384 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



The Land Grant Act of 1862, which provided for the teaching of 

 agriculture and mechanic arts, established in each State a college. 

 When this act was passed, the term college had a definite meaning, 

 which clearly differentiated it from an academy. Notwithstanding 

 this fact, however, a number of the colleges in this country have 

 been so far as their entrance requirements are concernd, little or 

 none above those of secondary schools. Such colleges have had a 

 greater number of teachers and larger facilities, especially in the 

 way of laboratories, than those possessed by ordinary high schools. 



That they have done a somewhat higher grade of work than is 

 possible in an ordinary high school is probable. Neither criticisms 

 nor comparison is here intended. The point is that for many years 

 secondary education in agriculture has been an accomplished fact in 

 this country. Almost all the agricultural colleges have recognized 

 the demand for secondary education by permitting students with 

 less than college entrance requirements and sometimes without 

 entrance requirements of any kind to enter and take such studies in 

 agriculture and allied branches as their previous training would 

 permit. In some instances the students have entered the classes 

 with regular students and in other cases separate classes have been 

 organized. Not infrequently such students subsequently make up 

 their entrance requirements and graduate. Some of the best men 

 the colleges have turned out have been of this class. 



'Not only have students been permitted thus to pursue studies 

 throughout the year, but in most institutions winter courses, usu- 

 ally varying in length from eight to twelve weeks, have been organ- 

 ized. These courses have usually been very much specialized, stu- 

 dents often giving their entire time to some branch of agriculture 

 as dairying, poultry, husbandry, etc. The pioneer in this work was 

 the University of Wisconsin when, in 1890, Dean Henry organized 

 the first winter course in dairying. While it is true that pumpkins 

 can be grown in three months and oak trees require thirty years, it 

 is also true that these winter term courses not only give useful 

 knowledge and much inspiration but also have pedagogic value 

 when in the hands of real teachers. 



The following testimonials are not without interest in this con- 

 nection. 



"I owe my success to the Short Course, and I doubt whether I would be on 

 the farm to-day had I not taken that course." 



"The Short Course has increased my earning capacity 25 per cent." 



"We consider the time spent in Madison at the Short Course as two of the 

 best spent winters of our lives." 



"Farm work is much more interesting to me since taking the Short Course 

 in Agriculture. Work that was once a drudgery is now a pleasure." 



"I feel that the money spent in the Short Course is the most profitable in- 

 vestment I have ever made." 



"We have added from 40 to 45 per cent, to the production of our farm by 

 practicing a thorough system of crop rotation. I have learned how to care for 

 live stock, and we have increased our number 25 per cent, and the quality of 

 our animals 60 per cent. Our dairy herd produces easily 50 per cent, more 

 than it did before I took the Short Course." 



