THE farmers' institutes IN THE UNITED STATES. . 389 



the number at 4,850. One hundred and sixty sessions of institutes for 

 young people were held, with an attendance of 21,422. The directors 

 of two States reported that 50,000 school children were visited and 

 addressed by their institute directors during the year and a number 

 of others report similar service, but do not give the schools visited 

 or the number of children in attendance. It is, however, safe from 

 the data furnished, to assume that at least 100,000 school children 

 were visited by institute men during the year, and given some instruc- 

 tion in either agriculture or domestic science. 



The aggregate attendance at all of the special institutes as reported 

 was 537,330), making the total attendance at institutes of all kinds 

 for the year 2,933,244, an increase of 74,305 over the year before. 



AGRICULTURAI COLLEGE EXTENSION WORK. 



The development of agricultural extension by the land-grant col- 

 leges has been one of the most remarkable features of their work 

 during the year. The report of the standing committee on extension 

 work of the Association of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment 

 Stations shows that extension departments have been organized in 

 32 States and Territories by 35 institutions, and that in 3 other States 

 departments have been partially organized. One hundred and thir- 

 teen persons were employed for their full time in extension work in 

 connection with the colleges and stations and 189 persons contributed 

 part of their time. Appropriations from all sources for carrying on 

 the work during the year amounted to something over four hundred 

 thousand dollars. The standing committee renewed its recommenda- 

 tions of the previous year for national appropriation for extension 

 work. This recommendation was after^vards indorsed by the 

 association. 



The new section of the association on extension work held its first 

 session at the Washington meeting. The program provided for the 

 discussion of agricultural extension as to its present status, extension 

 schools, training extension teachers, and agricultural extension as 

 related to rural schools. The section on experiment station work 

 also devoted the greater part of an afternoon to the consideration of 

 the relation of the experiment stations to extension work, and the 

 college section met w4th the extension men in a joint session for the 

 discussion of extension methods. Interest on the part of the associa- 

 tion in this new feature in education was very pronounced. 



In recognition of the importance of extension work as a feature in 

 agricultural education, the committee of the Graduate School of 

 Agriculture a year ago provided in its curriculum for the meeting 

 at Ames, Iowa, a period for the presentation of papers relating to 

 rural sociology and agricultural extension. The interest excited 

 among the students by these papers was quite remarkable, and 



