vi Report of the Director. 



which the experiments indicated were the best. To over- 

 come this the Experiment Station staff decided to meet the peo- 

 ple at Farmers' Institutes, and other public gatherings, with the 

 view of popularizing the work, and also to give more extended 

 and minute instruction than could be set forth in the bulletins 

 which, of necessity, must be brief. The results of the investi- 

 gations for economical reasons, had to be presented in a concen- 

 trated form, and little attempt was made to explain how the 

 facts reached could best be dovetailed into ordimary farm prac- 

 tice. The farmer, unused to this class of literature, was slow to 

 digest it. It was also found that the audiences addressed were 

 largely composed of those who had passed the youthful period 

 of life when courage, hope and vigor are at their best. However 

 clearly the}' might see and understand, they often lacked flexi- 

 bility and hence could not well adapt themselves to new condi- 

 tions. At last it was perceived that in order to do the greatest 

 good we must reach the children and the young people, and 

 also make use of those who had spent longer or shorter periods" 

 of time at th^ college. This extension work is carried on under 

 three distinct heads — Nature-study, Farmers' Reading Course 

 and Junior Naturalists' Clubs. As soon as this work began, a 

 marked and more intelligent interest was shown in the work of 

 the Station. While this added interest may be simpl}' a coinci- 

 dence, we are persuaded that it is due, in part at least, to the 

 work which has been carried on under the special lines noted 

 above, and which for brevity is called generically "University 

 Extension." 



vSince the Extension work of the college has materially assisted 

 the Station in interesting the rural population in the investiga- 

 tions carried on at the Universit}^, I have thought best to incor- 

 porate with this report the leaflets published during the year and 

 all of the Farmers' • Reading Course lessons issued to date. 

 Other circulars of a similar nature have been issued but they do 

 not bear as directly upon the Station work as do those mentioned 

 above, and hence are not incorporated in this report. 



A detailed statement of receipts and expenditures for the fiscal 

 year ending June 30th, 1899, the Treasurer's report, and reports 



