At this meeting also the Regents made the following apportionment of money among the different departments for the first fiscal year: GENERAL PLANS FOR THE STATION. It has seemed wise to the management of the Station to undertake at first only those problems which most closely touch the agricultural interests of this territory. These problems are largely such as include the element of climate. Questions of butter and cheese making, questions of fattening, the comparative values of different kinds of feed, the relative profitableness of different breeds of animals, the composition of artificial fertilizers, etc., are questions which, when settled in Minnesota or Wisconsin, are settled as well for Dakota. But the questions whether corn is a profitable crop here; what tame grass will grow here; what fruits will thrive; what trees can be made to grow well here for shelter-belts or for fuel; what cattle, horses, swine and sheep are best adapted to our climate— these are questions that can only be settled by trial in Dakota. Consequently these and similar problems are the ones which it has been determined to attack. Discoveries in pure science are ultimately of great value to ordinary human industries, but in the division of labor it was thought best to leave such to the older and better equipped Stations, while the coarser but more pressing questions, that touch the immediate needs of the farmers of Dakota, were taken up for study. There is plenty of work for our Station in this field of experimentation. to the place of the With these considerations governing, the Station has started out to determine the length of the corn season, find what grasses can be cultivated to take prairie pastures, to learn the profitableness of various root crops, to ascertain what forest and what fruit trees will grow best, and what kinds of garden vegetables can be easily cultivated to add variety to the farmers' bill of fare and to increase his profits. The chemist is prepared with his art to assist in this work, and the entomologist is trying to find out the most successful manner of making war upon the predatory insects that prey upon the growing crops from seed time to harvest. Quite full sets of meteorological instruments have been procured, in part by purchase and in part by the courtesy of the U. S. Signal Service, and weather observations are being carefully made and records preserved. Every effort is being put forth to study the climatic conditions, and to procure the enlargement and efficiency of the weather service of the Territory. As an illustration of the possible value of this service it may be stated that on the twelfth of last January full telegraphic signals, sent in advance of the not rapidly advancing storm, would have saved many lives and much suffering. It must, of course, be borne in mind that the work above briefly outlined will take a long time to complete; but the Station proposes to be diligent and active to its utmost, and hopes to add each year-even the first-something of value to the knowledge of the resources and possibilities of this Territory. For a more detailed statement of the work undertaken the reader is referred to the special reports of the departments of Agriculture and of Forestry and Gardening subjoined. It is to be kept in mind that owing to the want of land, teams, tools and other means none but meager operations were possible before the opening of the season of 1888. FINANCIAL REPORT. All expenditures have been made under orders of the Board of Regents, and the itemized vouchers receipted by the payee and audited by the Board before payment was made. These vouchers, properly classified, are on file in the office of the Director. After the business of the year was closed the Board of Regents examined and compared these vouchers with the accountant's books, and found them correct in every particular. The sums actually expended for the different purposes vary slightly from the apportionment made early in March. For instance the sum of $3,300 was set apart in the apportionment for salaries, but only $2,892.69 were expended; on the other hand nothing had been set apart in the apportionment for veterinary supplies, while it was found best to expend for that purpose $300. The best prevision could not guard against such discrep Stationery, Postage and Incidental Office Supplies Meteorological Instruments...-- 55 80 58 85 CERTIFICATE OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS. We, the undersigned committee of the Board of Regents, appointed for that purpose, have examined the vouchers covering the expenditures of the Experiment Station for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1888, and have compared them with the books of the Director, and we hereby certify that the books and vouchers agree, and that the expenditures have been made in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Board of Regents. BROOKINGS, DAKOTA, F. E. LALLEY, OSCAR P. KEMP, Com. |