[4] It was established in 1876 as the first experimental corn field at an American college and continues to be used today, although with three half-acre plots, instead of the original ten .

However, the University master plan at the time called for a large open plaza on that end of campus, which was an equally important reason the library was built underground.

[6] The Morrow Plots were begun in 1876 by Professor Manly Miles,[7] who established three half-acre fields with different crop schemes.

At first, record keeping was not of the highest caliber, but by the turn of the 20th century it was clear that crop rotation was a useful component in preventing the depletion of soil quality.

By the early 20th century, the number of remaining plots had been reduced to three, having been seeded to grass and later replaced by additional university facilities.