparation of the same does not interfere with his regular College
duties; and for this infonnation no charge whatever shall be made .
Income from Department of Agriculture, estimated $7,50Q .00
Appropriations:
Experimental Station
Part salary of Professor of Agriculture
Salaries of Assistant Chemists--$600 & $400
Chemical Laboratory and servant
Part salary of Professor of 1echanic Arts
Laboratory, Mechanic Arts
Reserve fund
Income :
Salaries :
" II
" II
II
II
resident
Six Professors
Eng . Lit. & Mod. Languages
Commandant & Instructor
Mechanic Arts
Treasurer
Secretary
Expense Account :
Printing Account
Stationery II
Music II
'.iilitary II
Trustees
Servants
Librarian
Postage
Fuel
Speakers
House Rent
Insurance
Chemistry
Physics
$3,000.00
10,800.00
1,200.00
1,000.00
500.00
1,000.00
200.00
$ 300.00
400.00
50.00
100.00
115.00
300 .00
250.00
100.00
150.00
275.00
50.00
200.00
400.00
100.00
100.00
$2,000 .00
700.00
1,000.00
600 .00
700.00
1,500.00
$17,700.00
2,875.00
$20,575.00
t' 280
The Secretary resumed his seat with the Board.
I t was moved and seconded That Mr. Geor ge H. Bryant be elected Instructor of
echanic Arts. Mr. Bryant was unanimously elected • .
ON MOTION of Mr. Barnes, That the de~r~ e of D. D.be conferred on Reverend John W.
Rush of Birmingham, Alabama. The degree was unanimously conferred.
Appropriat ions made in Executive Session:
"
To Prof essor Stubbs
Nat ural History
Gr ounds and Repairs
Wall J>4.a.ps "
"
" Library
$300.00
100.00
200 .00
100.00
500.00
$1,200.00
Note: The Board without resolut i on to that effect, agreed to appropriate to Profes
sor Mell t he s~ of $100.00 for pufpose of printing weather service bulletins
or reports. Professor Mell has also shown me l etters from a number of t he Board
stating such was the desi gn . l"Jr. Palmer, with whomc, I have had an interesting
interview, says it wil l be right t o enter on minutes an all m'/ance of the $100.00
f or purpose named.
F. M. Reese,
Secretary
Reports, etc. Session of 1885-6:
To the Trustees of the Agricultural and echanical College of Alabama:
Sirs:
I have the honor to report that during the past year there were matriculated 120
cadets, and that the usual college work has been faithfully done by Professors and
students, with some not material interruption, caused by a short recess granted to
a company of cadets to visit the Exposition at New Orleans. This permission was
given in order that the students might enjoy the educational advantages of attendance
on the Exposition.
The appropriations made for the seyeral departments have been with the exception of
that for phhsics expended in the purchase of apparatus and furniture for the lectUre
rooms.
~e Library has been supplied with new alcoves and a number of excellent books have
been purchased.
The course of study as now arranged in the catalogue presen~three degree courses
two technical and one general; and also two partial courses in Agricultural and
Mechanic Arts. A special education without the foundation of general culture is
esse~tially defective. Whenever possible, general education should precede the
special.
Many students apply for admission to this College who are defective in training
and discipline, oence the necessity that a general course of education should be
provided and that as far as possible, general culture should also occupy a portion
of the time of those who enter upon a technical course. On this principle, the
courses of education are now arranged.
For the purpose of executing the order of the Board made at the called session in
f ontgomery, I visite~ in the month of May different technical Colleges inthe country
and studied the methods there pursued in giving instruction in Mechanic Arts. I
was gratified at the success of these schools and at the interest taken in their
character of education both by students and citizens. Great care has been taken
in order to expend in the most judicious manner the appropriation made by the Board
to this school. If we except t he cost of the boiler house and smoke stack, the
appropriation will be suff icient, to equip in a satisfactory manner the room for
working in wood.
To complete the Laboratory, it may be necessary hereafter to furnish the machinery
necessary for working in M~~~ I ~ . It is believed that the school when in suc-cessful
operation will be a factor of general power ~ in the College and that the
education given will prove of marked value to the State.
As a suitable person to take charge of this School, I recommend to your favorable
consideration Mr. George H. Bryant, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
The Department of Agriculture is now organized, I think in the best possible manner
to effect results of value to the students who pursue those subjects as well
as to the general agricultural interests of the State. The Experiment Station
282
cannot be self-supporting. Its object is to make experiments, often ver,y costly
experiments for the common good, and hence for this purpose will need an annual
appropriation. It is confidently expected that results of ver,y great value to
the State will follow from the scientific stuQy of succes sional experiments to be
made at this Station.
There is an unfortunate and wide spread fallacy/that the College fails in its purpose
if it does not turn out farmers. This has in the past years done this Institution
much injury. This fallacy of the purpose of the College, has largely resulted
from the name it bears. For a boy to farm/presupposes that he has a farm
and capital--With our graduates, this is seldom the case, and the boy possessing
neither farm or capital is compelled when he leaves coll ege to seek remunerativE
employment; and t his with us he cannot find in Agriculture and hence seeks employment
in other occupations. But the Experiment St ation b~ the issue of bulletins,
discussing principles and experiments, addresses farmers, men who have farms
and capital, who can at once ad- pt with advantage the ~proved methods .that may
be suggested. fience from the Experiment Station by disseminating valuable information
in bulletins we have reason to hope for important results to the whole State.
The Chemical Laboratory is an essential factor in this work in connection with the
Experiment Station. The Professor of Chemistry reports that he and his Assistants
have made there since the opening of the Laboratory 382 analyses of fertilizers,
marls, phosphates, etc .; and that he has paid to the Treasurer during the current
session $670 from receipts for analyses of fertilizers made for manufacturers.
This work of chemical analyses consumes valuable chemicals, and hence this Laborator,
y will require in addition to the amount granted to pay the professor and his
aSSistants, an annual appropriation to pay for chemicals consumed.
The Printer's Office has been placed under the charge of Professors Mell who has
given it faithful attention. Cadet J. P. Allen, who has experience as a printer,
was made foreman and twelve boys have learned to set type so well as to print the
catalogue for this year. The work done out of practic~ or recitati0n hours, they
were allowed pay in proportion to the character of their work. With the services
of a foreman and the usual appropriation for printing, it is possible to make the
office a valuable auxilliar,y in this character of practical education and do all·
the printing required for the .College.
In accordance with your instructions, I corresponded with the Adjutant General
U. S. A. in reference to the detail of an Officer of the Army to act a Commandant
in the College. The letters received are herewith submitted for yQur consideration.
The official agent of the State appointed to examine the books and accounts of
those in charge of public funds visited this College in the month of March and
examined the books of the Treasurer. He submitted the enclosed report marked A
for to your body, showing the result of hi~ examination.
The laws and regulations of the .College were in part amended, at the last annual
session of the Board, and authority given to bring the same, but as the amendments
made were not consistent with other portions of the laws, I have hesitated
to print until they have again been considered by the Board.
As the amount to be paid for fe es ~s made provisional for this year, I submit the
subject to your consideration and would respectfully recommend that the incidental
fee for each student be made as for[aerly $7.50 per term, and that you order that no
fee shall be remitted in in any case whatsoever. This fee is small, a very
inconsiderable part of the expenses necessarily incurred at College and the income
therefrom is needed for the increased incidental expenses of the College.
74- 283
The subject of providing dormitories for the use of the students has been considered.
An examination of the capacity of Auburn t o furnish board and lodging for students
shows that 200 or more can be readily .accommodated in private families at a cost .
of $12 to $14 per month. Board without lodging is furnished at $10 per mouth.
When students press, the actual cost for board and lodging and fuel is $10.00 per
month. If it be deemed advisable to furnish dormitories, the experiment could be
made of renting a house in Auburn for the present.
I would also respectfulls submit to the Board, the consideration of the advantage
to the College of opening the session in on September 15, by giving a short vacation
at Christmas. I t is generally the custom of parents to call their sons home
during the Christmas Hol idays, and the interruption to class study is found to be
so great t hat it becomes advisable to suspend exercises. There are many good reasons
also for opening earlier.
I herewit h submit the reports of the different departments for your consideration
and respectfully recommend that very definite appropriations of the funds at your
disposal be made for t he use of each department for the ensuing year in proportion
t o its necessities and importance to the general work of the Collegeo
I would also respectfully state that an examination of the Treasurer's reports
show that in 1882-3, after paying the current expenses and back salaries to the
amount of $3,688.25, the Coll ege was in debt $310.00. At the close of the session
1883:64, this indebtedness amounted to $744.64. The present report closes with
an indebtedness of $458.16, a portion of which is due to the cost of printing the
present catalogue . The sal aries of the offic'ers are generally four months in
arrears and have been so I underst and since the organization of t he College.
The receipts from the Commissioner of Agriculture in t he past two years are reported
to be $15,217.85 and the total expenses incurred by establishing and equipping
the Experiment Station and t e Chemical Laboratory in connection therewith,
including the cost s of the farm and the salary of Director and Assist ants in
Chemi st ry amount by the Treasurer's r eport to $21,144.20. \ihen thei amount is
credited by the farm receipts, $1,794.97 the cost to the College of the Station
including cost of the farm and its adjuncts in the l ast two years is reduced to
$19,349.23.
Of the $30,000 appropriated by the Legisl ature, The Treasurer r eport s yet unexpended,
$9,805.15 of this amount more than $7,000 i saready appr opriated for Mechanic
Arts and Pbysics.
