82G ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



teachers of agriculture. These card lists are valuable sources of 

 infoi-niiition. not only for uu'inbcrs of the ofUce stall', but also for 

 instil uiioiis in quest of teachers of agriculture. 



Cooperation with the Association of American Agricultural Col- 

 leges and Experiment Stations has been continued. The director of 

 this office has continued to act as bibliographer of the association, as 

 cluiirinan of its conmiittces on instruction in agriculture and on the 

 history of agricultural education, and as dean of the Graduate School 

 of Agi'iculture, the fifth session of which began July 1 at the Michi- 

 gan Agricultural College. The agricultural education service of the 

 office helped prepare the report of the association on instruction in 

 rural economics and farm management and has begun collecting data 

 for a report on the work of the agricultural colleges in trainiag 

 teachers of agriculture. 



Members of the agricultural education staff have attended numer- 

 ous conferences on agricultural education and have spoken at several 

 large gatherings of teachers. This work and that of visiting and 

 studying agricultural schools has taken our men into 28 States. 

 over 38,500 miles of raihvay travel, at a total cost to the office or 

 $1,328. Local agencies paid one-fourth of the cost of the field work 

 of the service and would have been willing to pay for additional 

 assistance of the kind if members of the staff could have given more 

 time to this work. This, however, could not be done with so few 

 people to attend to the rapidly growing correspondence, the prepara- 

 tion of publications, and otlier regiilar work of the office. 



EDUCATIONAL WORK, 1912-13. 



In its educational work during the current year the office is laying 

 especial emphasis on the preparation of publications helpful to 

 teachers of agriculture in the elementary and secondary schools. It 

 ■will also continue advisory work along the same lines as heretofore 

 in response to the requests of school officers and lecturers in the 

 several States and will review the progress of agricultural education 

 at home and abroad. 



farmers' institutes AND EXTENSION WORK. 



Eeports were received during the year from 42 States giving data 

 respecting their institute work. In 40 of these States regular insti- 

 tutes were held to the number of 5,663 ; 3,763 were one-day meetings ; 

 1,717 two days; and 183 three days or more — a total of 7,746 days. 



The total number of sessions was 15,965, with an aggregate attend- 

 ance of 2,272,146. If the States and Territories not reporting equal 

 the sessions and attendance of last year, the aggregate number of 

 sessions for the entire country will amount to 19,142 and the at- 

 tendance to 2,590,371, as against 16,741 sessions in the j^revious year 

 and 2,291,857 attendance, an increase of 2,401 sessions and 298,514 

 attendance. The special institutes aggregated an attendance of 

 1,389,266, making the entire attendance at institute meetings of all 

 kinds 3,979,637, an increase of 364,087. 



One hundred and sixty-four movable schools were held, continuing 

 through 799 days, with an aggregate attendance of 137,699. Fifty- 

 one railroad instruction trains were run. accompanied by 287 lecturers. 

 These trains w^ere conducted over 37,818 miles of track, made 1,856 



