cxxxiv Extension Office, 



of bulletins so as to simplify our publications and make them more 

 readily accessible to the public aim of this work. 



In the Farmers' Reading-Course more attention should be given 

 to individual discussion papers. Our present list of 5,000 active 

 readers is larger than can receive proper attention with, the present 

 force. The reading-course idea, in accordance with the director'? 

 suggestion, should be closely incorporated in the use of certain types 

 of our Experiment Station bulletins. 



During the past year our office has assumed a large part of the 

 boys' and girls' work in connection with the Rural School Leaflets, 

 and in continuance of the work of John W. Spencer. The time 

 and necessary funds for this work, not specifically provided for, 

 drew heavily from our regular extension fund. 



Under this head also should be considered a large correspondence, 

 which divides itself into three classes: First, the advertising and 

 circularizing matter, a large part of which goes from the mailing 

 room, calling attention to co-operative experiments, Reading- 

 Courses, and Farmers' Week; second, the direct ofifice correspond- 

 ence, the Reading-Course questions and answers, official correspond- 

 ence relative to fairs, trains, institutes, and the like; third, the 

 referring to departments of a large number of questions which arise 

 from the Reading-Course. This correspondence work has grown 

 beyond the limit of our present stenographic force. 



(3) TJie actual demonstration of ideas in barn or field or 

 wherever the farmers' problems may be met at first hand, constitutes 

 a third branch of our extension work. As secretary of the New 

 York State Experimenters' League, this office advertises and pro- 

 motes the co-operative experiments as outlined by the different 

 departments, and refers the correspondence as it arises to the de- 

 partments concerned. Some 500. such demonstrations or co-opera- 

 tive experiments were conducted during the year, but few personal 

 visits were made to the experimenters. 



As a civil service conductor of farmers' institutes in the State 

 Department of Agriculture, and under the direction of the Director 

 of the College, the writer arranged some twenty-five field demonstra- 

 tions during the months of July, August and September, 1909. 

 Definite results were shown at first hand at these field meetings, 

 which point the way toward a new type of actual contact teaching* 

 in extension enterprises. 



IV. RECOMMENDATIONS. 



The writer would recommend a special conference in the winter 

 or spring on " Good Roads." The educational feature of this work 



