316 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



for a more definite and rational consideration of the subject in the 

 agricultural colleges generally. 



The discussion was opened by the presentation of the scope and 

 organization of university extension work in general by Dr. Keber, 

 director of the extension work of the University of Wisconsin. 

 President Sparks, of the Pennsylvania State college, formerly in 

 charge of extension work in the University of Chicago, continued the 

 discussion of this theme and in particular brought out and answered 

 some of the objections to extension work as undertaken by the uni- 

 versities. At the second conference Prof. Hamilton, of this ofiice, 

 outlined the present status of extension work in agriculture in the 

 United States and European countries as regards financial support, 

 organization, and methods and kind of work. 



The sphere of agricultural extension work was the theme of the 

 third conference. The discussion under this head was led by Presi- 

 dent Soule, of the Georgia State College of Agriculture, and Dean 

 Price, of the college of agriculture of Ohio State University. It was 

 thus made apparent that the extension work of the agricultural 

 colleges falls under two general heads : (1) The giving of information 

 to adult farmers and their families which can be immediately applied 

 to practice on their farms and in their homes, and (2) a campaign for 

 the improvement of rural schools, including information and training 

 of teachers in elementary and secondary schools along agricultural 

 lines. 



The fourth conference was devoted to some of the problems of 

 agricultural extension work, as presented by President Butterfield 

 and Prof. Miller, superintendent of extension work in the Kansas 

 college. Finally, attention was given at the fifth conference to 

 (1) organization, by Dean Burnett, of the college of agriculture of 

 the University of Nebraska; (2) equipment and methods, by Prof. 

 Clu"istie, -superintendent of agricultural extension work at Purdue 

 University; and (3) the qualifications of extension teachers, by Dean 

 Hunt, of the Pennsylvania State college. 



Meanwhile, under the direction of Prof. Holden, superintendent of 

 agricultural extension work of the Iowa State College, several meet- 

 ings of extension workers and others had taken place in which the 

 methods of equipment used by that college were quite fully displayed 

 and discussed. The large amounts of apparatus, charts, and illus- 

 trative material assembled by the Iowa college for this work was a 

 revelation to many. Afterwards a "round table of extension workers 

 helped to bring together some of the valuable results of the confer- 

 ences. A meeting of extension directors and workers was also held 

 for the discussion of administrative questions. 



This was by far the largest and most important assemblage of per- 

 sons directlv connected with the extension work of our agricultural 



