NY State College of Agriculture
Bailey began making a plea for state-supported agricultural education at Cornell as early as 1893. Bailey and Isaac Roberts built up support by providing bulletins, lectures, demonstrations, farming institutes, and even visits to farmers’ homes. They listened to farmers’ problems and provided valuable solutions. As more and more farmers realized the value of the Extension Program, Cornell’s trustees decided to officially change the name of the university’s Department of Agriculture to College of Agriculture in 1896.
By 1900 it was clear that the College of Agriculture required state support to erect the necessary buildings. Early in 1903, Roberts sent Bailey to Albany to secure support for a large agriculture building. The effort failed that year, but by rallying support from all over the state, Bailey succeeded the next year. With Roberts’s retirement in 1903, Bailey became Director of the College. His lobbying skills produced the votes necessary to win over the legislature. And he won not merely $250,000 for the new building, but (over strong opposition from other schools) he was also able to effect the establishment of the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University. The new state policy provided ownership and maintenance by the state, but left administration solely to the university. Following dedication of the new college and building by Governor Charles Evans Hughes in April 1907, Bailey set about expanding the faculty, adding new departments, and stimulating innovative research and inspired teaching.
Farmer's Week
While the College of Agriculture is concerned directly with increasing the producing power of the land, its activities cannot be limited narrowly to this field. It must stand bravely for rural civilization. It must include within its activities such a range of subjects as will enable it to develop an entire philosophy or scheme of rural life.... The colleges of agriculture have three proper lines of work: the regular or ordinary teaching; the discovery of truth, or research; the extending of their work to all the people.
Director’s Address
When he became Director in 1903, the buildings were valued at about $60,000, the faculty consisted of nine persons, twenty-five courses were offered, the total enrollment of students of all grades was 252. In 1913, the buildings were valued at about $1,125,000; the faculty consisted of 104 persons, two hundred and twenty-four courses were offered, and the total enrollment was 2,305 students of all grades.
-A. R. Mann, “Life of Liberty Hyde Bailey,” The Cornell Countryman 2: 69-73, 1913.
President’s Report
President’s Report, 1912-1913. “Director’s Report—Agriculture”
The annual report of the College for 1913 includes information on twenty-two departments, including Farm Management, Farm Practice and Farm Crops, Plant Breeding, Plant Physiology, Plant Pathology, Soil Technology, Horticulture, Pomology, Forestry, Entomology, Dairy Industry, Animal Husbandry, Poultry Husbandry, Farm Mechanics, Agricultural Chemistry, Landscape Art, Drawing, Rural Economy, Home Economics, Meteorology, Extension and Rural School Education.