I `
  ilntvoouctoryz.
  Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges in the United States
 . owe their· origin to an act of Congress, entitled "An act donat-
 ; ing public lands to the several States and Territories which may
_ provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic _
 f arts," approved July 2, 1862. The amount of land donated
  was 30,000 acres for each Representative in the National Con- K
 ` gress. Under this allotment Kentucky received 330,000 acres.
 _ Several years elapsed before the Commonwealth established an
 C Agricultural and l\Iechanical College under the act. \Vhen
 · established it was not placed upon air independent basis, but
1 was made one of the Colleges of Kentucky University, to
V which Institution the annual interest of the proceeds of the
‘ _ Congressional land grant was to be given for the purpose of
  carrying on its operations. The land scrip had meanwhile been
C? sold for titty cents per acre, and the amount r·eceived——$lt$5_o0t>
eeinvested in six per cent. Kentucky State bonds, of which the l
. State became the custodian in trust for the College.
  The connection with Kentucky University continued till ~
  1878, when the act of 1865, making it one ot the Colleges ot
· ‘ said LYnivei·sity, was repealed, and a Commission was appointed
  to recommend to the Legislature of 187{PS0 a plan of organi- _
‘i' zation for an institution, including an Agricultural and Me- T
Kg chanical College, such as the necessities of the Commonwealth ’
, rclpiire. The city of Lexington oltered to the Commission
T lwhich was also authorized to recomniend to the General
r\ss<·mbly the place, which, all things considered, oltered the
best and greatest inducements for the tuturo and permanent ‘
location of the College) the City Park, containing titty-two
acres of land, within the limits ot the city, and thirty thou-
~ sand dollars in city bonds for the erection of buildings. This i
V i oller the county of Fayette supplemented by twenty thousand ll
l dollars in county bonds, to be used either for the erection of I
  .»<  ` A