The Department of Chemistry has paid int o the Treasury in the past two years as
fees for analyses $1,040.00.
I would respect f ully suggest if possible as reserve fund of $1,000 be annually set
aside from the endowment income, and an equal amount also from the annual receipts
from the Department of Agriculture and that this reserve be held intact and only
disbursed on special order of the ouar of Tru ~t e es.
As a nUlllber of young students apply to enter College, it is deemed advisable that
the requirements f or admission as t o age be increased and that to enter t he fourth
class the applicant be required to be at least in his sixteenth year.
( 284
The Faculty recommend for the degree of Bachelor of Science the follmving students:
J. M. Allen
R. E. L. Collier
R. H. Tr!8.ch
A & College
Auburn , Alabama
June 22, 1885
'N
w. T. Andrews
W. T. Penn
Respectfully submitted,
w. LeRoy Broun
President
-rL285
Treasurer's Report
To t he Honorable Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and Mechani cal College of
Alabama: .
I have the honor to submit the following report of the financial transactions of
this office for the year ending June 15, 1885:
Receipts:
To State ' Treasurer apc.
To incidental and surgeons fees
To chemiqal fees
To expense (diplomas)
To fuel (coal sold)
To adve~ising
To balanqe
Disbursements:
By balance as per amended report
By expenses of professors
By expen~e ac;ct.
By statiQnery;
By exchange
By music .
By military
By trustees
By servaqts
By speak~rs
By special appropriations
By salar~es
By postage
By fuel
By printing
By printing present catalogue
By hous e .r ent ( By insurance
By chemical
By advert,ising
By surgeqn
State appropriation a/c receipts:
To balan ~e June 16, 1884
To State Treasurer Aug. 16, 1884
To repair a/c (articles sold)
To Nat. History (from Prof. Mel1)
Disbursanents:
By repairs a/c.
" freight and contingent
" furnitm-e for lecture rooms
" Langdon Hall a/c
" Engineering Dept.
" Nat.' History Dept.
" Physics Dept.
$20,280 .00
1,210.00
120 000
45.00
35.64
5.00
458,16
$22,213.80
$ 744.64
496.47
142.95
22.40
5.65
100.00
116.50
395.40
180.00
34.10
271.10
17,575.00
108.41
275.18
150.00
124.7P
200000
300.00
:320.00
206 0 30
445.00
$22,213 0 80
7,257.11
7,500.00
48.28
84.06
$14,889.45
1,061. 75
63.45
407.50
1,013029
460.27
684.06
879.17
To Planting trees Dept.
" Library Dept.
" balance
Library Act.:
Receipts:
To Cadet fees
To balance State appropriations
Disbursements:
By balanc~ June 16, 1884
By books and periodicals
Experiment Station Account
Receipts: '
To cash f~om Col. J. S. Ne~~, Director
To Balance Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements;
By cash paid Col. Newman, Directory
By cash paid Col. Newman, Salary
State Chemical Department
Receipts: .
Balance Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements:
By cash paid Prof. Stubbs - chemicals
B6 cash paid Prof. Stubbs - books
Salaries of assistants
Servant hire and contingent
Printing Office Account
Receipts: .
To cash of corn of agriculture
To college prihting alc
To college printing - present catalogue
To balanc~ Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements:'
Expenses oT Printing Office
29.25
485.56
9.805.15
$14,889.45
220.00
~82!26
$ 705.56
30.55
672.01
$ 705.56
. 1,012.40
3.457·02
$ 4,469.42
3,944.42
525000
$ 4,469.1.2
1,553.25
608025
200 000
600.00
142.00
$1,153.25
698.75
150 0CO
124.70
152058
$ 1,126.03
286
Agricultural Bureau Account
Receipts,
Amount (omitted last report
Cash from com. of agriculture
Disbur sements:
By balance on report of last year
By experiment Station
By ~emical Laboratory
By Printing Office
By balance
Analyses Account
To balance on hand June 16, 1884 .
To cash received from Professor Stubbs
Disbursements:
By cash paid Professor Stubbscrder of Board
By balance
College acct.
State appropriation
Agricultural Bureau
Analyses account
.
Disbursem~nts:
College a~count 7
State appropriations
Agricultural Bureau
Analyses account
Balanc e on hand
Recapitulation
14.18
7.988.54
8,002.72
1,):)1.36
3,457.02
1,353.25'
152.58
1.538.51
$ 8,002.72
370.00
670000
$ l,~O.CO
200.00
800 0 00
$ 1,040.00
21,755 064
14,889.45
8,002.72
1,040.00
$ 45,687.81
22,213.80
5,084.30
6,464.21
200.00
1:1.,725050
$45,687.81
Respectfully submitted,
E. T. Glenn, Treasurer
A & M Co1lege o
. .1 287
Amended report ending June 15, 1884
To balance per report June 15
To hiance
By amount paid Prof. N e\'nnan (salary)
State Appropriations Account
Receipts: "
To amt. s~ate : treasurer has report of June 15.
By amount ' paid for sand, expo Sta. per report of June 15
Repairs 'on college building
Langdon Hall
Balance "
Receipts:
Amt. Agriculture June 15
Balance
Disbursements:
Agricultural Depto
By equipment State Chern. Dept.
Salar,y asst. ' chemist
Part salar,y director of Exp. Station
Printing, freight and fixtures
Exp. Station balance
Receipts:"
Farm products
Sale of fertilizers
BEllance .
Experiment Station Account
Paid to Cpl. ~. S. Newman, Director
RecaJX,ulation,
E. T. Glenn, Treasurer, to college acct. per report June 15
State appropriation
Agricu~tural Bureau
Analysis account
Cro
College acct. per report June 150
Salary of Prof. Newman transferred from Agl. Bureau
Not included in report June
$ 1,055.36
744.64
$ 1,800.00
1,800.00
22,500.00
2,844.55
6,915.02
5,483.32
7,257.11
$ 22,500.00
$
$
7,215.13
1.,201.26
8,5169 49
1,806.09
1,200.00
700.00
996.96
,2.81,2·44
8,516.49
629~.30
153.25
,2.81,2·44
$ 4,595.89
4,595.89
$ 21,507.20
22,500 0 00
7,215013
370.00
$ 51,622.33
20,481.84
1,175.00
625000
$ 22,281084
288
State appropriation per report
June 10th
Less Chemical alc transferred to Ag . Bureau
Ag . Bureau per. report J une 15th
Broun's salary not included in
Add. change chem. transferred from Stat e appropriation act.
Less Printing included in r eport of June 15
Newman 'S salary t r ansferred to College at
This amount deducted from $9,774.65
Printing account leaves X
Included in Ex. Station, June 15 X
Balance X
The amounts marked X aggregates the balance amount of
Dr .
To balance per. report June 15
Cr.
By salary paid Professor Newman not reported
II " II II Broun
Balance, June 16
According to old report:
Balance in hand
In n~W' report: .
Salary of Professor Newman to June 15
Balance in new report
Cash in Treasurer
To the Hon. Board of Trustees:
Gentlemen:
+ 289
$17,048.98
1,806.(19
$15,242.89
$ 7,368.56
600.00
1,806.09
$ 9,774.65
$ 83.16
1,175.00
$ 1,258.16
8,516.49
83.16
. 5,~97.95
$51,22.33
$51,622.33 '
$ 6,722.95
$ 625.00
600.00
~,497.95
$,722.95
$ 6,722.95
1,225.00
$ 5,497.95
7,500.00
$12,997.95
At the suggest ion of the President of the College, Dr. Broun, to make certain changes
in items charged to differ ent appropriations, whi ch changes have been ratified. by
your Executive.Committ ee, I beg l eave to submit an amended report and ask that it
be spread upon. the record.
Yours . respectfully,
E: T. Glenn
----- -- --
290
Statement of Errors reported by J. W. Lapsley:
1880-81:
Express
Farm
Repair
Salary
Repairs
Account overcharge
II II
II II
II error in addition
undercharge .10.
1881-82:
Advertising overcharge
Apparatus
Fuel .
II
II
Farm by Prof. Stubbs
1882-83:
Freight ove rcharge
Farm undercharge
Repair overcharge
Advert ising
Expense undercharge
Engineering Department
State. Appropriations Account:
Carpenters overcharge
LUJIlber II
Error in addition
Experiment Stat i Gn undercharge
Plast erer's Account overcharge
Repair Account, Improper ch. per Newman
Carpenters Account undercharge 1.07
Balance
Recapitulation:
Dr.
1880-81
1881-82
1882-83
Cr.
By under charges
Balance
.05
1.00
E. T. Glenn,
Treasurer
$ 100.00
13.28
21.60
100.00
$ 143.58
.10
$ 143.48
$ 5.30
1.00
41..90
5.00
$ 50 .20
$ 1.10
8.45
10.00
16.79
i 36.54
$ 10.00
28.04
1.00
27. 50
6. 59
2. 67
$ 76.00
$143.48
53.20
35.46
$232.14
~.
$229--:41
I- 291
Librarians Report
Agricultural and Mechanical College
Auburn, Alabama
June 22, 1885
To the Hon. Board of Trustees:
In addition to the public documnets, Smithsonian reports, etc., the Library has
received numerous official publications from the Senators and Representatives.
We have purchased 235 volumes of general literature and have renewed subscriptions
to 18 of the leading magazines.
