Clarke County GaArchives History - Books .....Georgia State College Of Agriculture 1923 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 April 1, 2005, 4:17 pm Book Title: History Of Athens And Clarke County Georgia State College of Agriculture A Historical Statement Relative to the Georgia State College of Agriculture (By DR. ANDREW M. SOULE, President.) THE Georgia State College of Agriculture was organized as a result of an Act passed by the General Assembly of the state on July 21, 1906. The present institution is an outgrowth of the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts established as a co-ordinate division of the University of Georgia on May 1, 1872, by the Trustees of the University, who accepted for the purpose funds arising from the landscrip. Further endowments were extended the institution from time to time by the Federal government. Eventually, the state, realizing that agriculture represented its principal industry, decided by legislative enactment to differentiate from the balance of the University the work and management of the State College of Agriculture and provide specific maintenance funds for its support. The act of 1906, establishing the present College and better known as the "Conner Bill," contains the following preamble, which sets forth reasons for enlarging the work of the State College of Agriculture along both educational and research lines: "Agriculture is the principal industry of the state, and the main source from which the material prosperity of the state must come. Experience has demonstrated the great value of agricultural education in permanently improving the soil, multiplying its yield and increasing the values of its products. There is a growing demand by the people of the state for agricultural education, and for the practical benefits of scientific research in this line, and for improved methods in farming." This act provides that the State College of Agriculture shall be under the direction of a Board of Trustees, consisting of eleven men, three selected from the trustees of the University proper, three from the directors of the Georgia Experiment Station, including the Commissioner of Agriculture, and five from the state-at-large. The board has the same functions and exercises the same authority as that of similarly organized and co-ordinated divisions of the University, but is subject, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of the state, to the general control of the University trustees. The Georgia State College of Agriculture constitutes an integral part of the University System of Georgia, and while it has certain buildings, lands and equipment set aside for the special use of its corps of instructors and students, its work in general is closely associated with the University proper, so that agricultural students enjoy all the advantages which a great state university affords. These advantages include the privilege of receiving instruction in language, literature and the basic sciences from the professors in the various classes and organizations which make up the University. Agricultural students are also privileged to use the general library, the advanced scientific laboratories, and to participate in the activities of the various class and fraternial organizations and societies. They also take an active part in the work of the literary societies and debating clubs and in all types of athletic sports maintained and encouraged in the University as a whole. This is a most wholesome and desirable arrangement, because it brings the student body together as a unit on many occasions and encourages a wholesome intermingling of social and intellectual relationships. The location of the College is thus particularly fortunate because it was long since recognized that class room training constitutes but a part of a liberal education. The objectives of the Georgia State College of Agriculture are: 1. To give the students who enter it thoroughly fundamental training in all the sciences pertaining to correct farm practice. 2. To see that they receive a liberal education upon an applied technical, vocational and professional basis. 3. To so arrange the courses of instruction that men and women of limited means, opportunity and education may receive the greatest practical benefit by attending some of the various classes which it maintains. 4. To actively participate in the dissemination of scientific information relating to agriculture and home economics and the industries allied therewith throughout the length and breadth of the state. In other words, take the state for a campus and to worthily serve and advance the interest of every citizen as completely as possible. To accomplish this end, it has pioneered with remarkable success in the field of extension teaching. 5. To prepare and distribute bulletins, pamphlets and other information of a practical nature relative to Georgia's primary industries of agriculture and home-making. 