304 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



THE REORGANIZATION OF THE INSTITUTE. 



The somewhat sensational and elementary period of the farmers 

 institute movement is about over. The problem now is, What shall 

 be substituted in their stead and what form shall the organization take 

 in order to most effectively carry on its work? 



This raises the whole question of the field and functions of the 

 farmers' institute. The institute movement has reached a point 

 where it is important to have its purpose and scope clearly defined. 

 What ought the institute to embrace ? What ought it to be ? 



Although the institute movement has been in active operation for 

 over twenty-five years, no satisfactory definition respecting the field 

 that it should occupy, the precise methods to be adopted in imparting 

 instruction, or the form of organization best for accomplishing its 

 purposes have yet been agreed upon. 



During the early period of the institute movement, which consisted 

 largely in arousing the public and creating sentiment in favor of agri- 

 cultural education, good work was accomplished without any, or at 

 least with very little, system. Now that the work has been well 

 started its scope extended, and gives evidence of permanency as an 

 educational institution, a carefully considered definition of purpose has 

 become a necessity, as well as the adoption of some well-organized plan 

 for carrying it out. Two important committees have been at work 

 during the past year investigating this question. One is, a standing 

 committee of the American Association of Farmers' Institute Workers 

 on "cooperation with other educational agencies," and the other is a 

 standing committee of the Association of American Agricultural Col- 

 leges and Experiment Stations on "extension work." These com- 

 mittees made reports to their respective associations this year. Their 

 investigations were largely confined to securing data showing what is 

 now being done in agricultural extension work and in discovering the 

 institutions engaged in conducting it. For the coming 3"ear the com- 

 mittees propose to consider the subjects in greater detail, and have 

 arranged to conduct so much of their investigation work as is common 

 to both in cooperation. 



There is prospect, therefore, that in the near future, through the 

 instrumentality of these agencies and others now at work, the agricul- 

 tural education extension movement in its various phases will be 

 consolidated into a single organization constituted on lines broad 

 enough and strong enough, both financially and educationally, to most 

 efficiently carry out the great purpose of its existence — the improve- 

 ment of country living, intellectually, sociall}'^, morally, and financially. 



The great interest that the agricultural colleges and experiment 

 stations are manifesting in respect to the work and organization of 



