364 EEPORT OP OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



Investigations have been conducted and published respecting 

 similar work conducted in foreign countries and recommendations 

 have been made for improving the methods in use in disseminating 

 agricultural mformation among farmers as well as plans and sugges- 

 tions for new work that might be undertaken to advantage. 



The office has also carried on investigations mto the condition and 

 extent of extension work in the agricultural colleges and expermient 

 stations, and has furnished this information to the Association of 

 American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations for publi- 

 cation in its annual report. Sunilar investigations have been con- 

 ducted respecting county fair associations, agricultural instruction 

 trains, young people's institutes, and institutes for women. Courses 

 of study for movable schools of agriculture have been prepared, as 

 well as a series of illustrated lectures upon a variety of agricultural 

 topics. A plan for organizing and conducting study in agriculture by 

 correspondence has been outlined, and a course in conformity with the 

 plan proposed has been published and several others are in course of 

 preparation. 



These investigations have broadened the work of the institute 

 division to cover the field of agricultural extension, and together they 

 form bases for future investigations along various Imes distinct in 

 their methods of operation but closely related in purpose. 



The work of the office therefore as at present outlined consists in 

 a number of distinct divisions : 



(1) The farmers' institute work proper, consisting of: 



(a) The general or mixed institute. 



(b) The women's institutes. 



(c) Institutes for young people. 



(d) Movable schools of agriculture and domestic science. 



(e) The organization of farmers' clubs. 



(/) The establishment of winter schools for adults. ^ 



(2) College extension work, consisting of: 



(a) Formation of correspondence schools. 



(b) Formation of local organizations in the various counties to represent the 



institution locally. 



(c) The organization of a force of itinerant instructors and advisers. 



(d) The organization of demonstration work. 



(3) Agricultural fairs — investigations and recommendations: 



(a) For the improvement of their organization. 



(6) For rendering their exliibits more directly educational. 



(c) For securing model plans for grounds and buildings. 



(d) For the improvement of the entertainment feature of county fairs in 



order to free them from moral objection. 



(4) Cooperation with State departments of agriculture: 



(a) By interesting the State departments in the improvement of county fairs. 

 (6) Inaugiurating methods for conducting agricultural surveys. 

 ((■) Instituting systematic distribution of agricultural literature among farming 

 people. 



