An Effort to Help the Farmer. 265 



b. THE reading-course. 



Every person is certain that a systematic course of reading 

 would be productive of the greatest good to the farmer ; but 

 only those who have tried to establish such a course know how 

 difficult the task is. Those farmers whom it is chiefly desired to 

 reach are not ready for books. It is said that book writings are 

 too technical, but technical matter must be presented largely in 

 technical language. Merely dropping technical terms is only a 

 cheap means of writing in a popular way. The trouble is that 

 the farmer does not think in books. He has not been trained 

 in that wa3^ The matter must be written from his standpoint 

 and be digestible. It must be peptonized. 



Our first effort to establish a readino^-course was the recom- 

 mendation of a set of books and bulletins (see Bulletin 122, p. 

 494). It did not work. 



Last winter we devised a different plan. The purpose has been 

 two-fold, — to charge the reader with information concerning his 

 occupation, and to incite him to thought and observation. This 

 we undertake to do by a process of pouring in and pumping out 

 The subject for the winter of iSgy-'gS was texture of the soil 

 and conservation of moisture. A preliminar}^ class of 1,500 was 

 enrolled the winter before, and 5,000 during the winter of 1897- 

 1898. In serving this class, 280,000 pages of literature were dis- 

 tributed free. The interest shown by the members has been so 

 eager and intelligent that we have decided to give this feature of 

 University extension work more attention than ever before. 



The plan for the present winter is to divide the work into five 

 subjects, three on soil and two on plant life. Very little atten- 

 tion will be given to the handicraft or the how of farming. 

 Farmers have a very fair understanding of this ; but the why, 

 the philosophy of cause and effect, a correct understanding of 

 which will enable the farmer to act on a principle and not on a 

 recipe — , these things are not understood. 



The following circular (Nov. 15, 1898) will set the reading- 

 course problem, as we see it, before the reader : 



"I. WHAT IT IS. 



" The object of this Reading-Course is to instruct farmers in thinking out 

 their problems for themselves. Therefore, a problem is set, and the solu- 

 tion is suggested. Then the reader is requested to send us his answers and 