The addition to the Library this year, has been chiefly works of reference, encyclopedias,
dictionaries together with a small amount of standard essays, biographical
and novel literature.
The Library now aggregates on hand at dat e of last report:
Purchases, etc.
Total volumes
Total
1,513
270
1,783
I respectfully recommend that an adequate sum be set apart by the Board for the
improvement of the Library and purchase of books.
Respectfully submitted,
E. T. Glenn
Librarian
292
Report of Professor Mell
Department of Natural History and Geology
Auburn, Alabama
June 18, 1885
Dr. I;'" . L. Broun, President
Agricultural and Mechanical College
Sir:
I have the honor to submit for your consideration the following report of the work
done in the Department of .Natural History and Geology during the session just
closing.
It has been my pleasure to instruct all the students of the four classes (regular
coll ege) except those members of the second class pursuing the course in Engineering.
The progress made by the students has been in the main satisfactory. Oonsiderable
time, however, was lest in the owrk of the Department on account of the
drill, preparatory to visiting New Orleans. In order to relieve you of some of
your numerous duties, I took charge of the fourth class in Elementary Physics
during the fitst term ••• the work of this class has already been reported to you
and it is needless therefore to ro more than merely refer to the subject in this
report.
The new feature in my Department this year consists in the opening of a Laboratory
in Biology. This room was equipped with apparatus so late in the session,
but little work could be accomplished beyond a beginning.
The second class in Botany waS given a course during the second term in the use
of microscopes and in section cutting, preparatory to more extended work in the
first class next session. The number of students in this Laboratory was so large
as to nec essitate the division of the class into two sections in order to supply
each worker with a set of instruments. If these same students return next year
and if the members of the second class apply for admission in a like proportion,
it will become necessary t o puchase additional microscopes. I would be pleased
to have five more instruments with accessories. In teaching the use of microscopes
, I could find no text book of suitable size, t o place in the hands of the
students, so I was compelled to prepare notes for the class. Two of the students
in the Laboratory being also members of the printing class, set up these notes in
type and printed them in the form accompanying this report. It is my intention
to add to this publication from time to time until 1 succeed in obtaining a text
and guide of sufficient size to cover the time assigned me for this work. These
circulars will be placed in the hands of the student without expense to him and
t hus a double object be attained.
1st, t he simplest form possible for a guide to the Laboratory.
2nd, The necessity for purchasing large and eA~ensive books avoided. It is rr~ intaotion
to adopt this method with another class in Botany.
An excel l ent dark room has been added to the Biological Laboratory so that photographic
enlargements may be made of the sections of plants and animals. By the use
of this dark r eom the fine screen erected in my r ecitation r eom, projections may be
obtained of sections with enlargements to 2,000 diameters. (High specimens may thus
be examined that with the usual method of microscopical work with power objectives
is very laborious and tedious.)
...d-
293
In this connection, I will call your attention again to the generous to the
generous donation made the insti tution by Mr. Postell of St. Simons Island,
Georgia. This gentleman is well known among ~cientific students as an authority
on the subject of • He owns considerable land on the ocean side of
St. Stmons Island, and only a few miles from the Gulf Stream. I visited his· home
last February and in the course of conversation, he asked if our Institution was
doing anything in the way of Laboratory work in biology and he suggested the advantage
it would be to the students to visit the sea coast at certain seasons ana engage
in work of a small scale similar to that now being done by the large seaside
laboratories in the northern states • . I heartily approve the idea, but stated we
~d no money with which to keep up such a station and make it useful. iithin the
last month, I have received a letter from • Postell donating to the College a
sufficient portion of land for a laboratory on any point of his domains I may select.
The portion of the ocean washing this I sland has long been recognized by
workers as rich in natural history specimens. A cheap . frame building can be erected
on this Island wi th an outlay of three or four hundred dollars that will be
sufficient f or the purposes · of the Station. The instruments used and appliances
for work can be supplied from the outfit now in the possessi on of the College.
If the B0ard sees fit to accept this land, my plan would be to take such students
as will volunteer to spend one ot two months during vacatiop at the Station in
work and who will consent to pay their expenses while there. The individual expenses
will not be large because provisions are cheap on the Island and I would
provide accommodations in the building for sleeping and eating; each party being
required to add as much money to the common fund as will be nec.essary for the
eXf,enses of living. The College would only be called upon to erect the building
and supply the chemicals and apparatus. I f the Board doe~ not see its way clear
to establish this station, it may be best to accept the land and establish the
station sometime in the near future, when the income of the institution will permit
of the outl?y. You will greatly oblige by call ing special attention to this
matte:!:.
The Museum has been very much improved by the erection of large and handsome glass
cases in which the arrangements of the collection has been so made as to facilitate
the study of the forms of Natural History and Geology with perfect satisfaction;
at the ' same time the specimens are well preserved from dust, injurious insects and
careless handling. The addition to the Museum this year ha e been amounted to 763
specLmens--one box from Pale~o Sicily.
The class in, Telegraphy has been very much embarrassed because of the imperfect condition
of the instruments. iVhen I took charge of this work seven years ago, there
were four cheap and nearly worn out . in~t ruments . With the small amount of money
then at my command, I purchased one set consisting of a Sounder, ey and Relay.
With this apparatus, I have attempted to teach the practice of Telegraphy, but the
instruments are now in such bad conaition I wil l either have to discontinue the
work next session or a sufficient sum of money will have to be appropriated with
which to purchase sounders and keys. The sets cost $8.00 apiece. I would respectfully
suggest the pr opriety of p~rchasing at least six sets.
By your request, I assumed charge of the Printing Off ice, and started a class of
twel ve stuc.ents in printing with Mr. Allen as foreman. The work progressed finely
and the young men made such rapid advancement, as to encourage me to place the
printing of the catalogue in their hands. The character of the work here illustrated
will speak for itself. I think we now pronounce the printing office as one
of t he established facilities of the ColJege for instruction .
/ 294
Permit me to remind you of the suggestion made to you sometime since of having a
special appropriation made f or this Department in order to increase the facilities
for turning out first class printers. It is not necessary to elaborate this point
because I have already had a full talk with you on the subject and I trust you
have presented the matter in its strongest light in your report to the Board.
The Alabama Weather Service is still under my charge and its growth has been
steady. There are over 40 earnest observers allover the State in hearty cooperation
with me and 112 stations are reaping the benefits from my daily signals. The
advertisemant given of the College by means of the monthly bulletins is of great
value because . I am sending them out as College work and the public so understand.
In accordance with the liberality of the Chief Signal Officer, I am now enabled
to engage assistance in the cl erical work; and it is my intention to offer this
position to the students of the College who stand in need of aid in their struggles
to obtain an education. At present, the position of clerk is held by Mr.
Lamar, a recent graduate of the College and who is preparing himself for the legal
profes sion . Without t he aid thus extended to him, he would find it impossible to
pr osecute his studies~
The bulletins are now print ed in ashington by the Signal Service until other arr
angements can be made. It has occurred to me this work might be done in the
Printing Office of this College and thus give to the class in printing employment
that will be of pecuniary advantage to them. The Chief Si gnal Ofncer will
after the 1st of July furnish me with a sufficient sum to partly pay for the expense
of this work. If the College will furnish the material, I will be able on
account of this liberality on the part of the Signal Officer to compensate the
young men for their work.
During the year, I have examined quite a large number of insects for farmers throughout
the tate and remedies suggested for exterminating these pests. A number of
mineral specimens have also been exam °..ned and advi se given to those seeki ng- '.inf
ormation on t hi s s ub j ect . ~o u ~i 1 greatly oblige if you will ask the Board to
appr opriate for the running expenses of my chair, during the session of 1885-86
the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars.
Permit me to express to you my thanks f or the many courtesies and kind attentions
extended to me during the past year· and I hope that this institution ~dll receive
the benefit of your valuable xervices for many years .
Very respectfully submitted,
P. H. Mell, Jr., Professor
l atural History and Geology
Doctor W. LeRoy Broun
President A & 1. Coll ege
Auburn, Alabama
Dear .:>ir :
Department of Chemistry
Alabama Agricultural and Fechanical College
Auburn, Alabama
June 15, 1885
295
During the year just ending, I have taught four classes , viz : 3rd class in General
Chemistry, 1st class in Analytical Chemistry and 1st class in A ricultural Chemistry.
The 3rd class recited 5 times a week in 1st term, and. 3 times in 2nd term . The 2nd
class recited daily, and in addition worked in the Laboratory 3 times a week .
The 1st class in Analytical Chemj.stry recited thr ee ti:nes a week and worked in the
Laboratory 3 times a week . I he 1st class in Ag. Chemistry recited twice a week .
I have had good material and fair interest in their work. has been manifested by all
my classes , but owing to the prolonged interruption of work during past two months
their progress has not been as advanced as I had expected .
I have received from fees
II appropriations
Breakage
$120 .00
200 .00
16 .00
al l of which has been expended in the Laboratory. I have added to the balances
impprted by James • ~een and Company . I respectfully ask that the usual appropriation
of $100 and fees be continued for the ensuing year .
Respectfully submitt ed,
.• C. Stubbs
Professor of Chemistry
. ) ~
- -- -- - - -
296
Laboratory of State Chemist
Alabama Agricultural and 1echanical College
Auburn, Alabama
Doctor li. LeRoy Broun
resident A & H College
Auburn, labama
Dear Sir:
June 15, 1885
During the year just passed, we have made over 300 analyses of Fertilizers, Phosphates,
marls, soils, ores, et c. e have expended %686.54 of which there has been
paid 608 .25 leaving a balance due of $78 .29. The amount due if for chemicals
just rec ~ived and unconsumed. The cost of chemicals for analysis made this year
has b~ en about $200 apiece.
