308 Report of Farmers' Institutes 



economics of the State Agriculture College. There are two courses 

 • — a regailar four-year course leading to the degree of bachelor of 

 science, and a tliree-months' short course. The first course re- 

 quires regular college entrance credits ; the second is open to all 

 young women of the state. Miss Rose outlined the possibilities 

 in making this department of even greater benefit to the women of 

 the state. 



Miss Van Rensselaer presented the three types of extension 

 work which the department of home economics is now doing. 

 First, the Cornell Reading Course Clubs organized throughout 

 the state for the study of home problems. These are under the 

 direct supervision of the department, which furnishes programs 

 and bulletins for use in these clubs. Second, the department 

 conducts extension schools in home economics, either in connec- 

 tion with the agricultural schools for men, or in communities 

 which have no schools for men. It is necessary for each com- 

 munity to pledge the support of twenty-five women at a fee of 

 seventy-five cents each for five days' work. The department also 

 conducts junior extension schools in connection with the rural 

 schools of the state. Canning clubs are fomied among girls and 

 breadmaking contests are conducted. When these products are 

 judged the conditions which decide the score are explained to 

 the contestants. 



Miss Nye told further of the work of the junior schools. There 

 are two courses, the first with the high schools to create a perma- 

 nent desire for home economics in their schools, and the second in 

 the rural schools with the teachers in conference to discuss the 

 means of taking up home economics as a home project. 



Mrs. Monroe took up the subject of better farm homes, ex- 

 pressing her belief that the contests which are conducted by the 

 home economics department are a means of improving home con- 

 ditions and that an increase in the income is also important. She 

 therefore suggested that means of making money at home be 

 brought to the attention of the girls on the farm. 



Mrs. Jones said that she believes that the best civilization has 

 come from the farm homes; that some of the best educated men 

 and women have been reared on the farm; that the homes on the 

 farm are imitating too much the city homes and that in the rush 

 of every day life better living is lost sight of; that the boys and 



