86 



here we find the best soil and most favorable conditions for growing corn to be 

 found anywhere in the world. 



The new problems which will continue to arise in this section, and which will 

 become more complicated as the years go by, will always have relation to live- 

 stock breeding and feeding, dairy products, corn growing, and the maintenance 

 of soil fertility, the foundation upon which all prosperity rests in this central 

 division. 



Our agricultural colleges and experiment stations are thoroughly equipped, 

 are sustained by liberal State appropriations, and in charge of the ablest scien- 

 tists and insti-uctors that the country affords. Our stations are constantly 

 making discoveries of new truths, establishing principles, and demonstrating 

 new methods, all of which are of vital importance to the continued growth of 

 the great industries above mentioned. 



The all-important problem, therefore, is the dissemination and application to 

 farm practice of these discoveries and teachings of the experiment stations. 

 The farmers' institute should be made a more efficient agency in the dissemina- 

 tion of this scientific knowledge. 



AVe have found in Illinois that the experiment station bulletins secure better 

 results when used in connection with material demonstrations and the doing of 

 things. The Illinois boys' corn-growing contest, a detailed account of which 

 has been published in Mr. Hamilton's report, is an example of the benefit of 

 extending the institute work into the field of practical demonstration ; through 

 this effort. 5,521 boys received not only a jjackage of pure-bred seed corn, but 

 they received copies of a score card and instructions for its use; their attention 

 was directed to the experiment station and its work. Twenty-nine agricultural 

 papers called the attention of its readers to this contest, and most of them in 

 subsequent issues published articles on corn growing, getting their data from 

 experiment station bulletins. One paper secured a series of lessons from an 

 agricultural college professor on corn growing and sent copies of papers con- 

 taining same to the 5,000 boys. Three strictly educational school journals 

 called attention to this corn contest, and approved the idea of teaching agricul- 

 ture in the schools. Fifty county superintendents of schools issued circulars 

 to the teachers on the subject, asking them to cooperate with their boys in the 

 experiment. During the cdfuing Institute season, when the boys come to the 

 meeting with their corn exhibits, many of the schools will attend in a body. 

 Professors from the college of agriculture will be present to give instruction. 



In these ways the discoveries of science can be disseminated and put into 

 practice. We are now receiving letters daily from the boys narrating the 

 causes of their failures to grow corn worth exhibiting at the institute. Here 

 is an opportunity for further distribution of scientific instruction under con- 

 ditions where it will receive attention. To take advantage of this opportunity 

 there must be clerical help ; the lessons of the experiment station bulletin must 

 be put in shape for primary instruction, and postage will be required to send it. 



If the farmers' institute superintendent could be granted the franking privi- 

 lege on institute matter, the States could supply the literature aud in this way 

 the dissemination of scientific methods greatly extended. 



Without doubt, the best instructors we have in our institute work are the 

 scientific specialists, who know things which the farmer ought to know and 

 who can tell them in language the farmer can understand, and the practical 

 men who can do things the farmer would like to do and who can show him 

 how to do them. 



To bring together the farmer who needs help and the man who can help him 

 is a problem for the institute to solve. To accomplish this desired end the 

 institute needs organizers, promoters — men of ability and tact, who can go into 



