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Show Courtesy Zion Studio View of the Administration and Librarv Buildings Showing a Portion of the Ca mpus in Front of Them. Much Time and Energy is Being Spent to Make the Campus of the College Beautiful and Attractive. Branch Agricultural College By KIXG HENDRICKS, Head of English Department. The Branch Agricultural College, as its name implies, is a branch of the Utah Agricultural College located at Logan. Like the mother institution it exists for a two-fold purpose; to offer to the youth of the land an academic aca-demic training and to carry on an extension service in the way of delving delv-ing into the problems of rural Utah, attempting to solve them. Location and purpose make it necessary for the school to have a rural point of view. Recognizing the part played by rual America in the building of the nation na-tion and appreciating the purpose of retaining in rural life that strong and virile blood which has been the seed bed of American leadership, the dream of the school is to train and assist the people to succeed and be contented in their home lands. To this end and purpose the school offers, of-fers, in the various departments of instruction, training in agriculture, English and literature, home economics, econom-ics, business and social science, education edu-cation and psychology, mechanic arts, music, basic arts and science, and physical education. . In order that the departments of instruction might be more efficient I as well as to make more effective the extension service, large amounts of money have been spent in building, build-ing, at the college, laboratories and experimental plants. Under the direction di-rection of the department of agriculture agricul-ture a farm is operated upon which are maintained select dairy cows, both Holstein and Jersey breeds, a small flock of blooded Rambouillets, some blooded duroc-jersey hogs and a flock of white leghorn chickens. These animals are supported by the college ! farm which produces alfalfa, grains, 1 and corn, ensilage. In connection with the farm, the college has succeeded ; in demonstrating that water may ba had frnm a pump well in Cedar val- ! ley. The well is the result of years I of experience on the part of the college. col-lege. Years replete with criticism and adversity. The experts of the institution realized, that Cedar valley must have water to produce and that it was the duty of the college, as a state institution to prove that water could or could not be had. The well was driven originally in 1910. At j this time a small flow was obtained, j A few years later the piping was ! perforated, but without result. In j 1925 another attempt was made to . produce water and this time, with the air of a Byron Jackson pump, a j flow of a second foot was produced. By persistent efforts the college proved prov-ed that underground water could be had in Cedar valley, though now it is carrying on experiments to determine deter-mine means and methods of the most successful farming in that region, i This well pumping water from more j than two hundred feet below the sur- j face is adequate to irrigate approxi-mately approxi-mately one hundred acres of land and j to insure the crop. ! In connection with the farm a j creamery is operated which produces butter, cheese and ice cream. While it is expected to pay its way, the plant is not maintained for commercial reasons; rea-sons; it is primarily a laboratory whare the agricultural problems of Southern Utah are met and studied. .Students, who receive academic training train-ing in the feeding, breeding and care of farm animals, in the producing of agricultural crops and manufacturing manufactur-ing dairy products and the marketing market-ing of the same, find the plart. an excellent laboratory where the practical prac-tical side can be seen. The home economics training, like sewing and to cook by cooking, under the direction of experts. In connec-the connec-the agricultural is given in a practical way. Girls are taught to sew by tion with the domestic science kitchen, is a dining room where dinners ntul banquets are served by the girls. In the mechanic arts department, Woodwork shops, forges and an automobile auto-mobile garage offers to the student practical experience. While the practical side is emphasized empha-sized the cultural is not neglected. A library of considerable strength with delightful reading rooms and study corners is maintained. Using the library as a laboratory, various courses of academic nature are offered. of-fered. One of the chief strengths of the institution is its music department. Here students are given training in both the vocal and instrumental side. Once a year under the auspices of the department, an opera is produced. Last year the opera, cast with one exception, exclusively from the student stu-dent body, was presented in nearly a score of towns in Southern Utah. A symphony orchestra is trained each year as well as a band and dance orchestra. Scholarship is and always will be the fundamental principle of th institution, in-stitution, and care is taken to not only have the credits meet standard requirements but to instill the spirit of scholarship into the students. The faculty are active in advancing their own scholarship. Two or three each year are given leaves to study at higher institutions of learning. The result is that a well-trained prps of teachers, young, vigorous and .virh a scholarly attitude comprise the teaching teach-ing staff. The enrollment of the college in the academic year 1926-27 was 324 students about equally divided Ik tween junior college, senior high school over school age and the Iron county high school students. Four years ago the school graduated its first junior college class. Today the junior college is the important division divi-sion and is assuming more and more importance all the time. Students assemble at the Branch Agricultural College for their collegiate work, j chiefly from the counties of Iron. Washington, Beaver, Piute, Garfield j and Kane. One of the most impressive things about the Branch Agricultural College Col-lege is its campus which though small : is one of Southern Utah's beauty j spots. It has been well planned, with the five buildings on a mound at the west and lawns, flowers, shrubs and many kinds of trees in front of thorn. The administration building is in the center of the row, with the mechanic arts building and garage on one side, the library and gymnasium on the other. The gymnasium is now under construction to be completed early in the fall. The addition of the new gymnasium gives the college adequate housing facilities for the present. The Branch Agricultural College is young. It was founded in 1898 as a normal school, a branch of the University Uni-versity of Utah. In 1913 it was changed to an agricultural college and made a branch of the state agricultural agri-cultural college in order that it might better serve Southern Utah. Its early development was not too rapid, so that by 1920 the college division was of no importance. By 1922, the college col-lege enrollment was only ten students. stu-dents. In 1V23 the first junior college class was graduated. In 1927, this spring, the graduating class numbered sixteen and over a hundred students were enrolled in the college division. The recent activity in the extension work, the development of the campus, the increased enrollment of students indicate how firmly rooted is the Branch Agricultural College in the life of the section that it serves, Southern Utah. r--r iies t r. U r . rrr . - ' vv-- E i OfUllZV ' 'rm '' ' ' y - Courli-v It. I), A'liim Htii-lio "A" Grade School Building, Pnr.igniiali. j |
