generally to the students would soon disseminate valuable information over the State. I deem this a most important matter, and it has been urged upon me by our great stock interests. Five thousand dollars would establish the Chair and give it a fair start, and additions could be added as needed.

EXPENSE OF STUDENTS.

Tuition is free to Mississippi students. Boys from other States are charged a tuition fee of $20 oo for the session. The expenses of a student are: A matriculation fee, on entering, of $5,00; which, when once paid, insures a full course at the College. A medical fee of $500 is also paid on entering, to enable the Board to employ a suitable physician to give his services and furnish medicine to the sick students when necessary. The uniform suit of cadet gray costs about $17 00. The board averages less than $8 oo per month. To reduce these expenses, students are required to work from nine to fifteen hours a week, and also on Saturday work is furnished to all who apply. It is compulsory during the week, and optional with students on Saturday, on which day many students work from six to ten hours. It is no unusual sight to see one hundred and fifty students at work on Saturday. The following statistical exhibit, taken from the Secretary's books, for the session of 1884 and 1885, shows the necessary expense, and how students can reduce their expenses by work, viz: 176 students went through the entire session on an average of $68 33; 100 students on an average of $53 67; 50 students on an average of $21 56; 25 students on an average of $15 40. Six studentsMessrs. W. B. Stark, S. A. Wilkinson, H. C. Watson, S. A. Morris, P. K. Whitney and W. C. Welborn, paid their way and had balances of several dollars to their credit. In the expenses are included board, lights, coal, medical fee, washing, books and furniture. The uniform is not included in the estimate, because it simply takes the place of ordinary clothing, and we claim that the uniform is a better suit than can ordinarily be purchased for the money paid for it. So it is shown that the average expense of a student at this College is much below $100 oo, which puts a collegiate education within the reach of nearly every boy in Mississippi.

NEW ORLEANS EXPOSITION.

By the law appropriating money to have the State make an exhibit of her resources at New Orleans, this College was to fall heir to the State exhibit at the close. The Exposition has been continued through another winter, and the College has not yet received the advantages expected, but will no doubt get the exhibit at the close of the present Exposition.

HEALTH.

The health of the student body for several sessions has been most excellent, all that could be desired. The grounds and buildings are well drained and located on the highest ridge in this section. It frequently occurs that out of three hundred students in the dormitory there is not a sick boy in the hospital.

CHARACTER OF STUDENTS IN ATTENDANCE.

The character of students has improved almost yearly, and we now have a most earnest, studious and exemplary set of boys; showing that they appreciate the great advantages the State is affording them, and are determined to take advantage of it. They are enthusiastic as to the merits of the College, and at the beginning of the present session considerably over two hundred old students returned, nearly all bringing back their friends as new students. They rarely fail to speak encouraging words for the College. It is also observed that the new students entering this session are much better prepared in their studies than those heretofore received. Showing that our schools throughout the State are affording better instruction. This is marked. Our last statistics show that out of the whole number of students present 88 26-33 per cent. are sons of men engaged in industrial pursuits, while only 11 7-33 per cent. of the entire number are sons of men otherwise employed.

FARMERS' INSTITUTES AND BULLETINS.

The Farmers' Institutes held at different parts of the State for two years back, have had a happy effect in popularizing the College, and in convincing the farmers that this is a genuine Agricultural College, working in their interest. They are anxious to have more of these institutes-in fact, more than we can afford to attend, and a visit to each locality is followed by a large number of students. They are doing much good in arresting the attention of farmers, and pointing them to the necessity of a better system of cultivation than the exhausting and unsatisfactory one now pursued. We find that the are willing and anxious to get more light on the subject. The College has also performed some valuable experiments of interest to the farmers of the State, and there is a great demand for them. We are now prepared to continue those experiments, and regularly issue bulletins, putting them before our farmers, that they may take advantage of them. Had we a small printing press we could do a valuable work in this direction,

THE ENERGIES OF THE COLLEGE.

The energies and means of the College are confined to Agricultural education, as agriculture is the predominant industry of our citizens, in which nearly all are employed. The Board feels that by this policy they can do the greatest good to the greatest number. But we are ready to add the mechanical feature, whenever the State feels able to appropriate money to erect shops for wood and iron work, and equip them.

DEMANDS FOR INFORMATION.

This is a constantly increasing work devolving upon the Presi dent, Professors of Biology, Agriculture, Chemistry and Horticulture. It requires fully as much time and labor as that taken

in their regular College duties, and shows the growing popularity of the College, and esteem in which it is held.

