bat the Chief Peta Nocona, having his horse shot down under him, but escaping without personal injury.

The chief's shield, lance, buffalo horns, etc., were sent as trophies to Governor Houston at Austin, where they were deposited in the State archives. The incidents of this struggle have been related with pride by old Texas settlers, and listened to with great interest by the young around many a Texas fireside, and form one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of the Lone Star State. Entering the Confederate army as a private, he rapidly rose to promotions as major, lieutenant-colonel, and colonel, and at the age of 24 was brigadier-general. He participated in 135 engagements of more or less importance, and had five horses shot under him, but was not wounded during the war. On different occasions he was commended to

the secretary of war for gallant and meritorious conduct by Gens. Joseph E. Johnson, Hardee, Forrest, S. D. Lee, Dabney H. Maury, W. H. Jackson, and Van Dorn. After the war, which left him penniless, he went to farming. In 1873 he was sheriff of his county, and as such succeeded in putting down lawlessness; in 1875 a member of the constitutional convention, and in 1881 he was elected to the State senate, in which body he served as chairman of the finance committee. Often solicited to become a candidate for governor, he only consented 1886, when he was nominated and elected, and reelected in 1888 by a majority of 153,000. His record as governor is too well known to the people of the State to require comment. He retired from this high office carrying with him the plaudits of friends and opponents, having given universal satisfaction by his conservative and patriotic policy, and he has the honor of having afforded the State one of the most popular administrations that Texas has ever had. In January, 1890, he stepped from the governor's chair to the presidency of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, where he is having ample opportunity to display his fine executive and administrative ability. As a soldier unsurpassed in gallantry, as a statesman in the foremost ranks, it is now his ambition, and his versatility of genius no less qualifies him, to take a high place as an educator.

The sound judgment and executive ability of President Ross has placed the college on a sure footing, and has stamped out those petty jealousies which from time to time have threatened to sap the very vitals of the institution. General good feeling exists among the several members of the faculty. Another thing which has contributed no little to the general upbuilding and settled policy and condition of the college is the change made by the board of directors in February, 1892, fixing the tenure of office of the professors and officers during "good behavior and efficiency" instead of reelecting annually as previously practiced by the board. So many and frequent changes were made in the faculty, and among the officers of the college, that there was a general feeling of disquiet among the professors. Instead of devoting their whole time and attention to their college duties they were on the lookout for more permanent and promising positions. In corroboration of this statement I point to the fact that in July, 1890, when Prof. Edwin A. Popenoe, A. M., professor of entomology and zoology in the Kansas Agricultural College, was elected professor of horticulture and botany in this college, he declined the position on account of this uncertainty; also, that since this change there have been but three resignations in the three years, while for the preceding three years

there were no less than twenty-two changes in the officers and faculty of the college. Of course all these changes were not due to the "annual election system;" in fact, the opinion prevails that this system was simply instituted by the board of directors as a convenient mode of dispensing with the services of certain members of the faculty and other officers without having to assign any reason for such action.

THE FEDERAL AID TO THE COLLEGE.

From a financial point of view the college took a long stride in advance on the passage of an act by Congress approved August 30, 1890, entitled "An act to apply a portion of the proceeds of the public lands to the more complete endowment and support of the colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts, established under the provision of an act of Congress approved July 2, 1862." By this act there was annually appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $15,000 for the year ending June 30, 1890, and an annual increase of $1,000 over this sum for each of the next ten years; the annual amount to be paid thereafter to each State and Territory is to be $25,000, and is to be applied only to instruction in agriculture, the mechanic arts, the English language, and the various branches of mathematical, physical, natural, and economic sciences, with special reference to their application in the industries of life and to the facilities for such instruction; provided, that no money may be paid out under this act to any State or Territory where the distinction of race or color is made in the students. But the establishment and maintenance of such college separately for white and colored students is to be held to be a compliance with the provisions of this act if the funds received in such State or Territory be equitably divided into two parts-the one for the college for white students, the other for the institution for colored students. It will thus be seen that the present annual income from this source is $20,000, and will reach its maximum of $25,000 per annum in 1900. The Prairie View School at Alta Vista, near Hempstead, is the beneficiary of this act on the part of colored students.

