FAEMEES* INSTITUTES AND EXTENSION WORK. 357 



Eventually the staffs and conduct of the work might be a part of 

 the organization and duty of the county agricultural societies in 

 cooj)eration with the agricultural college as their representative 

 head, and national, State, and county appropriations for support of 

 the work might be administered through the colleges which, in turn, 

 would be required to report statedly to the national. State, and 

 county authorities respecting the expenditure of the funds and the 

 character of the work performed. 



TEACHING BY COREESPONDENCE. 



The attention of farmers' institute and college-extension authori- 

 ties is now being directed to the need for some method of carrymg 

 information to farming people less expensive than the institute 

 meeting and that is also capable of being • extended to reach the 

 entire body of rural population instead of the small percentage that 

 has been possible under the existing system, and that will continue 

 the instruction through a period sufficient to enable the student to 

 master the subject. 



The correspondence method. — The correspondence method of instruc- 

 tion as originally proposed had as its distinctive feature the reaching 

 of the individual, so that persons unassociated with others could take 

 up the studies prescribed and complete the course. Experience, 

 however, has shown that extended study by isolated individuals is 

 impracticable except in instances too few to be considered in a 

 system that is to include the masses. There is lack of the enthusiasm 

 that comes from association with others in study and of the stimulus 

 that urges the student to complete the course. As a consequence, 

 under the individual study system, a large proportion of those who 

 enter fail to continue. Under this system also there can be v^ery 

 httle collateral reading by the student and almost no practicum or 

 laboratory work, both of which are important in any course that is 

 to be at all complete. 



Inasmuch as the subject is one of immediate importance to the 

 agricultural interests of the country, a study of what is being done 

 along correspondence lines and of the methods in use has been made 

 by this office and an outHne has been prepared designed to correct the 

 defects of the existing system and so to improve the method as to 

 make it educative, easily administered, comparatively inexpensive, 

 of general adaptation, and capable of mdefuiite extension. 



In constructmg a method for operating a correspondence course 

 that shall fulfill these conditions eight distinct features were con- 

 sidered : 



(1) A method for the organization of country students into classes. 



(2) The preparation of proper courses of study. 



