90 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEAN OF THE SPECIAL COURSES. 



To the President: 



The methods of advertising the special courses in the fall of 1903 

 differed from those previously used in one respect only, more atten- 

 tion was paid to the organizations of farmers, the Grange, the Farmers' 

 Club and the Gleaners. Lists of names of young men who might possi- 

 bly be induced to take a course at the College were obtained from the 

 officers of these organizations and circulars and personal letters sent 

 to the young people themselves. It was found that a great majority 

 of the young men thus solicited could not possibly come to the College 

 in the winter of 1903-4, but hoped to do so at some future time. While, 

 therefore, the advertising did not result in the expected increase of 

 numbers for the past season, it is seed sown upon good ground, and if 

 properly followed up during the years to come, cannot fail to bring a 

 good many of our rural population to the College for the short courses. 

 It will bring also the ones for whom the special courses are provided, 

 the young men who cannot, for various reasons, leave the home long 

 enough to take a full four years' course. The numbers in attendance 

 upon the special courses offered were as follows: 



Live stock, first six weeks 58 



Live stock, second six weeks 14 



Creamery, first six weeks 35 



Creamery, second six weeks 11 



Cheese 26 



Fruit 9 



Beet sugar 13 



An attempt was made to give an advanced course to the live stock 

 men and butter makers. There was no way of telling beft)r,e hand how 

 such a scheme would work. In the live stock' course the method seemed 

 to be successful, but with the creamery men results were otherwise. I 

 should recommend, therefore, that in future the special courses be made 

 eight weeks long instead of six and no supplementary courses be offered, 

 unless indeed a short course covering the entire winter should be thought 

 worthy of consideration in the immediate future. There come to us 

 every season a few young men who desire to stay at the College a great 

 deal longer than six or eight weeks and who would be glad of the 

 opportunity to come here in late October, go home at Christmas for a 

 vacation of a week and then return to remain until the beginning of 

 the spring vacation. I believe it would be wise on the part of the Col- 

 lege to consider the propriety of offering a course of study adapted to 

 the wants of such young people and covering eight weeks before Christ- 

 mas and the months of January, February and March. Such a course 

 would need to include work with live stock, judging, feeding and veteri- 

 nary science; work in agronomy, including soils and methods of crop 

 production; work in botany, including systematic botany for both 