Besides the above quantitative work a large number of qualitative analyses has been
macte for parties allover the State.
e have on our books $73 5.00 for work done in Laboratory for private persons. Of
this amount we have collected and paid over to the Treasurer $670.00 leaving a
balance due of $65.00.
We have had in our employ as Assistants during the past year, Messrs. W. L. Hutchinson
and B. B. Ross . They have done excellent work and have rendered me very
efficient servi ces. The former. I paid $500 per year, the latter, I started on
trial at $25.00 per montp with the determination if found efficient to increase
his salary to $500 per year at the middle of the session, January 1st. Having
reported to your Board of Trustees in December that I was p yiug him only $300 .00
you were of the opinion that I should not raise his salary without consent of the
Board. I accordingly wrote Judge Clayton and herewith enclose c rrespondence.
I earnestly recommend that Kr . Ross be paid at rates of $500 per year since January
1st or just 100 in addition to what has been paid. Indeed, had it not been
for my assurances that the Board would allow this increased salary, I would have
lost nis valuable services in January and without his at that time our work would
have been materially delayed.
I r espectful ly recommend that $1,000 per year be paid }~ . Hutchinson and $750 per
year I~ . Ross for the ensuing year . As you know they work 12 months instead of
nine and six days in a week instead of 5. They are very industrious as the number
of analyses done the past year will att est. The work in this Department is on the
increase. The fa~ers are beginning to take advantage of the law and having their
guano analysed here without charge . Under law passed by the last Legislature, the
farmer can have any work done here that our Commissioner of Agriculture may order.
To popularize this Department it is necessary to do a great deal of work for individuals
allover the State. Hence, our "Laboratory has been filled all the year
with samples from all parts of the State . ~ e have now on hand several samples
which will carry as to the middle of July. From the increased work of the past
session, it is reasonable to suppose that the same amount of appropriations $600
will be needed. I would sug-est that a r rangements be made whereby should an excess
of this amount be needed, that the President could order it paid without the
delay i ncident to a correspondence with the Executive Committee.
f- 297
The servant assigned t he Chemistry epartment the year has been efficient. His
services are indispensable and I ask a continuance.
It is highl y probalbe that under the workings of the new law, the cash receipts.
for analys es will in the future be greatl y r educed.
Respectfully submit ted ,
• C. 'tubbs
Chemist in Char ge
P. S. I f or got to mention that a large number of germination tests of garden
and farm s eed rec eived from various sources have been made .•• r esults of which
are now being prepared for the press in forms of bulletins ••
• C. Stubbs
298
Dr . W. LeRoy Broun
President
Sir:
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College
June 16, 1885
I have the honro to make the f ollowing report of the work done in my Department
this session.
Civil Engineering
The first class has numbered four members throughout the sessiofl. It recited five
ti es a week and studiea ~~hons Civil Engineering and Von Otts Graphic Statics .
The lat ter is a work introduced by me for the purpose of teaching the class how to
determine the character of intensities of strains, etc . upon different members
of framed structures , without making intricate mathematical caluulations .
In the field this class ran a preliminary line over a mile and a quarter long and
afte rwards located it by putting in curves of different kinds running a line of
levels , etc. It would have done more but for the trip to New Orleans. The progress
of the class has been commendable not withstandino the frequent absence of some of
its members.
The second cl ass started with nine member s and now numbers five . It rec i t ed five
ti~ es a week and studied Hencks Field book and Gillespies Roads and Rail Roads ,
embracing all the subjects laid down in the Catalogue .
I t spent eight weeks in the field, running levels of different kinds, establishing
tangent lines and putting in the various kinds of curves by different methods . This
has been a model class , both in deport ent and progres s . Some of its members have
not missed a single recitations .
This department has recently been supplied with some new instruments but needs
more.
Drawing
The 1st class in drawing i s the same as the 1st in Engineering . It r ecited five
ti~es a week and has made some very handsome drawings of r oofs , houses, bridges ,
engines, mills and other machines .
The 2nd class , the same as the 2nd class in Engineering also r ecited five times
a week and made drawings of brick work, wood work and machines of different kinds.
its pr cgress has been very com~hendable .
The 3rd class has had as many as twenty-five members in it , but it now numbers
only fourteen . It recited four times a week and was taught orthographic and isometric
pro j ections and tinting in India ink and water colors . Some of this class
have done ren~rkable well, others tolerably and the r est badly .
The drawings of all these classes will be on exhibition and I hope it will be
the pleasure of the Board of Trustees to inspect the same im person and judge for
themselves as to the character of the work done in this department .
The 4th class in Drawing recited t o Pr ofe ssor Frazer .
..,a-- 299
Personnel
It wi ll be seen from the aboye that I had 24 recitations a week t hroughout the 1st
term and t hat I was closely engaged every College recitation period but one. Throughout
the 2nd term, I have been engaged the same length of time in the lecture room(24
recitations a week t hroughout the 2nd term and that I was closely engaged every College
recitation period but one) and have in addition spent 3 afternoon~ a .week in
the field whenever the weather would permit. My whole time therefore has been devoted
to the College--more than has been required of me in any of the several institutions
with which I have been connected.
I make this simple statement of facts about myself, not in a complaining spirit,
because I came to work, but that I may receive full credit f er my honest and l aborious
efforts to make t his I nst i tution of l earning a , success, so far as my own individual
ef fort s are concerned .
Respectfully submitted ,
James H. Lane
Professor, Civil Engineering and Drawing
At the suggestion of Mr . Haralson, I put on the r ecords a letter to the Board of
Trustees the foundation of a resolution introduced by Mr. Haralson.
To the Hon. Board of Trustees
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College
\' Auburn., Alabama
June 22, 1885
Alabama Agricultural and ~ echanical College
Gentlemen:
When you honored me with a position in your College, nothing whatever was said to
me officially or etherwise about the indebtedness of the institution to the older
members of the Faculty. It was a very simple business proposition you informed
me through one of your own members, Judge ¥~lone, that I had been elected to discharge
certain duties for whi ch I was to receive $1800 per annum and there is
nothing t o the contrary in your recorded minutes at that time or since. I have
discharged my part of the obligation, have performed my duties faithfully and to
the best of my ability; but your Treasurer on the plea of , putting me on the same
f ooting with the older members of the Faculty has ever since my connection with the
College persistently withheld a quarter of my salary, $450 .
I am not alone in the opinion that it is neither just nor busines slike ; and I now
respectfully appeal to you to perform your part of the agreement by ordering your
Treasurer to pay over to me on the 1st of August next, our next College pay day,
$900 and legal interest on $450 of it for two and a half years, in full payment of
the indebtedness of the Coll ege to me to the close of the present ses&ion.
Order your Treasurer to pay me this just debt, and you will enable me t o pay my
own just debts.
Respectfully submitted,
J ames H. Lane, Profe ssor
Civil Engineering and Drawing
Doctor W. L. Broun:
Department of Latin and History
A & M College
Auburn, Alabama
June 17, 1885
I hereby submi t my report of the Department of Latin and History for the scholastic
year, 1884-5.
I have given recitations in Latin to the students of the Latin Science course of the
4th, 3rd~ 2nd classes during the year; also I have taught History to the 4th and
-3rd classes in all the courses.
The 4th class took t he History of the Uni ted tates; the 3rd class a general course
in History. Both have taken very decided interest in the study and made satisfactory
pr ogress.
The time given to the subject is too brief to att empt more than the mere outlines
of history.
The 1st class has taken Political Economy \~th me, and have studied t he subject
with increasing interest as they progre ss. I have also had a class in Elementary
Greek, which has done well for the time devoted to the subject.
Under the changed course of the College, I have very much abbreviated the amount of
Latin to be taken. The time given is still enough to make a very good Latin scholar
if the student has proper preparation on entrance. I propose to conduct a class confined
to the study of Caesar, Cicero, Virgil and Horace; adding grammar. and written
exercises. The course in Greek is altogether optional and confined to two years.
It consists of elementary grammar and r e ~ ding extracts from Xenophon and Homer.
The purpose of my instruction in each of these languages is three fold: one, a
knowledge of the languages themselves, disciplinary--their r elation to our language
and scientific nomenclature.
I wish to embrace in the study of History and Political Economy instructions on the
political history and structure of our government as embodied in its constitution.
The t ime wil l only be sufficient to outline this subject which I deem highly important
to the young men as the citizen of a free government. To aid in this work,
it will be necessary to have some books and ref erence and maps if the Board of Trust
ees can spare the money.
Respectfully submitted,
J. T. Dunklin, Professor
Lat in and History
Doctor W. LeRoy Broun
President A & 1-1 Coll ege
Dear Sir :
..p-301
Report of the Department of Mathematics
I respectfully summit a report of the work done in my Department during the present
year.
The 4th class , 34 in number, have passed the subjects of Algebra through Inductive
Equations and Geometry from books. Th~ 3rd class finished Geometry, Trigonometry
and Surveying, with the usual amount of field w rk . The 2nd class finished Analytical
Geometry, Differential 'and a ,portion of Integral Calculus • . The 1st class has
accomplished Loomis valculus. The 1st and 2nd class have done more and bet ter work
than any cl asses I have ever taught. I would specially commend to your notice the
2nd class . The cadets in the other classes have made commendabl e progress .