6. To foster and promote research in every legitimate way in order that new facts and information may be brought to light with sufficient rapidity to meet the needs of the seventy-five per cent, of the people who live in the open country. The Georgia State College of Agriculture is located on what may be termed the "enlarged campus of the University of Georgia." Eight hundred and thirty acres of land were turned over to the Trustees in the fall of 1907 by the General Board of Trustees of the University of Georgia for this purpose. This land was secured through subscriptions made by the alumni and the good people of the city of Athens. The location is naturally picturesque though the farm was in a decadent condition, most of the land having been rented for some years previous to its occupancy by the College. Through the aid of the landscape architect and the expenditure of much labor and energy, the grounds have been greatly beautified and so transformed that the College is now one of the most attractively situated educational institutions in the South. Early in 1907, the writer of this article was called as president to take charge of the original Georgia State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts and the new institution denominated by the state Legislature as the Georgia State College of Agriculure. During the sixteen years which have elapsed, the farm has been literally reclaimed and changed from an unsightly condition into a series of beautiful fields and woodland areas. The various buildings now on the campus have been erected and a college literally built up from the very beginning as the following recital of facts amply demonstrate. It has only been possible to accomplish this through the active, sympathetic and uniform support extended to the executive office by a > wise, generous and constructive Board of Trustees, the kindly co-operaton of the Chancellor of the University, the recognition of the institution and its needs by the Legislature and the sympathetic response which the work of the College immediately found in the hearts of the people of Georgia. In many respects, the history of the institution reads like a romance. The beginnings were humble in the extreme. The original staff consisted of five individuals, and 67 long course and 104 short course students were enrolled during the first year of its active operation. Naturally, the first work had to be carried on in improvised laboratories and classrooms. Early in 1909, the Administration Building, now known as Conner Hall, was dedicated. It was erected out of an appropriation of $100,000.00 made by the Legislature for that purpose. It is an attractive and massive building, and, as one writer has appropriately said, "Stands in a commanding position on the top of Lumpkin Hill, overlooking the classic city of Athens." The growth of the College from its very inception has been rapid and uniform. This applies not only to its student body, but to the assemblage of a strong and efficient staff, the construction of a representative group of buildings, and the installation therein of facilities and equipment equal if not superior to those enjoyed by any other similar institution in the South. As has already been indicated, the administration building was completed in 1908. The same year, the experimental plats were established. In 1909, the forest arboretum was laid out. In 1910, the veterinary hospital and the main College barns were constructed. In 1911, the perennial gardens were established. In 1912, the agronomy barn and the poultry husbandry plant were begun. In 1914, the veterinary medicine building was started. In 1918, the animal husbandry building, now known as Hardman Hall, was begun. In 1920, the Woman's Building, known as Soule Hall, was finished. In 1922, the anatomy building and swine barn were completed. In 1923, the sheep barn was erected. This fine array of commodious and substantial buildings has been erected at a cost of only $110,000.00 to the state. Nearly $500,000.00 worth of buildings have been constructed and presented to the state by the management of the College through the agency of funds derived from a variety of sources. This constitutes the greatest single contribution made to date to the University of Georgia as a whole. At the present time, the institution is housed in a group of sixteen commodious structures containing thirty-five large and well-equipped technical laboratories. Its equipment is excellent and strictly modern. Arrangements have therefore been made to give its students an opportunity to secure the most efficient character of technical training at a relatively low cost. It has a modern and up-to-date farm of 830 acres and grounds containing 100 acres, which are very attractively landscaped, and a plant worth $1,500,000.00. Up to the present time, twelve large divisions have been established. Each is manned by a capable group of specialists. In sixteen years, the resident staff has grown from 5 to 110; the fields in which students may specialize, from 1 to 30. Now, more than 220 well-defined technical courses are offered. Originally, but one degree was granted. Now, students may pursue courses leading to the degrees of B.S.A., B.S.F., B.S.H.E., D.V.M., M.S.A. and M.F. The resident student enrollment grew from 171 in 1908 to 1,474 in 1923. Naturally, these figures do not include the girls, women and boys in the twenty-four district short courses or the girls and women enrolled in the thirty-four county short courses. In all, the College reached through the medium of formal instruction last year 3,981 individuals. Since 1907, more tnan 10,250 men and women have received instruction on the campus at Athens. The first graduating class contained five, while that of the present year contains fifty-five. The resident staff and the extension workers and the men and women county agents now number three hundred. The evident interest aroused in scholarly attainment and the prosecution of research work is