O.Si) ItEPOKT OF OFFTOK OF FXPKRIMENT STATIONS. 



foi' llie ;ipi>()iMtiii('iit of a I'annci-s' iiistituto spiH-ialist in tlw Ollice of 

 Expcriinciit Stations in tho Dcpailincnl of A^ritiiltiiic, and appi-opri- 

 uted tli(> sum of ii^r),0(Mi foi- tin- piu'pose of mt'otini,^ tlu; necessary 

 expenses. The duties of this officer, as stilted in tlie act niakin*,^ the 

 appropriation, are "to investi*;-ate and report upon the oroauization 

 and ])rooress of farmers' institutes in the several States and Territories, 

 and upon simihir ortj-anizations in foreign countries, with special suj^- 

 gestions of plans and methods for making such organizations more 

 effective for the dissemination of the results of the work of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture anrl the experiment stations and of improved 

 methods of agricultural practice. " The institute specialist entered upon 

 Ms duties on the 1st of April, V.H)?>. 



Inasmuch as there has been no precedent to be followed or plan for- 

 nudated, it was necessary lirst of all to define the character and outline 

 the scope of the work that the institute officer should undertake. It 

 was manifest that the relation of the Department to the institute work 

 in the several States must of necessity be largely advisory and in the 

 waj of securing and sending out to the State authorities information 

 respecting the condition and progress of the work throughout the 

 country. 



It was agreed that every effort should l)e made to strengthen the 

 work in each State l)y aiding in perfecting their institute organizations 

 and by assisting- in improving and increasing their lecture force, and 

 that the channels through which the Department ought to operate 

 should be those which each State has created for the management and 

 control of the institute work within its limits. 



As soon as this had been settled the work of securing definite infor- 

 mation in regard to the condition of the farmers' institutes in the several 

 States was taken up. Requests were sent out to the State directors 

 asking for copies of the laws under wdiich the institutes are organized 

 and operated in their States, and also for information as to the amount 

 of money availalile for institute purposes for the year ended June 30, 

 1903, as well as for that ending June 30, 1904. There was general 

 response to these inquiries, and copies of the law^s have been secured 

 and arranged for publication. 



A comparison of the laws and of the reports of the superintendents 

 in States in which institutes exist shows that the control of the work 

 throughout the country is by no means uniform. In 21 States and 

 Territories the management is in the hands of the State boards of 

 agriculture or boards of similar character-. In 21 States and Terri- 

 tories it is in the hands of the agricultural college or experiment 

 station officers, and in 5 others the control is vested in special boards 

 constituted for the purpose. 



In a number of States the local institutes are organized under laws 

 which specify their duties and prescribe their form of organization. 