The refurnishing of my lecture rOom has added very much to ,my facilities for instruction~
~eturning my acknowledgements for many kind favors , I respectfully submit this report
o. D. 3mith
Professor Mathematics
)- 302
\
Doctor W. L. Broun
President
Sir:
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical Col.
Auburn, Alabama
June 20, 1885
I hereby submit a report of my work during the scholastic year just ending . At
the annual meeting in 1884, the Board of Trustees elected me Commandant of Cadets
and Instructor in Mathe atics and Languages. In . addition to my duties as Commandant,
until June 1, 1885, I taught the junior and senior classes in Military
Science and Tactics, ·4th class Linear Drawing, sub-section 4th class Algebra, 5th
class Geometrical -Drawing and 5th class Penmanship. Upon the resignation of Professor
Maxson, Principal of the Grammar School in December 1884, the Faculty appointed
me to take charge of his Department. This change necessitated my teach~g a greater
number of hours each day, consequently, in accordance with a change in the schedule,
I taught my 4th Drawing, 5th Drawing and enmanship in the afternoon of each day.
Ny dril.ls have been wel l attended and the progress in learning Military details
have been satisfactory. The 4th class has shovm remarkable fondness for dravdng
and their examination in this study shows that they have made good use of their
time.
On taking char ge of the Gr ammar School, .I found twenty-three students in at t endance
The progress made in this Department has been very satisfactory.
Yours respectfully,
F. H. Frazer
303 r
Doctor \ • L. Broun, President
A & College
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
June 15 , 1885
In pursuance of the custom of the Colleg ~, I herewith subnut a r eport of my work
which you wi ll .do me the f avor to transmit t o the Board of Trustees at their annual
meeting on .the 22nd inst . I find from examination of ~ cl ass rol ls that the total
number enrolled during the session is 37; divided as fol lows: In the first class- I ,
in the second class- 12 and in the third- 24 . As evidence that the cadets have no
aversion to the study of Agr i cul ture as has been supposed by some , two- thir ds of
the sophomore class of 1883- 4 who were .advanced t o the junior class of 1884-5, selected
the course of Agriculture and e hemistr y .
The interest ~~ifested in the study and the progress made have been very gratifying .
It is a source of regret that ci rcumstances have conspired to prevent as much field
instruction as I anticipated and desired . Being compelled to push f orward the work
on the farm at the proper season, it is not always practicable to have the classes
present while the most instructive work is under progres5.
I hope , however, that as practical work becomes more appreciated and the duties of
the dif ferent departments become better systematised these difficulties wil l be
overcome .
This will be facilitated when the farm can be devoted more exclusively to the pur-poses
of instruction as I hope it may be in the near future. have refrained
hitherto from asking anything i n the way of equipment for a lecture r oom--instruction
in the f orm of models, skeletons of animal s , plates , etc. fuen the means at
the command of the Board will justify it, I will be pleased to have cas es placed in
my lecture room for the reception of specimens of vegetable products , models of farm
implements and machinery, soils , plates , etc. illustrative of the sub·ects taught
the clas ses . In addition t o these 'mproved implements , are needed on t he farm not
only f or thepurpose of facilitating the progress and economy of the work t hereon,
but to f&~iarize the members of my classes with their practical use in the aid
of our efforts t o dignify labor and to render farm life more at tractive to growth .
The experiment conducted upon the farm are utilized as far as practicable in the
i nstruction of the Cadets and an ef fort made t o impress t hem with a neces sity of
extreme accuracy in al l agricultural investigations for the purpose of instructing
t hem in the methods of scientific stock f eeding, additional appliances in the way
of a barn constructed with special reference to the object in view catt le scales ,
a mill for preparing f ood all arranged in regard to convenience and economy are
needed .
The farm is being prepared as r apidly as the means at my command will allow f or
instructive experiments in stock breedi ng and for elaborate experiments in all
the departments of horticulture . The grounds for the cotten purpose will be ready
for occupancy next fall , when means for the purchase of frui t t r ees , vines and
varieties of smal l fruits will be necessary to commence thei work on a respectable
scale . Experiments in Agriculture are in pr ogress on oats , corn, potatoes , millet ,
cane , melons , chufas , sorghum, milo maise and cotton . all of which will be utilized
for instruction of my classes as well as through the bulletins of the Department
of Agriculture for the i nformation of the fart::lers of the State , recogni zing the
304
fact that large demands had been made upon the fund available and i ntended mainly
for the maintenance of my Department. I asked at the last meeting of the Board
the minimum amount likely to be needed before the annual meeting. It has been
found impracticable to accomplish all that I hoped with that amount. L re$pectfully
ask that a liberal appropriation be made for the equipment of the farm for
the purposes of education, through the experiments conducted thereon.
I invite a thorough i nspection of the work in every branch of my department including
the expenditure of the amount appropriated for its maintainance.
All of which is respectfully submitted,
J. S. Newman
Professor
Doctor IV. L. Broun
President
A & College
Auburn, Alabama
June 22 , 1885
05
I herewith re spectfully .submit a report of the work done during the current academic
year in t he Department of English Literature- -the number of students--munber
of recitations , etc . may be best seen from the following table :
No . Reci tations Total
Class 'ubject No . Students Per eek Recitations
1st English 5 2 40
2nd " 21 3 108
3rd II 27 3 108
4th " 39 4 144
French 6 3 108
German 7 3 108
In addition t o this .class room work , I have required frequent exercises in composition
of all the classes and held r egualr exerci ses in declamati on in 3rd class .
I have also opened the Library at fixed times for the students and am glad to report
a lively interest during the year in reading about 1, 000 books , being drawn out
since eptember .
I beg permission to .say that any appropriation you can make for the Library wil l
be most opportune • .
The work done in my .classes uring the year, I am glad to say , has been eminently
satisfactory .
Very respectfully,
C. C. Thach , Professor
~glish Literature and odern Languages
(Over, Report of Treasurer r ecopied. )
To the Honorable Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and lechanical Col l ege of
Alabama :
have the honor to submit the fol lowing report of the Financial transactions of
t his office for the year ending June 15, 1885 :
Receipt s :
To State Treasurer
" Inciaent al and Srugeons fe es
" Chemical fees
" Expense ( i plomas)
" Fuel Coal sold
" Adverti sing (Error)
Balance
Di sbursements:
By balance as per amended report
" Expense of r ofessors
II ~en se account
II Stationery
II Exchange
" tJ.usic
" ilitary
II Trustees
" Servant hire
" Speakers
" Special appatn.
" Salaries
II ostage
" Fuel
II Printing
" " Present
" House rent
" Insurance
II Chemical
II Advertising
" Sur eon
catalogue
$
$
20, 280 .00
1, 270 .00
120.00
45 .00
35 .64
5.00
~,28 . 16
22,218 .30
744 .64
496 .47
142 . 95
22.40
5. 65
100.00
116 . 50
395.40
180 .00
34.10
271.10
17, 575 .00
108 .41
275 .18
150 .00
124 .70
200 .00
300 .00
320.00
206.30
44,2 .00
$22, 213 .80
-- -- - - - ---- ---
State Appropriation a/c:
Recei pts :
To balance Jun~ 16, 1884
" State Treasury August 16, 1884
" Repair (articles sold)
" Natural History alc from Professor. Nell
Disbursements :
By repai r
" frei ght and contingent
II fumitt;.re for lecture rooms
" Langdon Hall
" m gineering Department
" 1 at ural History
" Physics
II lanting trees
II Library
II Balance
Receipts :
To Cadets
Library Account
II Balance Stat~ Ai,propriation alt
Disbursements :
By Balance June 16, 1884
II Books and Periodicals
$ 7, 257 .11
7, 500.00
48 .28
84.06
$ 1, 061. 75
63 .45
407 .50
1, 013 .29
460 .27
684 .06
879 .17
29 .25
485 .56
9.805.15
$220.00
485 .56
$ 30. 55
675 .01
Experiment Stati on Account
Receipts :
To Cash from Cel . J . S. Newn an, Director
II Balance Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements : .
By Cash paid Col . Newman , Director
II II II II II , alary
$1,012 .40
3.457 .02
$ 3, 944 .42
525 .00
-/: 307
$14 .889 .45
$14, 889 .45
$705 . 56
$705 .56
)\308
State Chemical Department
Receipts :
Balance Agricultural Bureau
Disbursements :
By cash paid Pr of . Stubbs , chemicals
II II II II II , books
Salaries of Assistants
.:3ervant hire and contingent
608 .25
200 .00
600 .00
145.00
Pr i nting Office ccount
Receipts :
To Cash of Commi ssi oner of Agriculture
II College Printing al c
$698 .75
150 .UO
124 . 70
152 . 58
II Balance Agricultural Bureau.
II College rinting , present catalogue
Disbursements:
Expenses of Printing Off i ce
Agr i cul t ural Bureau Account
Recei pts :
Amt . brot . f or'd omi tted last r epor t $ 14 .18
Cash from Commissioner 7 , 988 . 54
Disbursements :
By balance on re~ ort of last year
II II Exper iment Station .
