Xxii RkPORT 01" Tin-: rRI-ZSIDKNT. 



X\^II. Department of Rural Economy. 



(a) The aim and purpose of the nine courses given by this de- 

 partment is to give students in agriculture a fundamental knowl- 

 edge of the general economic and social problems of agriculture 

 in their historical as well as present day aspects, in order that these 

 students may be fitted to become leaders in the State and the 

 Nation in the general uplift of agriculture. 



(c) Extension work is carried on by correspondence. The de- 

 I>artment has been of assistance in the organization of a co-oper- 

 ative buying enterprise at Bedford Station. Studies of such en- 

 terprises at home and abroad, if carefully made, would be of im- 

 mediate practical benefit in the further envelopment of such cnter- 

 ])rises throughout the State. 



X\TII. Department of Home Ilcononiics. 



(a) The past year saw the beginning of a course in home 

 economics to continue throughout four years, and leading to the 

 regular degree of the college. There is also offered a one-year 

 general course open to women of any college of the University, in 

 which last year fourteen students were registered the first term 

 and twelve the second. Twenty-one students were rgistered in 

 the Winter Course offered by this department, which consists of 

 lectures, demonstrations, and laboratory work upon the principles 

 of nutrition, sanitation, house building, general household man- 

 agement, etc., with special reference to the needs of the fami 

 home. 



(b) A dietary study was made by a member of the instructing 

 staff to show the methods and results of such a study. Experi- 

 ments were made upon subjects connected with the washing of 

 colored goods, with cooking, etc. Material has been carefully col- 

 lected upon many problems of the farm home — sanitation, rural 

 social problems, the question of kinds of literature read in the 

 homes, etc. 



(c) The extension work of this department consists largely in 

 the sending out of bulletins in the Farmers' Wives Reading Course, 

 louring the year four bulletins on the general subject of sanitation 

 were sent out to 1.^,500 women. These bulletins are used as the 

 basis of study in 24 clubs, which meet regularly once or twice a 

 month, and whose active membership numbers 549. Instructors 

 in the department visited 40 such clubs. Granges and otiicr farm 

 meetings. Tn connection with Farmers' Week at Ithaca in Feb- 



