Ivi Department of Experimental Plant-Breeding. 



III. extension 



The department has not given very much attention to extension 

 work, as such would prove a great hinderance to the proper prose- 

 cution of the research work, which is the primary aim of the 

 department. It is necessary however, for investigators to keep 

 in fairly close touch w^ith the farmers of the State in order to 

 appreciate what problems are of the most importance, and a certain 

 amount of extension work can thus be done without serious inter- 

 ruption. 



The extension work of the department during the past year has 

 been as follows : 



1. Lectures have been given before farmers" organizations and 

 Granges in various parts of the State. About 25 lectures of this 

 sort have been given during the year. 



2. Exhibits illustrating the work of the department and methods 

 of plant-breeding have been made at two Coimty Eairs and the 

 State Fair. 



3. Co-operative work on breeding corn, grains and potatoes, is 

 being conducted with a number of farmers, the department aiding 

 in the work simply by furnishing the plans for the experiments. 



IV. recommendations 



The work of this department has entirely outgrown its quarters 

 and it is imperative that more room be provided or that the work 

 be greatly contracted. The department was not organized until 

 after the present buildings were completed and the desirable space 

 in these buldings had all been assigned to other departments. The 

 rooms linally found for the department, on the third floor of the 

 Agronomy Building were small but ample for the department as 

 then organized. The department then had in charge simply ex- 

 perimental work and employed only one professor and one assistant 

 professor. Tlie department as now organized is comprised of one 

 professor, one assistant professor and two assistants conducting 

 experimental work, and one assistant professor in charge of teach- 

 ing work. A considerable number of graduate students have applied 

 for work and some of the most valuable investigations of the 

 department have been conducted by such graduate students. It is 

 of the highest importance that all students of this advanced grade 

 of work who apply 'should be accommodated, but last year several 

 were turned away as no room was available in which they could 

 work. Last year the undergraduate teaching work, conducted by a 



