farmers' institutes. 37 



students of the progress of pnictical and scientific agriculture. Thev 

 must, therefore, have the means of acquainting themselves readily and 

 satisfactorily with what is going- on throughout the world in the line 

 of their specialties. Besides this, the}' must be provided with the best 

 facilities for the clear presentation of their su))jects to their audiences. 

 This means that they must have the right kind of specimens, charts, 

 photographs, lantern slides, etc. 



This Oftice, therefore, intends to give much attention to whatever 

 concerns the best training of the farmers" institute lecturers. It will 

 also aid the institute managers to secure the best availaljle lecturers in 

 the diiferent branches of agriculture. 



In the appropriation act making provision for the work of this 

 Office in relation to the institutes it is made our duty to bring the 

 results of the work of this Department before the farmers attending 

 the institutes. As a result of this provision we are already receiving 

 numerous calls for the personal attendance of officers of the Depart- 

 ment at the institutes. These calls are welcomed as evidences of the 

 public interest in the work of the Department, and special pains are 

 being taken to meet them satisfactorily as far as possible. In this way 

 it may be expected that the Department will be much more generally 

 represented at the institutes in the several States than it has been in 

 the past, and the work of the Department will be explained to thou- 

 sands of farmers who hitherto have had onl}' vague understanding of 

 its relation to practical agriculture. Since it is obviously impractica- 

 ble for the Department to be personally represented at all the insti- 

 tutes, the plan will be followed of sending its representatives especially 

 to the round-up institutes and such other meetings of large numl)ers 

 of representative farmers as will be likely to secure the most effective 

 dissemination of information regarding the Department's work in 

 different sections of the country. 



It is difficult to realize the extent and importance of the farmers' 

 institute movement and its vital relation to the successful incorpora- 

 tion of the results of scientific investigations in our agricultural 

 practice. Under present conditions, with the rapid changes in the 

 personnel of our agricultural population and the almost entire absence 

 of agricultural instruction in our elcmentar}^ schools, it is of the 

 greatest importance that our adult farmers shall receive definite 

 information regiirding improved methods of agriculture and the prin- 

 ciples which lie at the foundation of progress in agricultural practice. 

 Already it is estimated that nearly l.(K)0,000 of our farmers arc 

 reached at least to a limited extent bv the institutes. To sfive this 

 great body of men sound instruction, and to biing the remaining 

 <>,oO0,000 farmers of the United States within the direct inlluenc(> of 

 the institutes, is a vast undertaking. (Considering the very limited 

 funds which the institute managers ha\e had at their disposal they 



