312 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



did not offer any formal recommendation for adoption by the asso- 

 ciation, but submitted the results of their investigations as a report 

 of progress. 



The committee on institute lecturers directed its efforts chiefly to 

 discovering whether or not there is an adequate supply of capable 

 institute lecturers available for the work. In beginning this investi- 

 gation the committee were confronted with the need for a definition 

 of institute work, its purposes, and scope. The committee say: 



The purposes and scope of the farmers' institute work must be determined and 

 established before intelligent recommendations can be made regarding ways and 

 means of suj^plying suitable institute lecturers. This must be determined before we 

 can even know what sort of institute lecturers we need, much less formulate and 

 execute plans for securing and maintaining them. 



The committee then announced their views in the following lan- 

 guage: 



In the opinion of this committee the work of the farmers' institute is educational; 

 to carry agricultural education to those on the farms who have lived beyond the 

 usual school or college age. Farmers' institute work is in no sense university exten- 

 sion any more than is an agricultural college a university. The investigations of the 

 committee convince* them that in most States there is no scarcity of institute lecturers 

 capable of entertaining an audience; but that there is a lack of fit instructors in agricul- 

 ture in many of the States, and the reason why other States reported ''that there was 

 no scarcity" was because there was little demand — that is, 'little work was being 

 done." 



The committee, in considering the preparation of a sufficient sup- 

 ply of efficient lecturers, expressed the following view: 



The suggestions of your secretary for district (interstate) schools for the training 

 of institute workers seems to be best. Two, three, or more States, where conditions 

 are similar, are combined to educate institute workers and interchange in their em- 

 ployment. This would be the cheapest and most effective method. In the way of 

 this and of all other methods, however, stand two difficulties — short periods of service 

 and low compensation. 



The conviction expressed by the committee, that in the way of 

 securing permanently an effective force of institute lecturers, stand 

 the two difficulties, that of short service and low compensation, 

 states a most important truth. In some way the farmers' institute 

 will have to provide a career for its teachers similar to that of edu- 

 cational institutions having fixed classes, and the compensation 

 must be sufficient to attract the most competent teachers to this 

 service if it is to maintain itself at an educational standard above 

 mediocrity. 



In the discussion it was suggested that it might be possible to 

 establish normal departments in the agricultural colleges for the 

 training of institute lecturers, requiring the student to deliver lec- 

 tures and undergo criticism and questioning by his audience, after 

 the manner of a real institute meeting, admitting to this class grad- 

 uates of the institution and others whose educational qualifications 



