DISCUSSION. 113 



your association. To the people of this locality I want to say I 

 am very glad of the record which the farmers institute has 

 made in horticulture, and that we expect to continue to send 

 out the best talent we know where to find, and we feel confident 

 that the people of Aurora will continue to give the very best 

 support they can to the farmers institute, because we believe 

 it is a factor in the education of the people which is worth con- 

 tinuing. (Applause.) 



Mr. C. S. HLiRRisoN: I think the point is well taken. I 

 know of a woman who bought some roses, and she planted her 

 roses that way and they didn't live, and then she blamed the 

 nurseryman for sending out such miserable stuff. 



Mr. Spofford: In 1901 did you use any irrigation? 



Answer: No. 



Mr. Spofford: The students that attend the agricultural 

 farm, are they instructed along these Hnes? 



Mr. Burnett: Yes, we spend a great deal of time on these 

 several practical lines of agriculture and horticulture. 



The school of agriculture runs six months in the year, begin- 

 ning in November and closing the latter part of April. We do 

 that because we want the farm boys, and we want those farm 

 boys to get practical experience on their own farms during the 

 busy season. We can get a great many more for a six months 

 year than we can for a twelve months year. During the six 

 months that they are at home on the farm they are getting real 

 practical experience which is just as valuable education as we 

 could give them when we get them there for nine months in- 

 stead of six months school. 



Now, what do we teach? Three-fourths of aU the time of 

 these boys is devoted to agricultural Hnes of work. For exam- 

 ple, the study of the soil, and how to tell about cultivating the 

 soil, take a great deal of it in order to produce the best crop. 



We study for example the effect of the benefit by plowing or 

 original moisture, the effect of tillage immediately, of harrowing, 

 and the effect of cultivation after plowing or original moisture. 

 It might seem a curious thing, but I graduated from an agri- 