II II Chemical Laboratory
" II rinting Office
Balance
$1,301. 36
3, 457 .02
1, 553.25
152 . 58
1 , 538 . 56
Analysis Account
Receiklts :
To balanae on hand June 16, 1884
II cash from Pr of. Stubbs
Disbursements :
$370 .00
670 .00
By cash pai d Pr of. Stubbs order of Bd . ~ 200 .00
II Balance 840 .00
$1,.553 .25
$1 , 553 . 25
$1 ,126.03
$1, 126 .03
$8 , 002.72
$8 , 002 .72
,1, 040 .00
$1 , 040 .00
R.eceipts :
College Account
State Appropriation
Agricultural Bureau
Analysis Account
Disbursements:
College Account
State Appropriation
Agricultural Bureau
Analysi s Account
Balance on hand
Recapitulation
$ 21, 755 .64
14, 889 .45
8, 002 .72
1 . 040.00
22 , 213 .80
5, 084 .30
6, 464.21
200 .00
11. 725 . 50
$ 45 , 687 .81
$ 45 , 687 .81
Respectfully submitted,
E. T. Glenn
Treasurer
A & M.College
Amended report ending June 15 , 1884
To balance per report June 15th
II balance
$ 1, 055.36
744 .64
By amount paid Professor evnnan , .Salary
State Appropriation Account
Receipts :
To amount from tate Treasurer for r eport June 15
Credit :
To amount aid for Sand Exp . t . per rpt . June 15
II Repairs on College building
" Langdon Hall
II Balance
,2,844 . 55
6, 915 . 02
5,483 .32
7 , 257 .11
Agricultural Department
Receipts :
Amt. from Commissioner of Agriculture
Balance
Disbursements :
By equipment State Chern . Dept.
" Salary of Asst . Chemist
II Part salary of Director of Exp . t .
II Printing Frt . & fixtures
" Exp . tation balance
$7, 215 .10
1 ,301.36
1 , 8u6 .Q9
1 , 200 .00
700 .00
996 .96
3 , 8ih3 ·44
$ 1 . 800 .00
1 , 800 .00
$ 22, 500 .00
$ 22 , 500 .00
$ 8, 516 .49
$ 8, 516 .49
1 310
Experiment Station Account
Rec eipts:
Farm roducts
Sale of Fer t ilizers and other sources
Balance
Credits :
$ 629 .20
153.25
. 3.813.44
Paid to Col . J . S. NewmanDi r ect or of Station
Recapitulation
E. T. Glenn , Treasurer Debit
To College a/c er report June 15
Salary of rof . t,evsman as rofs.
transf . from Agl. Bureau
ot included in r eport , June 15
State Apprn . a/c per report June 15
Less Chern . Acct. t rans'd to Ag. Bureau
Ag . Bureau a/c per report June 15
Broun's salary not incl ded
d Chern, t r ans 'd f rom State Appn. a/c
Printing a/c included in report June 15 .
ewman ' s salary trans'd to College a/c
Which amount deducted from the sum of
Leaves
Pr inting a/c i ncluded in r eport June 15
Bal ance .
Dr. .
To Balance per re ort June 15 .
Cr. .
By Salary paid Prof. NeWman
If If If L. Br oun
Balance June 16
(Over)
$20 ,481.84
1, 175 .00
625.00
17,048.98
1, 806.09
7, 368. 56
600.00
1.806.09
83.16
1,175 .00
$ 1,258.16
9, 774.65
8,516.49
83.16
5,497 .95
625 .00
600.00
5.497.95
$4.595.89
$4,595.89
$22 , 281. 84 X
15,242 .89 X
9,774 .65
8, 516.49 X
83 .16 X
5,497.95 X
51, 622 .33
6,722. 95
6,722. 95
Dr .
To balance to credit State Appr opr i ation
account , June 16
Analysis Account 'er r epor t , June 15
Cr .
Balance paid on College alc to June 15
II II Ag . Bureau Account
II II Printing Account
II on hand
$7, 257 .11
370 .00
.$ 744 .64
1,301.36
83 .16
5, 497 · 95
i 31'
$7, 627 .11
7, 627 .11
Montgomery, Alabama
' August 27 , 1885
The Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and .echanical College of Alabama met
in the Reading Room of the Exchange Hotel , Montgomery, Alabama ; and the SecretapY
of the Board not being present , Mr . ~ . T. Genn was requested to act as Secretary.
There were present of the Board : His Excel lency E. A. O' Neal, Governor of the
St ate and essrs. Clayton, Barnes, Bishop, Gilchrist , Haralson , and Langdon .
ON Ke TION, t he reSignation of r ofessor • C. 3tubbs was accepted .
ON I,. TI of hr . Ha r al s on , That Professor N. T. Lupton be elected Professor of
Chemistry in the A M College of labama , at the salary and compensat i on offered
Pr ofess or St ubbs , viz $1800 salary, payable as the other rofessors have been and
are receiving their salaries and 300 out of analysis funds. Unanimously adopted .
ON ':OTI 'N of 1- r . Clayton , That the sum of $200 be paid to Professor Lupton as
comensuration f or house rent , in addition to the pay offered him as compensation
f or his servic es as Pr ofessor of Chemistry in the A & M Coll ege , payable out of
such funds as the Board may hereafter di r ect. That Dr. Br oun, the Presiuent, be
and he is hereby authorized and directed to correspond with Professor Lupton and
communicate to his his el ection and the compensation offered hill. Adopted .
ON MOTION of ! r . Haralson, That the Fac 1 ty are hereb" aut horized and directed to
ar ange as early as practicable a ~pecial course of i nstruction in Pharmacy adopted
to qualify young men by systematic work in Chemistry and other sciences to becGme
practical pharmacist s and chemical manufact.u ers . Adopt ed.
R3JOLV3D by ~ r . Haralson , That in view of the increased f acilities f or inst ruction
of Agriculture and the techni cal departments of Education, now pos sessed by this
College , especially in the Depa r t ment of echanic Arts , made possible by the recent
donations from the State . The Faculty are aut horized in addition to the legal
name of this Coll ege to print on t he catalogue t he words Alabama olytechnic Instit
ute as significant of the expanded system of practical instruction in industr ial
science in the courses of education now pr ovided for. Ado ~ted .
The Committee appointed b: the Board at its last meeting in June to publish a report
of the finances and general nagement of the College submit t ed their report which
was adopted and recommittea to the Committee for publicati on .
Board adjourned .
E. T. Glenn
ecretary Pro Tem
The above anci f oregoing are proc eedings of the Board held in Montgomery, Alabama
August 27 , 1885 as r eported t o me by }lr. E. T. Glenn , acting Secretary .
F. M. Reese
Secretary to Board of Trustees
On opposite page is the report referred t c in the proceedings , cut from the
Advertiser .
Report of the Trustees of the State Agricultural and Mechanical College Filed with
the Auditor
By the fifth sect ion 0 lIan act to assist the Agri cultural & ~ echanical College,"
&c., approved February 239, 1883, it is made the duty of the Trustees of that
institution or a committee designated for that purpose, to make quarterly reports
to the Auditor of the State, embracing a full account of the receipts and disbursements
un er the provisions of the act. At a meeting of the trustees in June last,
a committee was appointed to prepare a r eport covering not only the subject required
by the act, but other matters of public and general interest, which was intended to
be filed with the uditor. For various reasons the committee has been delayed in
making their report. The Board of Trustees now ~ session, made necessary for another
pr~,se , make the following statements in regard to the past history of the
coll ege, its present condition and future purposes, and also its financial management.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE
On the 2d day of July, 1862, the Congress of the United States passed an act donating
to the States and Territories which may ~rovide colleges certain lands f or that purpose,
and by the 4th section of said act provided that the :oney erived from the
sale of said lands should be invest ed in stocks of the United States or of the State
or some other safe stock, and that the money so invested shall constitute a perpe-
. tual fund, the capital of which shall remain forever undiminished and the interest
of which shall be inviolably appropriated by each State, which may take and claim
the benefit of this act , to the endowment , support and maintenance of .at least one
college , where the leading object shall be, without excluding other sc i entific and
classi cal studies and including military tact~cs, to teach such branche~ of learning
as are relat ed to agriculture and the mechanic arts as the Legislatures of the States
may respectively prescribe, in order to promote the l~beral and practical education
of t he indust,rial classes in the several pursuits and profess i ons in life."
The fifth section of said act provided the conditions upon which the grant of Congress
was made and that the several States should signify their assent to the conditions
upon which the' grant of Congress was made and that the several States should
signify their assent to the conditjons and trusts contained in said act by legislative
enactment. Among them was the provision that if the fund invested under the
said act, or any portion of the interest thereon should be lost, it should be replaced
by the State to which it belongs , so that the capital o~ the fund should remain
forever undiminished; and that the annual interest shall be regularly applied
without di. inution to the purposes mentioned in the fourth section of said act; and
one of the conditions was that the tate claiming the benefit of the provisions of
this act should provide within five years at least one college as Aescribed in the
fourth section of this act.
In consequence of the war, Congress, by acts supplemental thereto, on the 14th day
of April, 1864, and July 23, 1866, extended the time in which the States might acc.
ept the same and signify their assent thereto and provide and establish the colleges.