From the small beginning of one president, five professors, and a steward, who was also farm superintendent, the college has grown to an institution requiring the following faculty and officers: A president, L. S. Ross; R. H. Whitlock, M. E., professor of mechanical engineering; H. H. Harrington, M. S., professor of chemistry and mineralogy (chemist to experiment station); Charles Puryear, M. A., C. E., professor of mathematics; Mark Francis, D. V. M., professor of veterinary science (veterinarian to experiment station); F. E. Giesecke, M. E., professor of drawing; J. C. Nagle, M. A., C. E., M. C. E., professor of civil engineering and physics; R. H. Price, B. S., professor of horticulture, botany, and entomology (horticulturist to

experiment station); T. C. Bittle, A. M., Ph. D., professor of languages and chaplain; J. H. Connell, M. Sc., professor of agriculture (director of experiment station); C. W. Hutson, professor of English and history; First Lieut. George T. Bartlett, Third Regiment, U. S. Artillery, professor of military science and commandant of cadets; Robert F. Smith, associate professor of mathematics; Duncan Adriance, M. S., associate professor of chemistry; W. B. Phillpott, M. S., associate professor of English and history; James Clayton, associate professor of agriculture (agriculturist to experiment station); A. L. Banks, B. S., adjunct professor of mathematics; P. S. Tilson, M. S., assistant professor of chemistry (assistant to station chemist); H. Ness, B. S., assistant professor of horticulture and botany; D. W. Spence, B. Sc., C. E., assistant professor of civil engineering and physics and drawing; R. T. Bray, M. E., C. E., assistant professor of mechanical engineering; W. A. Banks, A. M., assistant professor of languages and English; A. M. Soule, B. S. A., assistant professor of agriculture (assistant to experiment station agriculturist); Professor Puryear, secretary of the faculty; A. C. Gillespie, M. D., surgeon; John H. Carter, secretary; E. W. Hutchinson, B. C. E., bookkeeper and cashier; B. Sbisa, steward; C. A. Lewis, foreman of carpenter shop; J. W. Carson, B. S., foreman of farm (assistant to director of experiment station); J. A. Baker, stenographer and clerk of experiment station; G. Eberspacher, florist and landscape gardener.

THE COLLEGE EXPERIMENT STATION.

The officers and staff of the experiment station originally embraced the following: Governing board of the station-being the board of directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical College-Maj. A. J. Rose, president, Salado; Hon. John E. Hollingsworth, State commissioner of agriculture, Austin; Hon. W. R. Cavitt, Bryan; Dr. J. D. Fields, Manor; Hon. John Adriance, Columbia; treasurer, President L. S. Ross, College Station. Station staff: J. H. Connell, M. Sc., director; H. H. Harrington, M. Sc., chemist; M. Francis, D. V. M., veterinarian; R. H. Price, B. S., horticulturist; D. Adriance, M. S., meteorologist, associate chemist; James Clayton, agriculturist; J. W. Carson, B. S., assistant to director; A. M. Soule, B. S. A., assistant in agriculture; P. S. Tilson, M. S., assistant in chemistry; J. A. Baker, stenographer and clerk; J. H. Ferguson, McKinney, and J. W. Phillips, Wichita Falls, Tex., superintendents of substations.

In accordance with the act of Congress, the board of directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, at a meeting held January 25, 1888, established the experiment station as a department of the college. This was the first station established in the United States under the Hatch Act.

Provision was made for assigning to the station department such part of the college farm, buildings, and other part of the equipment of the college as would be found necessary to prosecute the work, in addition to the outfit supplies from the funds of the station. The professors of agriculture, chemistry, horticulture, and veterinary science in the college have charge of station work in their several departments. The main station located on the college grounds is supported entirely by appropriations from the Federal Government. Three substations have been established for the benefit of entirely different soil sections of the State, found in the "Black Waxy," "Panhandle," and in south Texas. This last named is established at Beeville and is more particularly a horticultural station. These substations are supported by State appropriations. The objects of the experiment station and the substations are clearly set forth in section 2 of the act of Congress to which they owe their establishment. Financially the station will not be of direct benefit to the college. To compensate the college, however, for the use of property assigned to the work of the station, such work will add largely to the ability of the college to impart more thorough instruction in scientific agriculture, horticulture, etc.

