REFERENCES

Annual Reports and Bulletins of the Industrial College and (later) the Agricultural Experiment Station of Nebraska. 1880-90. Annual Reports of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture. 1884, 1885.

BESSEY, CHARLES E. "Some Early Horticultural History." In Agriculture, October, 1910. School of Agriculture, Lincoln.

CALDWELL, HOWARD W. Education in Nebraska. Circular of Information No. 3, 1902, of the United States Bureau of Education.

Catalogs of the University of Nebraska.

1875-1890.

Laws of the State of Nebraska. 1877.

Nebraska Farmers' Institutes, First Report.

University Bulletins,

Series XI, No. 22. University of Nebraska. 1906.

Reports of the Board of Regents, University of Nebraska. 1876-90. Reports of the Chancellor to the Board of Regents, University of Nebraska. 1885-1890.

TRUE, A. C. and CLARK, V. A. Agricultural Experiment Stations in the United States. United States Department of Agriculture, 1900.

The University of Nebraska, 1869-1919. versary Book. The University, 1919.

Semi-Centennial Anni

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V

AGRICULTURE COMES INTO ITS OWN

T MAY be said that it took eighteen years to lay the foundation of agricultural instruction and research in Nebraska, and another eighteen years to build on this foundation. The eighteen years beginning about 1890 marked a period of great development for the Industrial College as well as the University itself. A School of Agriculture was early established and in a comparatively few years began to number its students in the hundreds. What the agricultural department of the Industrial College had heretofore lacked in numbers, this secondary school supplied. For the first time, the college farm began to be regarded as an educational center of its own. Then came its rapid development with the erection of several of the magnificent buildings of today. By 1909 agriculture had reached such importance in the Industrial College that a separate Agricultural College was once more established, with the farm campus for its headquarters.

The University itself prospered greatly in these years, and this prosperity was reflected in the increasing development of the Agricultural College. The total enrollment in the University passed the 2,000 mark in the academic year 1899-1900 and the 3,000 mark in the year 1906-1907, these figures including students in all the schools and colleges. In 1899 it was stated that the University had students from as far west as California and as far east as Japan. More money for the support of the University and its Industrial College became available. The tax for the support of the University, which had been cut to a quarter of a mill and raised to three-eighths of a mill, during the early days of the University, was again restored to the full mill in 1899. Agricultural instruction and experimentation were benefited by the "Second Morrill Act" of 1890, the Nelson

Amendment of 1907, and the Adams Act of 1906, all bringing more money to the agricultural side of the institution. Agricultural extension began to develop with scores of farmers' institutes and short courses being held in every section of the state. Here we also find the beginning of home economics instruction for women, culminating in the latter part of this period in the erection of the home economics building on the farm campus. All in all, this was a period of development such as would hardly have been conceived to be possible in the eighties.

James H. Canfield had been called from the Kansas State University to the chancellorship of the University of Nebraska in 1891. It was undoubtedly due to his leadership that the University received such a vigorous start during the early part of this period. With experience as a railway superintendent and legal as well as academic training, he was quite at ease in coping with the problems of the University. In four years the enrollment of the University nearly tripled. Even during panic times, he gave the optimistic advice, "If you cannot earn, you at least can learn." In short, he was the University's ambassador to the people of Nebraska.

When Chancellor Canfield resigned in 1895 to become president of Ohio State University, and later librarian of Columbia University, he was succeeded by George E. MacLean, who had been serving as professor of English language and literature in the University of Minnesota. For four years Doctor MacLean was to guide the destinies of the institution. Chancellor MacLean displayed an especial interest in the work of the School of Agriculture, which was started during his administration. Chancellor MacLean resigned in August, 1899, and Chancellor E. Benjamin Andrews assumed the duties of the office in August, 1900, Dean Bessey acting as chancellor during the intervening year. During the eight years that he was associated with the institution, Chancellor Andrews saw the enrollment grow from 2,256 to 3,611. In 1900 there

chancellor for over sixteen years