By the terms of said donation of Congress, Alabama was entitled to landscript amounting
to 240, 000 acres, and the legislature of the State passed an act approved
ctober 10, 1868, by which it was enacted lIThat the Governor of t his State is
authorized and it is hereby made his duty to secure the landscript from the Govern-
i 314
ment of the United States for the 240,000 acres of land, for the purpo se of establishing
an Agricultural College in this State,1I and the sarne legislature passed an
act appr oved ecember 31, 1868, in which by the 1st section it was enacted "that
the Stat e of Alabama hereby accept the benef its and trusts conferred by an act of
Congress appr oved July 2, 1862, and acts amendatory thereto entitled, lIan act donating
public lands to the several Stat es and Territories, which may pr ovide colleges
for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts," and by the 2d section
of the said act , it was enacted, "that the State of Alabama hereb-- aS t;ents to all
the conditions, limitations , restrictions and trusts under which the grant of
land and landscript is authorized to be made under the provisions of said act of
Congress as set forth in the 5th section thereof as well ~ s to the other provisions
contained in said act of Con g res~.
The le~islature passed an act approved February 27, 1871 , authorizing the Governor
to receive from the proper authorities of the Unit ed States t he landscript t o -be
issued for the lands granted to the dtate by the acts of Congress before mentioned
and to receipt f or the same . The act consti tuted the Governor, Lieutenant Governor,
Attorney General, the Superultendent of Public In struction and the Auditor of t he
State a board of commissioners to sell the land scrip for cash and invest the same
in stocks of the United States or the State of Alabama.
This act by its eighth section makes it the duty of the Auditor by the approval and
concurrence of the board of commissioners, to invest the funds arising from th~
.,ales of said land scrip in the stocks of the Uniteu Stat.es or the ~tate .of illabama,
and constitutes the same a perpetual fund, the capital of which shall remain forever
unidminished.
By the act of the legislature of Dec. 15th, 1871, the Governor of the State was
authorized to i ssue the bonds of the State for one million of doll ars , bearing
interest at not 'a greater rate than eight per centper annum, and interest payable
ser.ti - annually and the bonds payable at the expiration of twenty years , and by
the 8th section of said act the Audit or was required to i nvest the funds arising
from the sal e of the land scrip in th~s e bonds. Under and by virtue of this law
the money arising from the sale of the land scrip (except a small amount which had
been pr evi ously invested in other State bonds) was invested in these State bonds;
which said investment gave the college an endowment of t 0 hundred and fiftythr
ee thousand and five hundred dollars in Alabama State bonds bearing interest
at eight per cent per annum, payable semi- annually, which constitutes t he endow'
ment of the college, and the interest on which the St ate is bound to pay to the
t r easurer of the college semi-annual l y and if any portion of said interest is
lost or diminished the 'tate i s bound to replace it or make it good to the coll
ege under the act of Congress aforesaid . up to this time the college had not
been established. n the 26th day of Februa~r , 1872 , the General Assembly of the
tate of Alabama enacted IIthat t here be and hereby is established at Auburn, Lee
county, Alabama, a college for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic art s ,
whose l eading ob j ect shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical
studies and including military tacti cs, t o teach such branches of learning as
relate to agriculture and the mechanic arts in conformity to the acts of Congress."
At the same date the Legislature passed an act establishing a Board of Direct.ors
fo r said college consisting of seven members , and making it their duty to meet in
Auburn and take charge of the said college and authorized them to grant diplomas
and confer degrees both academic and honorary as other colleges .
-Early in t he S ~ rin g the Board of Directors did meet in Auburn, the Alabama Conference
of t he ~'i eth odist L!: . Church, South , having by its cor poration, the East Alabama
-f. 315
College given the building to the tate for said college) , and did organize a college
for the benefit of agriculture and mechanic arts , whose leading object is without
excluding other scientific and classicla studies , and including military tactics ,
to teach such branches of learning as relate to agriculture and the mechanic arts ,
according to the requirements of the acts of the Congress of the United States , and
the acts of the General Assembly of the t ate of Alabama, accepting the grant and
establishing the coll ege .
It will be seen that the endowment of the college was two hundred and fifty-three
thousand and five hundred dollars in these State bonds, drawing interest at eight
per cent , payable semi-annuall y, .which the directors were alone autho:rized to use ,
The State paid the same in tate certi f i cates , known as Patton .money, which was
discounted .at five per cent , or more, (which was ternty thousand, two hundred and e
eighty dollars annually) until the issuance of the tate certifi cates or what was
called the "horse-shoe money," under the act of the General Assembly entitled an
act "to provide for the funding of the domestic debt of the State, " approved December
19, 187J, when the Treasurer of the State , under the direction of the Governor,
refused to pay the said interest in any currency except the said certificates
. These certificates were at a discount from fifteen to twenty per cent.
The directors had engaged the professors at a salary of eighteen hundred dollars
each, except the President , who was paid something more .
The pr ofessors said they would take the certificates or "horse- shoe money" at what
they were worth, that their salaries were eighteen hundred dollars in money, that
they stood on their contract and that they were notable nor were they willing .to
to be paid in the State certificates at par . The directors had put their salaries
at eighteen hundred dollars each, and were well satisfied in law that they could
not compel them to take the State certificates at par; that if sued the coll ege
would have to pay in that which was a legal tender in payment of private debts .
The State had just been redeemed from the worst carpetbag and radical misrule, and
the directors fel t that as good patriotic citizens it was better to take the money
as offered by the treasurer and trust to the proper sense of the State in making it
good, as it was bound under the acts of Congress and the different acts of the legislature
above quoted to make good or repay any loss or diminution in any portion of
the interest . During the period the treasurer of the college received of these
State certific tes and other State money the Sum of one hundred and thirty-six
thousand seven, hundred and eighty dollars. (136 , 789) in the payment of the interest
due on the said bonds, constituting the endowment of the .college as aforesaid, the
discount on which , at the average of fifteen per cent would as is readily perceived
amount to over twenty thousand dollars.
The directors recognized the liability of the college to ay the professors in current
funds , and claimed the discount as not only a just debt against the State , but
one the State had solemnly pledged itself to make good in accepting the donation
from the Congress of the United jtates . This discount constit tes in part what is
called the "back salaries" of the professors , and the whole of it was paid before
the appropriation of the thirty thousand dollars was made by the legisl ature bef
ore the last to the college .
The writer of t his went before the commi t tee of the house of repr esentatives of
the ~ tate at the ses i on the thirty thousand dollars was appropriated and
urged the same on the grounds that the State was bound to pay back or make good the
discount on these tate certificates under the act of Congress and the acts of the
Legislature accepting the donation and was fully assured that that committee at
y 316
least saw and recognized the claim of the college on the State to that amount . By
the constitution of December 6th, 1875, the college was put under a ~oard of Trustees
instead of directors.
GENERAL REMARKS
The coll ege has been conduct ed with varying success, limited as it was in its
means for giving pr actical instruction in those sub jects of Slidy which constitute
its· 1I1eading object," until he Legislature made an appropriation of $30,000 to
aid in more thoroughly equiping the departments of agriculture and mechanic arts,
to provide increased facilities for inst ruction in the sciences and to repair and
construct buildings, &c. The trustees have labored diligently and faithfully to
carry out the purposes of the act of Congress and the State Legislature . Diff iculties
and embarassments met them on every hand.
The character of work to be done was new, and being without the advantage of successful
precedents, had to be shaped to meet the wants of our peopl e. The work
therefore had to be done cautiously and hence slowly. Many were in favor of making
it a . purely agricultural and mechanical college, but this could not be done in accordance
with the acts of Congress and of the State Legislature. All that could be
done was to give especial prominence to the teaching of IIsuch branches of l earning
as are r elated to agr i culture and the mechanic arts," without excluding other
scientifi c and classieal studies, "in order to promote the liberal and practical
education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of
life . 1I
The catalogue, as approved by the t rustees states that lithe leading ob'ect of this
college is to teach the principles and t he applications of science."
It sets forth in a very clear manner that a student may devote himself to any
specialty he may prefer that is included in the subjects taught in the college .
He may, if prepared f or the work, devote his entire time to sci entifi c agriculture
to the mechanic arts, to practical chemistry or to engineering.
The catalogue also shows that the subjects taught are so arranged as to present
three regular courses of educat ion requiring four years for completion and two
partial two-year courses. Of ·these five courses four are special and technical
and relate to agriculture , chemistry, engineering, and mechanic arts. ne only is
a general course, t is general course of education, the catalogue st ates, "has
been arranged to give a general and less technical education in sub j ects of science
and language t o meet the wants of those stndents who have selected no definite
-vocation in life, as v/ell as of those who do not now propose to enter a technical
pr ofession, but who propose ultimately to ' engage in sane commercial or manufacturing
course or business ." And such is the encouragement given to the technical
courses in t he college that general ly more than four-fifths of the st ents are
found in them.
Many patrons of the college , who are equally with others entitled to share its
benefits, desire t hat their sons shall in addition to the thorough course in
English re uired of all students, also have a knowledge of the ancient or modern
languages.
ile these sub j ects are taught in compliance with the acts of Congress and of the
State, it is the privilege of any student to exclude these l inguistic studies from
his course if he desires to do so , and confine himself st r i ct ly to the prinCiples
and applications of SCience , or to any special depart rrent o~ science.
;4-317
C GE OF I NSTRUCTORS
The trustees regr et to, state that the college has lost the valuable services of
Prof . ~ tubb s , who resigned. his position as Profes sor of Chemistry to accept a .
mor e lucrative one in Louisiana. They take pleasure , however, in stating that
t hey have procured in his stead the ser vices of Dr . Lupton, who is not uny~own to
the people of Alabama.
For some years the Tru~te e s have endeavore t pr ocure fie detail of a gr aduate of
'est oint as instructpr of ' litary Science apd Tactics.
