University of Nebraska-Lincoln Discovery Documents

[2 grm?] No. 1. THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM COMPANY.

This Company TRANSMITS and DELIVERS messages only on conditions limiting its liability, which have been assented to by the sender of the following message. Errors can be guarded against only by repeating a message back to the sending station for comparison, and the company will not hold itself liable for errors or delays in transmission or delivery of Unrepeated Messages, beyond the amount of tolls paid thereon, nor in any case where the claim is not presented in writing within sixty days after sending the message. This is an UNREPEATED MESSAGE, and is delivered by request of the sender, under the conditions named above.

THOS. T. ECKERT, General Manager. NORVIN GREEN, President.

NUMBER [23?] [Om?]

SENT BY [CG?]

REC'D BY Ed

CHECK 26 pd Govt

Received at Lincoln 11 30 a 1885

Dated, Exposition Grounds New Orleans La 3 To Prof C E Bessey University Lincoln Neb

Be here not later than ninth prepared to talk Nebraska on the stand

Robt W Furnas Com. for Nebraska

Original in the Nebraska State Historical Society, Robert Furnas Collection

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, LINCOLN.

THE INDUSTRIAL COLLEGE. Office of Dean, Dec 21 1885.

My dear Gov Furnas

The matter I spoke of might be put in about this way.

Propose that the Board of Agriculture appoint (as is the custom in many states) a "botanist to the Society" whose duty it shall be—

1st to begin the lawful collection of data for a Manual of the Grasses and Forage plants of Nebraska,

2. The official answering of all queries respecting plants, which may be referred to it by the society.

The only remuneration to be that of postage and stationary.

I should regard the first as the

Original in the Nebraska State Historical Society, Robert Furnas Collection

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, LINCOLN.

THE INDUSTRIAL COLLEGE. Office of Dean, 1885.

most important function of such an office. In fact the record would be rather an incidental function.

The collecting of data as to our nation and introduced grasses is a work which the Agricultural Society might well take up in this way. The work would have to finally pass through the hands of a botanist for the purpose of securing accuracy, so that it would be better to put a botanist at it to begin with. Of course it is to be understood that such botanist would have to take the testimony of practical grass growers all over the state so as to bring out the practical side of the matter. After a year or two of such investigation a good manual might be

Original in the Nebraska State Historical Society, Robert Furnas Collection

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, LINCOLN.

THE INDUSTRIAL COLLEGE. Office of Dean, 1885.

made ready for printing, and either incorporated into the annual report of the Society, or printed as a separate volume at the expense of the state.

Good cuts can be obtained for relatively small expense, to illustrate the book. I venture to say that the ultimate good to the state (at home and abroad) which would come from such a publication would be incalculable.

I suppose you have seen by the Journal of that you have been asked to honor the University and yourself by accepting the title of lecturer

Original in the Nebraska State Historical Society, Robert Furnas Collection

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, LINCOLN.

THE INDUSTRIAL COLLEGE. Office of Dean, 1885.

on Forestry. I trust that you will not allow anything to stand in the way of accepting. I trust that the connection may do us good and you also. We shall be glad to have you be the University's representative at meetings in the state, and in various parts of the country.

You doubtless noticed also that the Regents took action with regard to the establishment of a Veterinary School. They appointed a committee, composed of Regents Gere and Burnham, the Chancellor and myself to confer with the State Board of Agriculture