farmers' institutes in the united states. 363 



publication a bulletin upon agricultural eclucalion for adult farmers 

 in forei^i countries. 



Arrauoeinents have been completed with a number of experts for 

 the preparation of courses of study tog^ether with practicums suited 

 to each, for use in moval)le schools of a«ii:i-iculture. The courses are 

 upon the following subjects: Poultry rearing, cheese making, butter 

 making, and fruit growing. Abstracts of these courses have been 

 submitted and proper authorizations have been issued for their com- 

 pletion. 



Several thousand copies of an address by the institute specialist 

 upon normal schools of agriculture for farmers' institute workers 

 were through the courtesy of the director of farmers' institutes of the 

 State of Pennsylvania printed in pamphlet form and placed at the 

 disposal of this Office. Many of these were sent out, accompanied by 

 a letter calling attention to the publication. A large number of 

 replies have been received, all cordially approving the project which 

 the pamphlet advocates, and with a few exceptions indorsing the 

 method proposed. 



NEW FEATURES IN INSTITUTE WORK. 



As has been stated, several new features have been developed in the 

 farmers' institute work during the year in the direction of the im- 

 j^rovement of the system. Two of these seem to be worthy of special 

 mention. One is the holding of institutes devoted to a single topic, 

 such as butter making, cheese making, poultry rearing, etc. These 

 meetings were each continued for as much as three days and were 

 conducicd by a corps of sj^ecialists who confined their instruction to 

 the particular topic that the institute had been called to consider. 



The other new feature was the holding of a school of methods for 

 farmers' institute workers. This school took up the work of the 

 lecturer, the State director, the local manager, the presiding officer, 

 and the various committees that have charge of the working up of the 

 institute. The first of these new (lej)artures looks toward the making 

 of the instruction in the institute more reliable and complete, and the 

 other to the improvement of the methods in use in institute Avork. 



Xornuil schools for farmers' institute workers were held in Xew 

 York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Illinois, with varying de- 

 grees of success. The purpose in all of these has l)een to endeavor 

 to better fit the worker, particularly the lecturer, for institute service. 

 The need for more and better teachers is the most [)ressing (hat now 

 confronts the institute director, and it is realized that unless qualified 

 instructors are sup])li('d in greater numbers the work can not con- 

 tinue to develop. The matter, therefore, is of vital imi)ortance, and 

 the movement in the States referred to is an effort to meet the diffi- 

 H. Doc. 924, 59-1 li4 



