COUNTY CONFERENCES 



These have 'become so thoroughly established that their pur- 

 pose is understood and they are looked for by the people. For 

 two reasons, this year's work is deserving of special mention: 

 First, most of the traveling was done by automobile instead of 

 hj train, thus making it possible to visit two counties each day, 

 and making a valuable saving of time to the director. This 

 method also aifords an oppoa-tunity to observe the farming and 

 ■agricultural conditions in the different counties, and the first-hand 

 knowdedge thus dbtained enables the director to serve the people 

 more effectively than ever before. 



In June, 1915, the eastern and northern portions of the state 

 were visited ; the following August, the middle and western por- 

 tions. In June, 1916, the entire state was gone over, except the 

 jiorthern portion, which will be visited in August. By this change 

 in time, opportunity has been afforded' for the study of conditions 

 both at seed-time and harvest. 



The second notable point was the participation in these con- 

 ferences by Professor D. J. Crosby, who is in charge of the exten- 

 sion -work at Cornell University. So mutually satisfactory was 

 this cooperation in August, 1915, that this year the joint work 

 extended over every county in the state. The call for confer- 

 ences was signed by both the director of farmers' institutes and 

 Professor Crosbv, and it stated that both farmers' institutes and 

 extension schools would be located at the conference. 



The plan is a most excellent one. The moral effect is fine, show- 

 ing that both these agencies for agTicultural advancement are work- 

 ing in unison. Time is saved on the part of those attending. 

 With a limited number of both institutes and schools, more equit- 

 able and mutually satisfactory assignments can be made than 

 would be possible in any other way. People are given to under- 

 stand that they cannot have an institute and a school at the same 

 place in the same year. Frequently, one will serve a community 



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