LIBRARY.

Nothing has indicated the rapid growth of the College more than the fact that the library does not near meet the wants of the faculty and students. There has been expended for books, by the Board in the five years of our progress, only two thousand and forty-four dollars ($2,044) There are not books enough even for reference, and parallel reading for the students in the scientific and literary departments. There are only about 1000 volumes belonging to these departments, and the books for promiscuous reading are very insignificant in number, scarcely three volumes to each of the 369 boys at the College. This is a technical college, and above all others, needs a good library to promote general culture and information. We have been obliged to supplement this want by a good supply of magazines and periodicals of all kinds and newspapers. We frequently find over one hundred students in the reading-room of the library. We need an appropriation of $5,000 to supply this great need at the College.

STATE PAPERS.

The College authorities are under great obligation to the press of the State for supplying the reading-room of the library with copies of the county papers, which to our students are more interesting than all others, as they give all their home news; also for the uniformly kind and generous support extended to the Board in the management of the College.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

I refer to the clear financial statement of the Secretary and Book-keeper of the College. It shows that the institution is out of debt, and has sufficient funds to meet all expenses to the meeting of the Legislature in January, 1886. The last Legislature gave the College the same general support as given to the State University, viz: $32,500 a year. The liberal support given the College, enabled the Board besides generally conducting the institution, definitely to solve in an official way the successful handling of butter and milk at the South, and to do away entirely with the theoretical claims of what has been known as the "dairy belt" further north. It has shown that for an outlay of $1200 or $1500 any citizen of Mississippi or the South can conduct a profitable creamery and handle butter for market, who is surrounded by other reasonable conditions. This information alone, coupled with our feed experiments, if utilized, is worth hundreds of thous ands of dollars to the State. It also enabled the Board to inaugurate a uniform system of experimental work in the interest of agriculture for the benefit of our farmers; also to meet the great demand made on the College to accommodate and provide for

the large and regular attendance of students the last session (291), and the beginning of the present session, 369, now in attendance. As against the liberal support given by the Legislature, we point to our success, to the steady increase of the value of our property as shown by the appraisers, viz: $28,544.00 equaling almost one year's support given the College; also to the assistance the College is now giving in practical information and experimental work to the farmers of the State, and in pointing to a better system of agriculture; also to the facilities this College is now affording to our young men of moderate means to acquire an industrial education.

CYCLONE.

Just about the adjournment of the Legislature two years ago, a destructive cyclone struck the College, greatly damaging the dormitory, College building, and laboratory; wrecking the large mess-hall, carrying away the entire roof; also destroying our large barn, all our cattle sheds, engine house, cribs, calf shelters, and killing some cattle. The Legislature appropriated $10,000 to repair and replace the property destroyed. The Board of Trustees have completed the work in accordance with the conditions of the law. It did not take quite the entire amount and there remains in the State Treasury to the credit of this fund $3S8.08.

WANTS AND NECESSITIES OF THE COLLEGE.

We ask the Legislature to give the College the same general support given the last two years; also to provide a scientific building for the departments of Biology, Agriculture and Horticulture, with Drawing, Library, and Armory rooms, and thus give room to properly take care of the valuable property already accumulated and accumulating for Museum, for illustration of resources of the State, and for State exhibit at New Orleans, ordered to the College at the close of the Exposition. This additional building is absolutely necessary for the preservation of property, and to meet the very large attendance of students. It will enable the Board, also, with slight expense to make additional room in the dormitory for seventy-five more students. The property as now housed and arranged is not safe, and is too valuable to run the risk of destruction. Also, $5,000 for the library. In view of the large and increasing number of students, it is not considered unreasonable to ask these additional facilities to enable the Board to perform the duties assigned them by the State. They feel that they are doing a great and useful work in guiding and developing the great and all-prevailing industry of Mississippi-the one upon which her prosperity and happiness depends.

SUCCESS OF THE COLLEGE.

The success of the College is undoubtedly due to the wise conception of the act organizing it by the Board of Trustees. They have truly followed out the spirit of the law and organized and conducted the institution as indicated in the heading of the Federal

Act of 1862, viz: "To benefit agriculture," and to them all credit is due. The President, in carrying out the policy of the Board of Trustees, has been earnestly, ably and zealously sup ported by the entire faculty, who are enthusiastic believers in industrial education. Any credit that may belong to him, he cheerfully concedes to the loyal and intelligent support of the faculty. Respectfully submitted, S. D. LEE, President.