The station will not add to the expense of the college in any way, as such time as may be given by the professors and other employees in experimental work will be paid for from the station fund, and the value of the time lost to the college will be deducted from the salary that would be paid by the college if the entire time were given to college work; and in order not to impair the efficiency of instruction the board has provided for additional instructors to relieve the professors of a portion of their class work. Numerous scientific investigations have been conducted and some are now under way, including chemical analyses of soils, stock foods, cotton-seed products, animal diseases and parasites, injurious insects, and fungi.

The horticultural department has under trial on the station grounds more than 300 varieties of vegetables and more than 700 varieties of small fruits.

COLLEGE EQUIPMENT.

A general inventory of college and station property as shown by the report of the board of directors, December, 1894, gives the value of improvements as follows: Values for land, main college building, three large brick dormitories, large brick mess hall and accompanying building, professors' residences, farmhouses, barns, electric light, ice plant, waterworks, etc., $339,369.91. Equipment by departments: Agricultural department, $37,160.33; college property, $12,971.90; Texas Experiment Station, permanent improvements, $4,170; station equipment, $7,893. A grand total valuation of all property belonging to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas and the Texas

Experiment Station is $401,565.69. Upon almost a barren waste, on which it was for years supposed that trees could not be grown, the grounds have been artistically laid out with several miles of drives and beautiful avenues hemmed in by stately shade and ornamental trees, among which the umbrella china and poplar predominate; hedges of privet, flowering shrubs, etc., have been cultivated with marked success. An abundance of flowers is found on the campus for nine months in the year. Much credit is due Mr. George Eberspacher, the florist and landscape gardener, for this transformation. Under his magic touch choice roses spring forth in profusion; side by side in the same plat are seen flowers from the far North cultivating the acquaintance of others from the Tropics. It is a matter of regret that the board of directors has not placed more money at the disposal of this important department.

PROSPERITY OF THE COLLEGE.

I can not better describe the present prosperity of the college than by a few quotations clipped from the last report of the board of directors to Governor James S. Hogg:

We congratulate the State upon the fact that under the judicious control of the president (General Ross), with his great administrative ability and his wonderful tact in the management of Texas boys, aided as he has been by a strong faculty, fully devoted to its interests, the success of the college has been more complete than the most sanguine of its friends dared to hope for it, and it may be truthfully said that in no two years of its history has the measure of its usefulness been so large as in the two years covered by this report.

The complete harmony and faithfulness of the faculty in carrying forward the great work committed to their care is highly commendable. The health and comfort of the students have been especially cared for, and their moral and intellectual advancement is unquestionably more apparent and satisfactory than at any other given time.

The following quotation is from the report of President Ross:

The management of the college is expected not only by the trustees but by the State at large to keep all that pertains to the institution in good condition, and to note the successive stages of growth through which it passes. Justice demands that the people should have credit for their enterprise and liberality in the support of public education, and that the State should not suffer from unjust criticisms passed upon it from abroad because of meagre statistics. The demands for admission were so frequent and pressing that I was compelled to give notice through the press that no more applicants could be accommodated. We have but 109 rooms in the barracks which can properly and comfortably provide for 250 students. But before I could check the arrivals I had registered 343, leaving many to go elsewhere on account of lack of room. While I do not believe that the success of this or any other institution of learning should be determined by the number of students it matriculates, for this in itself is a false measure of success, it does indicate most clearly and unmistakably that more ample accommodations must be provided here or elsewhere, or the sons of Texas endowed with genius and seeking a practical education such as can be obtained nowhere else in the State must be turned away to go beyond our borders. It also indicates that there is in the public mind an increased and growing confidence