farmers' institutes in the united states. 313 



were of proper standard. The committee did not present any formal 

 recommendations for adoption, but offered its suggestions for dis- 

 cussion and further consideration. 



The committee on cooperation with other educational agencies 

 presented a quite extended report. Their investigations were mainly 

 directed to securing information upon four points: (1) Cooperation 

 with the National Department of Agriculture; (2) cooperation with 

 the State experiment stations; (3) cooperation with the superintend- 

 ents and teachers of schools, and (4) cooperation with the agricul- 

 tural colleges. 



A large number of inquiries were sent out requesting information 

 and many replies were received. As a result of their inquiry and of 

 a careful study of the question by the individual members, the com- 

 mittee presented its conclusions in the form of a number of state- 

 ments, concluding with the following resolutions, which the associa- 

 tion adopted: 



That it is the sense of this association that an important function of the farmers' 

 institute is one of cooperation with other educational agencies; that the institutes 

 should, whenever possible, be so managed as to bring together a goodly number of 

 those engaged in agricultural practice; that there should always be some instruc- 

 tion that is in accord with the work of the experiment station and the United States 

 Department of Agriculture; that this instruction should be so presented as to awaken 

 interest in what is being done in agricultural investigation, and turn the attention of 

 the people to the sources of information; that the young people and their teachers 

 should be interested to attend the institutes, and the programmes should be so arranged 

 that their interest in agricultural education may be awakened and the cooperation 

 of the schools secured. In a word, it is the sense of this body that the aim of the insti- 

 tute should be (1) to teach a few things, and (2) to do this so well that the desire to 

 know many things will be created; (3) to point the way to the sources of information — 

 for adults, the station and the Department of Agriculture; for young people, the 

 schools and agricultural colleges, and (4) to make sentiment in favor of a liberal sup- ■ 

 port of all these educational agencies. 



The committee in analyzing its correspondence found that in 

 answer to the query, "To what extent is such cooperation desirable?" 

 41 out of 53 replied, "To the fullest extent practicable;" and to the 

 question "To what extent has such cooperation been practiced in 

 your State?" 44 out of 53 replied, "To the fullest extent practicable." 

 The investigation revealed the fact that there is both on the part 

 of the institutes and on that of the other educational agencies a 

 most cordial spirit of cooperation. 



The committee on movable schools of agriculture directed atten- 

 tion to the need existing for giving a greater amount of special 

 instruction in the institutes than has been given in the past, and 

 that the future development of the institute would be along these 

 lines. They suggested that the movable school, teaching thor- 

 oughly a few fundamental agricultural subjects according to a well- 

 constructed course of study, offers a possible solution of the present 