shown by the fact that there are now eighteen students studying for the master's degree. The College is now preparing men as: Agronomists, Agricultural Engineers, Agricultural Chemists, Horticulturists, Plant Breeders, Research Workers, Agricultural Economists, Animal Husbandmen, Foresters, Veterinarians, Poultrymen, County Agents, All Vocational Teachers in Agriculture for high schools, Editorial Workers and Government Service. It is preparing women as: Home-makers, Nutrition Specialists, Institutional Managers, Dietitians, Social Directors, Research Workers, Clothing Specialists, Interior Decorators, County Agents, Teachers of Home Economics for high schools, Editorial Workers and Government Service. The College operates on an eleven-months or four-term basis. By this arrangement, it is possible for students to graduate in three years, thus saving a year of time and reducing the cost of their education quite materially. The demand for our graduates is far in excess of the present supply. The 325 leaders turned out up to date occupy excellent positions, and several hundred more graduates could be placed acceptably. The character of the training afforded by the College is worthy of the highest commendation. Though young in years, its graduates are already performing a fundamental service in relation to the maintenance of our agriculture and home-making industries on a high plane. That the training they receive is conceived on a broad basis and that they are properly imbued with the spirit of service is evidenced by the varied lines of effort in which they are now participating as shown by the following figures: OCCUPATION OF GRADUATES MEN. Farming 55, County Agents 23, Teaching and Administrative 80, U. S. Department of Agriculture 4, Experiment Stations 4, Business related to Agriculture 21, Railroad Agricultural Agents 3, Business non-Agricultural 17, U. S. Army 2, Students 7, Ministry 1, Veterinarians 7, Forest Engineering 4, Unknown occupation 4; total 236. WOMEN. Teaching Colleges 3, Teaching High Schools 19, Married 5, Demonstration Agents 6, Counted twice 1; total 32. Graduates total 268. Our graduates have succeeded in every community into which: they have gone, and some of them are receiving salaries as high as $10,000.00 a year for the promotion of purely farm projects. The Georgia State College of Agriculture was the Southern pioneer institution of its class to give attention to the organization of extension teaching on a state-wide basis. The first activity which engaged its attention was that of operating an educational train during the months of February and March, 1908. A similar train was sent out in 1911. Since that time and largely through its motivation, extension work of the most varied and essential types have been undertaken. Its work in this particular field now covers the state. The culmination of our efforts along this particular line was reached when the Congress of the United States passed the Smith-Lever Act in 1914. The College participated actively in the inception of this movement, the bill now in effect having been prepared and pressed for passage by Senator Hoke Smith of Georgia. At the present time, the extension work is being carried forward by a group of highly trained specialists with headquarters at the College, and 95 men county agents and 80 women home demonstration agents. More than 200,000 individual citizens are annually reached and served in acceptable manner through the agency of our extension workers. The value of the actual service rendered to the commonwealth each year has been conservatively placed at $10,225,000.00. This represents a return of $44.00 to the state for each $1.00 received. Through the agency of the Extension Division, Boys' and Girls' Clubs were first instituted. Georgia exercised a leadership in this field that has won it nation-wide recognition. The same may be said with equal aptitude in so far as the women's work is concerned, our state having made an enviable record in this direction as well. The extension work is so varied in nature and character that only a mere suggestion of what is being undertaken or already accomplished can be made in a brief of this character. In the matter of nutrition alone, however, more than 25,000 children were examined and prescribed for last year with the idea of helping them to correct dietary defects which were interfering with their uniform growth and development. More than fifty per cent, of these children were materially benefited and the whole bent and current of their lives changed. This may serve to give the lay reader a concrete example of the importance and value of work of this character. Did space permit, a hundred instances of an equally fundamental nature might be cited to illustrate the constructive character of the varied activities being carried forward by our Extension Division. SOME SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS SINCE 1910 An inventory of Extension work in Georgia reveals the significant fact that since 1910, 277,743 demonstrations have been made, teaching some fundamental truth in regard to the improvement of the farm, home and community. Some of these demonstrations dealt with the use of serum to prevent hog cholera. At these demonstrations 1,015,167 hogs were inoculated and those persons present taught how to do the work. Systematic club work began in 1910; since that time 130,283 boys have enrolled in some form of club activity. These boys have received valuable