80 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



REPORT OF DEAN OF SPECIAL COURSES. 



President J. L. Snyder: 



Below is my report as Dean of the Special Courses, for the winter 

 of 1906-7. 



These courses were advertised much as in former years but the adver- 

 tising was more effective because of the greater number of former special 

 course students gathered about the state. A census of the young men 

 upon arrival demonstrated the fact that a majority of them came to 

 the college at the solicitation of some former special student. The 

 Grange, Farmers' Clubs, Gleaners, brought these courses to the atten- 

 tion of the members and some young people came because of the work 

 of these organizations. The press both local and metropolitan made 

 editorial mention of these courses and did effective work in arousing 

 enthusiasm in the matter. 



The training offered was along four general lines, general agriculture, 

 creamery management, cheese making and horticulture. For some in- 

 explicable reason the last named course has never been popular. Dur- 

 ing the eight weeks covered by these courses there were but five 3'Oung 

 men who devoted themselves primarily to horticulture. During the 

 last two weeks an effort was made to bring together the mature fruit 

 growers to take advantage of a special program arranged to be most 

 helpful to them. The matter was extensively advertised but the num- 

 ber in attendance was very small. 



Thirty vigorous young men who had taken the eight weeks course in 

 general agriculture in the winter of 1905-6 returned in January 1907 

 for eight weeks of advanced work. Their attention was directed to 

 special work in veterinary science, in stock judging, in soils and crops, 

 fruit growing, plant life, butter making, bacteriology, poultry husbandry 

 and something of the sciences, entomology, chemistry, physics and bacter- 

 iology. A wide election was allowed and each young man chose the 

 studies which would be most helpful to him in his future work. In 

 addition to the studies named above there was offered for the first time 

 advanced work in rural engineering including a study of the farm 

 motors. 



Unlike institutions in other states this college brings to its halls 

 young men who do not seem to be content with a reasonable amount of 

 study per day. xVt the urgent solicitation of the young men of all the 

 special courses, an arrangement was made whereby they received, three 

 evenings in the week, instruction in parliamentary law and in the rights 

 and obligations of farmer's. This class was a large one and was taught 

 by Prof. C. B. Collingwood who was able to arouse intense interest in the 

 subject and to secure a very noteworthy advance in ability to control an 

 audience. This instruction is bound to be of unique value to these young 

 men who return to their homes to be leaders in rural communities. It 

 gives them self poise, an ability to control their thoughts and to decide 

 correctly the questions of parliamentary law which are bound to arise 

 in every organization. 



Upon the studies of the course in general agriculture, first year, there 



