290 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE, Off. Doc. 



outfits. Perhaps patriotism or policy may induce officials to gen- 

 erosity, and while it may, for certain sections, be appropriate, we 

 at home need to look after the rural districts, the backwoods and 

 isolated sections where trolleys carry no freight, and limited trains 

 no intelligence. 



The average farmer who belongs to that great primary class in 

 less favored localities, on poor soil, and the tenant farmers, so num- 

 erous in the most fertile valleys, need instruction, example and in- 

 spiration more than those near the centers of industry and main 

 lines of travel, Avhere improvement, progress and intelligence are 

 in the air. 



Possibly my scheme to make the work more effective and bring it 

 home to the indifferent farmers, may meet approbation, so I will 

 outline a plan entertained in anticipation of receiving the appoint- 

 ment of Director of Institutes. 



The schoolhouses throughout rural communities are standing 

 vacant during the summer months, and to engage lecturers to go 

 from one to another every evening during the week, and program 

 the itinerancy in advance, sending three into each district to suc- 

 ceed each other alternate evenings and make their way from place 

 to place on foot, in the meantime studying the topography, geology, 

 crops suited to various localities, gather specimens of insects both 

 beneficial and injurious, the characteristics of the people, explain to 

 them on the fields the best methods of cultivation, applying fer- 

 tilizers, how to use manure, show them how to milk cows, use the 

 separator, nfake high-class butter, determine a balanced ration from 

 the material at hand without having reference to purchased stuff, 

 like dried brewers' grain, cotton-seed meal and hulls, and in a gen- 

 eral way suggest methods of improvement, are a few of the duties 

 devolving on the coming institute worker. It can be accompfished 

 economically by traveling, as the San Josd Scale is said to do, and 

 by boarding around like the earlier teachers used to do, it will be 

 both practical and economical. 



In order to give more publicity and dignity to the undertaking, 

 a body now in the employ of the State, who do not know what to 

 do with themselves, and the authorities as little, can be engaged 

 to maintain order and ride around distributing programs, extending 

 special invitations to whoever they meet. This has reference to 

 the body known as the State Police or constables. This is only a 

 rough sketch of the scheme, as the time alloted is too short to go 

 into detail, which can be worked out later on. 



Trimming trees, general orcharding, building economical and sani- 

 tary barns, refrigerators, stock breeding, marketing, general sanita- 

 tion, hygiene, good house-keeping, bee-keeping, and explaining eco- 

 nomical matters, are some of the other features that might well be 

 included in the curriculum as occasion demands. 



Subjects must be condensed so that each speaker is limited to 

 three hours and is not permitted to taffy the county chairman or the 

 women, and telling stories, unless they are true stories, will not 

 be permitted. 