training along agricultural lines and have produced $5,822,496.00 worth of farm crops and livestock. The number of meetings held in the interest of farmers totaled 21,826. Through this medium specific information was given on various lines of farming to the 2,148,896 people who were in attendance. The College has printed to date 302 publications and has distributed 2,477,350 bulletins containing 45,186,000 pages. Thus a free agricultural library has been made available to the farmers of the state. In the matter of co-operative buying and selling, the agents have rendered yeoman service. Essential service "was rendered in the purchase and distribution of commodities aggregating $24,427,835.00. The materials and products handled included fertilizers, seeds, farm crops and animals. The direct saving to farmers may be conservatively placed at $3,935,442.00. WHAT CLUB WORK HAS MEANT TO GEORGIA Year Club Boys Instructed Value of Products 1910 2,000 $ 80,000.00 1911 5,000 150,000.00 1912 10,000 300,000.00 1913 10,015 325,000.00 1914 10,600 275,000.00 1915 9,685 300,000.00 1916 13,434 425,000.00 1917 14,525 784,320.00 1918 15,858 776,197.00 1919 20,570 1,247,969.00 1920 12,253 569,010.00 1921 6,338 500,000.00 Total 130,283 $5,822,496.00 SUMMARY OF COUNTY AGENTS' WORK, 1910-1920 Lines of service work promoted 40 Meetings held 21,826 Attendance 2,148,869 Demonstrations given 277,743 Bulletins distributed 2,336,500 Club boys instructed 123,945 Hogs inoculated - 1,015,167 Co-operative buying and selling promoted $24,427,835 Saving to farmers $ 3,935,442 Miles traveled by agents 3,617,586 SERVICE WORK PROMOTED BY HOME DEMONSTRATION AGENTS FROM 1915 TO 1920 INCLUSIVE Meetings held 40,422 Attendance 1,006,007 Club girls instructed 35,726 Visits made to schools 58,747 Visits made to homes 169,505 Miles traveled 1,753,728 Fireless cookers built 4,185 Iceless refrigerators made 866 Fly traps and screens 6,899 Water systems installed 532 Lighting systems installed 581 Ironing boards made 491 Miscellaneous labor-saving devices 9,514 Building and repairing homes 2,540 Re-arrangement and improvement of homes 1,813 Beautifying home grounds 23,434 SUMMARY OF HOME DEMONSTRATION WORK Year Women Enrolled Value of Products 1915 828 $ 3,668.00 1916 1,154 32,209.00 1917 5,400 682,186.00 1918 34,449 1,042,944.00 1919 10,496 415,909.00 1920 17,618 700,102.00 1921 1,345 1922 9,134 Total 80,424 $2,877,018.00 SUMMARY OF GIRLS' CLUB WORK Year Girls Enrolled Value of Products 1911 1,092 $ 2,500.00 1912 2,500 10,000.00 1913 2,500 12,163.00 1914 3,500 61,998.00 1915 3,838 44,585.00 1916 4,191 53,612.00 1917 5,272 267,756.00 1918 9,152 379,228.00 1919 6,553 125,199.00 1920 6,720 445,539.00 1921 9,591 303,484.00 1922 11,048 204,617.71 Total 65,957 $1,900,682.71 The Georgia State College of Agriculture has helped materially during the last sixteen years to create and establish: 1. A center of agricultural information and research. 2. A system of agricultural education. 3. Co-education for Georgia women. 4. A plan for Extension teaching. 5. A boys' and girls' club organization. 6. A group of vocational teachers in Agriculture and Home Economics. 7. A purebred livestock policy. 8. The Agricultural Engineer, Forester and Veterinarian. 9. An agricultural literature. 10. An interest in landscape gardening. 11. College No. 1 cotton. 12. A physical and chemical soil survey. 13. Property worth $1,250,000.00. The constant endeavor of the College has been to provide essential service for all the citizens of the state of Georgia. Its students participate in all the benefits which a great university affords. They enjoy and profit by the traditions of "Old Georgia," which have come down to us since it was founded through the wisdom of our ancestors in 1785. The purpose of the College is to provide a liberal education upon an applied basis, to teach by actual demonstration in field, shop or laboratory. This explains why so many large laboratories are essential for the efficient training of the men and student body. The effort of the College is to show that all labor is honorable if it is only efficiently done. Every endeavor is made to give our students the broadest possible outlook, a world-vision, if you please. This is necessary in order that they may understand the action and interaction of economic laws and so come to realize that a nation located across the widest sea may materially affect our interests favorably or unfavorably as the case may. The location of our institution is ideal from the standpoint of health, sanitation and accessibility. The atmosphere of the College is that of a highly moral and religious community. Our students govern themselves. We have a number of service clubs to look after their interests, and naturally the Y. W. C. A. and Y. M. C. A. are active factors in promoting their welfare. The majority of our students do not come from rich homes, and they have to earn a part of the money needed to defray their expenses. On that account, we have a Self-Help Committee, and every effort is made to assist our students in a financial way. Our College may therefore be said to be a co-operative unit in .which the burden of responsibility is distributed upon an individual basis, where all have equal rights and privileges, and where the principle of Service above Self is enunciated and taught. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/clarke/history/1923/historyo/georgias571gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 24.5 Kb