No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 178 



topics, a mixed audience, with varied interests and occupations, 

 to be held from 30 minutes to an hour, and given valuable instruc- 

 tion in a way to interest and receive the attention of the thoughtless 

 to the end; all to be accomplished without the loss of dignity by 

 the lecturer and without catering to any popular prejudice that may 

 prevail. To those who think this easy the answer is, attempt it and 

 discover for yourself. To do such work well requires a high order 

 of attainment and the men who completely and conspicuously suc- 

 ceed are few. 



Nevertheless, if the institute is to fulfill its mission as a teacher 

 of agricultural truth and is to take its proper place among the edu- 

 cational institutions of the time, it must be equipped in a great de- 

 gree with precisely such a force. All who undertake to teach in 

 this school of applied science must possess in more than ordinary 

 degree the qualifications that distinguish these superior men. More- 

 over, if the institutes are to be extended until they reach the many 

 millions who need their help, the force of teachers will have to be 

 increased twenty or even fifty-fold. 



SUPPLYING INSTRUCTORS. 



The important and difficult question that now confronts the friends 

 of institute work is, How can the supply of capable institute instruc- 

 tors be increased? 



Hitherto, State directors have depended upon picked-up help for 

 lecture service; upon the agricultural colleges and experiment sta- 

 tions for expert scientists to teach the science of agriculture, and 

 upon such successful practical farmers as can be induced to leave 

 their work and take a place upon the force for giving mstruction re- 

 specting the practical operations of the farm. The rapidly expand- 

 ing work of the agricultural colleges and of the experiment stations 

 is each year making it more and more difficult for members of the 

 teaching and experiment station force to be spared from their duties 

 at these institutions. Unless these colleges and stations employ a 

 special force of experts to represent them in the farmers' institutes, 

 the time will soon come when very few of their number will be in the 

 institute field. Even now, many directors are dependent almost en- 

 tirely upon laymen for service as institute instructors, with the pros- 

 pect that, unless something of the kind suggested is done, of being 

 wholly deprived of college and station help. 



For the year ending June 30, 1903, the colleges and stations of the 

 United States furnished 196 members of their staffs for the institute 

 work out of a total of 924 lecturers on the force. These lecturers 

 contributed 1,666 days of time out of a total of 4,880 days of insti- 