In making t is detail the States of Alabama and Florida are grouped together, so
that only one state is. suppl ied at the same t· e .
The latter State has had the J etail for three year s past , and as soon as it was
learned t hat Alabama was entitled to it , application was made, and Lieutenant
Richards, of 2d artil l~ry , . was s ec r ed f or the purpose named.
FINANC L
For the papt two years the. college has had three separate funds for distinct p rposes
.
.
1st . The col lege fund proper, being the interest paid by the. State on t he
endowment fund by Congress .
2d . The State appr opraiti on for bu ' ldings , repairs, equipme ts , c.
3d . That arising from the agricultural department .
Of the first we h~ve spoken at length above, and have only t o add here t hat there
have been times in the history of the coll ege when the treasurer was compelled to
borrow' oney to meet pr esent exigencies, as f or instance, when on one occasion,
t he r oof of the college was partial ly blown off by a stor n, and at oth.er times when
the interest was paid in depreciat ed currepcy an~ it was necessary to pay bills in
current or par funds . Thus an inter est account w s creat ed.
. ,
The. accounts of t he treasurer in r espect of t his fund , running through a series of
years have been critically exarr~in ed by the Jtate examin r of public accounts and
errors f ound on bot s~ es amounting to between two and thr ee hundred dol l ars, all
of which have been corr ected. It s j ust t o the t reau sr~r to say that in our experience
it is ra r~ that ac ~ ount s of the l ength and amoupts of these are entirely
f ree from error.
STATE AP ROPRIATION
Herewith is presented a condensed statement of t he receipts and expenditures of
the State. appropriation as follwws :
1883
Sept . 23
Oct . 22
Nov . 28
Receipts
Cash from State Treasurer
"
"
"
"
" II "
"
2, 5uO.OO
2, 500 .00
5, 000 . 00
.. 318
1884 For'd
Feb . 27 - Cash from tate Treasurer
¥18.y 9 " " " " Aug . 16 " " " "
Disbursements
For the year June 15 , l e83 to June 15 , 1884:
amo nt aid f or land ; experiment station
epairs on College and bui lding bal .
Amount paid, appropr i ations , apparatus and
library f or t he year June 15, 1884 to June
15, 1885
Bills payable under appropriations made
during the year 1384-85 to the departments
of physics and mechanics , machinery and apparatus
now being received, (June 15 , 1885)
Balance
$10 , 000 .00
$ 7, 500 .00
5, 00 .00
7 . 500 .00
$30, 000 .00
$ 2, 844. 55
12, 398 .34
4, 951. 96
7,120 .83
2 , 684.32
$30, 000 .00
This shows an unexpended balance in June last of $2, 684 .32, when $2, 500 .0 ~as
set apart for building purposes, this being the only fund at the disposal of- the
trustees available for that purpose . The remaining sum of $184 .32 was reserved
for contingencies.
here was , at one . time, borrowed of this fund, by the Treasurer, the sum of
2, 046 .10, to meet appropriat ions in another department which then had no funds ,
but whi ch was soon t hereafter replaced from the proper source .
It was a uestion with him whether he would t hus use the money and save interest
or borrow it temporarily from some other source and pay interest .
The Treasurer's account of this fund showed a large amount on hand at one ime .
It was , by act of the legislature; required that this money should be dra\\'l1 before
the close of the fiscal year, 1884 . At t he meeting of the trustees held
January 22d, 1885, 5, 000 was appropraited to the department of mechanic arts and
other amounts to the different scientific departments for apparatus , etc ., and
its expenditure authorized under the direction of the president of the college .
The pr esident finding it inconsistent with his other duties , at that time inadvi sable
to leave the college , was delayed in making the anvestigations necessary to
its judicious expenditure. These various amountv were , however, at that time ,
more properly to the credit of the president for the purposes named .
Befor e the amount was r eceived the treasurer was required to give an a ditional
bond as provided by the act, and for stil l greater security he was r e ' uired to
make is deposits in some safe bank instead of keeping it in hi s safe in the
college where it would have bean in greater danger of loss from burglary .
The committ ee entrusted with the drawing of this moenywas a careful one , and the
money when drawn was neeQe for immediate use or in the near future. It was perfectly
safe~ and in fact is nearly al l expended except as stated above .
An itemized statement or account of the expenditure of this ap ropriation is herewith
filed in the Auditor's office .
-It- 319
REX; IPT F MAG. CULTURAL D A Th::ENT
The following is a condensed statement of the receipt s and expenditures of amounts
from the Agr i cultural epartment ; ite ·zed accounts of which are also filed in the
Autiitor ' s office :
Receipts:
For the year ending June 15, 1884 •••••••••• $7 , 215 .13
For the year ending June 15 , 18 5 ••••••••••• 8, 002.72
Disburse ents :
Paid on exper iment station account
for the year ending June 15, 1884,
exclusive of receipts from stat i on
( . 782 .45 and including past salary
of irector ( 700 .00) ••.•..••••.•••••••••��� $4, 513.44
Paid tate Chemical Depa tment for
the year ending June 15, 1 84, in-cluding
salary of Assistant Chemist .
( ~l , 21 ) .................................. $3 , 006 .00
Printi.n.g Press . . ........................... 996 .96
Paid on experiment stat i on acoount
for t he year ending June 15, 1885,
exclusive of receipts from station
. (1 , 012.40)incl di ng past salary of
Director( 25 .00) •.••���•••••••••••••••••••• 3, 457 .02
aid tate Chemical Laboratory for
the year ending June 15, 1885, incl uding
past salaries of Assistant Chemists
( 6, 000) . .................................. $1, 553 .25
rinting Offie e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 . 58
B alanc e .~ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• $1, 538 . 51
15, 217 .85
$15 , 217 .85
In presenting this report the trustees would respectfull y invite attention to the
increased facilities f or instr uction in the sciences and their applications now
possessed by the Agricultural and Mechanical Col l ege, and made possible by the
appropriation from the State and th~ income r eceived f r om t he Department of Agriculture
.
In the past two years agric lture has been made more pr ominent and enlarged in its
scope by making the Pr ofes sor also Oi r~ct o r of the Experiment Station and a new
depart ent of l-lechanic Arts has been established.
An additional farm has been purc has~d and equipped for the agricultural work
required where experiments are being annually made from which r esults of great
value to the agricultural interests of the State are anticipated .
A special chemical laboratory has bean e uipped for the anal sis of fertilizers ,
agricult ral pr oducts , &c., where since its establishment , about four hundred analyses
of fe r tilizers , marls , &c ., have been made in the interest of the farmers of
the state .
In t he past two years , t he Board has expended in enlarging, equipping and supporting
the chool of Agricultural and the ChemiaiLaboratory in connection therewith,
t he sum of ~ 19 , 349 . 35.
{' 320
The Agricultural Exper iment tati on and the Chemical Laboratory are now well
equipped, not only for the pur poses of teaching, but also to do work of a valuable
character to the agricultural interests of the whole St ate, by conducting
careful experiments in s cientific agriculture, by dis s eminating to the farmers
the r esults and deductions drawn from the experiments ~ade , and by affording,
through the chemical anal ysis made , protection from imposition by the sale of
inferior fe rtil izers .
The department of mechanic arts , ' f or whieh-$5, OOO was appropriated , has been
established and equipped for woodwor k, with the machinery and t ools required and
used in t he best inti tutes of technology .
It is believed t hat this department of manual technolo , t he first established
in the St ate, will prove of gr eat val ue in teachi ng that branch of educat i on in
the mechanic ar t s , w ich, i n the near future will be of e pecial value to our
young men . , .
The State appr opriat i on has also enabled the Trustees to repair in a SUbstantial
manner the excell ent college buil ding, to bui~d a large f~ll for a chapel and
!echanical Arts Lab urator y, to add valuable· apparatus -to· the· departments · of Physi cs
Chemistry, gineering and atural History; -and -also· to · make· additions of value
to the Library and Farm.
The expenditures have been made as r equired by the Act of t he Legislature , with
great care , and in all cases have been contr ol l ed by views of economy and utili ty.
The Trust ees of t he Agricultural and (echanical College feel proud of the work in
w' ich they have been and are engaged. All of them were brought up on the f arm, and
feel that they are i nspired to a zeal ous dischar ge of their duties by past associ ation
as well as present interest) for while · many· of · them· are -also· engaged in other
pursuits , wit h all the fa is bot h a pleasure· and· a -necessity . They do not complain
at the r estlessness which has been·manifested at · a · seeming· s10wnes s ; · unavoidable
in the very nature of things ; but consider i t rather an i ndication of a
g nuine public- int erest in a grand work, which if rightly done will bring incalculable
benefit .
E. A. O'Neal , Governor and ex-off i cio
President Board of Trustees,
C. C. Langdon,
W. H. Barnes , '
H. • Clayton,
Jon' Haralson,
John W. Bi shop,
J . G. Gilchrist .
The other members were not present .
, .Auburn University Board of Trustees18851880sAuburn University LibrariesEducation -- Higher Education; History -- 1875-1929: The New South EratextpdfBOT_1885.pdfAuburn University Libraries. Special Collections and Archiveseng1885This image is the property of the Auburn University Libraries and is intended for non-commercial use. Users of the image are asked to acknowledge the Auburn University Libraries. For information about obtaining high-resolution copies of this and other images in this collection, please contact the Auburn University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Department at archives@auburn.edu or (334) 844-1732.http://cdm17353.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/7349 |