Box 2, Folder 11: A speech given by Welch at an agricultural fair. He discusses his opinion that animal competitions should be judged by the value of the animal to the world and not the price of the animal to the farmer. He argues that fairs should focus less on the largest animals and vegetables but on the quality of the product.
Box 1, Folder 14: Welch examines the biblical quote "For the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal." He discusses space, time, and causation.
Box 1, Folder 21: Welch discusses the advances of science, its relation to religion, qualities required of citizens, and the transitions society was experiencing at that time.
Box 1, Folder 13: Speech given to the State Horticultural Society in which Welch describes the campus in 1869, and how the acres of wild prairie were transformed into a planned campus landscape. He primarily describes building roads and planting trees.
Box 1, Folder 18: Speech given by Welch at the State Agricultural College (now Iowa State) inauguration. Welch discusses the opening of the new institution, the importance of the college's focus on industrial and practical education, and the education of women.
Box 1, Folder 10: In addition to President Welch's inaugural address, speakers include John Scott (Lieutenant Governor ), Benjamin F. Gue (President of the Board of Trustees), and (Norton?) Townshend. Included is the poem "The Ideal Farmer and His Wife" by Professor H. W. Parker.
Box 1, Folder 12: Report discusses the organization, management, instruction, experiments and other aspects of the following European agricultural schools: Royal Agricultural Academy at Poppelsdorf (Germany), Royal Institute for Fruit and Vine Culture (Geisenheim-on-the-Rhine, Germany), Royal Forest School of Bavaria (Germany), Agricultural Station (Ghent, Belgium), College of Agriculture (Downton, England), and Royal Agricultural College (Cirencester, England). Also included is a copy of S. A. Knapp's request for leave for President Welch for the trip to Europe.
Box 2, Folder 13: A speech given by Welch when he received a L. L. D. (Doctor of Law) Degree from the University of Michigan. He talks about his time at the University and the importance of a good education. He praises the University for practicing the principle that intellectual culture is at its highest value when it prepares students for work. He advocates a combination of studies that are involved in our social, moral, and professional duties (a combination of the classics with studies such as mathematics) and that the early choice of a profession should determine a student's studies.
Box 1, Folder 11: As president-elect, Welch presents an organizational plan, addressed to the Board of Trustees, for the future Iowa Agricultural College. Welch discusses the college's purpose, courses of study, departments, and faculty.
Box 2, Folder 4: A speech given by Welch about the importance of different kinds of education, and the benefits and disadvantages of each. He discusses the comprehensive study of one subject versus a broader education in a variety of subjects such as mathematics, psychology, logic and language.
Box 3, Folder 1: A speech given by Welch to the "Farmers of Delaware County" who helped organize their county fair. Welch speaks of the importance of agricultural education and practical farming. He discusses the value of fairs, compares fairs to educational state institutions, and argues that fair exhibitors should show representative examples of their crops instead of fancy products which are hard to reproduce and require a large amount of resources. (Missing pages 27-28).
Written by Mary and Adonijah Welch to Margaret and Edgar Stanton while the Welches were on their second trip to Europe after Welch resigned from the presidency. The letters mention family matters, the Board of Trustees and the dissension against Welch at Iowa State related to the desire for a more agricultural and vocational centered education.
Box 1, Folder 4: Contains both business and personal correspondence from Welch including letters to parents of Iowa State students, friends, and colleagues.
Box 2, Folder 14: A speech given by Welch about the benefits of agricultural education on successful farming. He argues that the farmer needs educational training to successfully form and execute plans, fight insects, care for animals properly, and deal with bad weather.
Box 1, Folder 6: Contains remembrances of Welch and Iowa State and correspondence discussing Welch. Correspondents include Louis Pammel and Earle Ross.
Box 1, Folder 16: The speech was given during the first commencement ceremony for Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University). Welch discusses character, morality, integrity, and that fortune will not necessarily come to the graduates through luck, but instead they must work hard for success.