THE farmers' institutes IX THE UNITED STATES. 335 



results of research helps greatly in disseminating this information, 

 but it does not reach the larger percentage of those actually engaged 

 in agriculture. As a rule, it helps only those educated, well-in- 

 formed, and progressive farmers and does not reach the ones most 

 needing it. In order therefore to carry the vast store of accumulated 

 agricultural information to the majority of farmers it is necessary 

 to resort to some form of educational extension work. 



The actual farmers can not go to the colleges of agriculture, but 

 the colleges of agriculture must be taken to the farmers. "When 

 this is accomplished the result will be a complete agricultural educa- 

 tion, but one which could not have been possible without research 

 first. Agriculture will then become a profession. 



Agricultural education extension work has been carried on for a 

 number of years in a small way, usually independent of the colleges 

 of agriculture or at most cooperating with them, yet a sufficient 

 amount of this work has been done to pave the way and to demon- 

 strate the methods to be pursued in a complete agricultural educa- 

 tion extension system. The Association of American Agricultural 

 Collf^ges and Exj^eriment Stations at its meeting held in Portland, 

 Greg.. August 18 to 20, 1909. changed its constitution and created a 

 section on agricultural education extension work so that the asso- 

 ciation now consists of three sections — a section on colleges, a section 

 on experiment stations, and a section on agricultural education ex- 

 tension. Thus the work under discussion has been officially recog- 

 nized as on a par with the other two forces at work for the agricul- 

 tural interests of the United States. 



THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF FARMERS' INSTITUTE 



WORKERS. 



The Fourteenth Annual Convention of the American Association 

 of Farmers' Institute Workers, held in Portland, Oreg., August 16 

 and IT, 1900. was attended by 99 delegates from the United States 

 and 4 from the Canadian Provinces. 



The usual standing committees made their reports, showing the 

 condition and progress of the several branches of the work, and 

 made suggestions and reconmiendations for their betterment. The 

 papers read and discussed dealt with the general policy of the insti- 

 tute movement, the character, scope, and status of its various rami- 

 fications and relaticms, the progress made, and the methods and 

 means used in the several States, Territories, and Provinces for 

 accomplishing the desired results. Methods of work for the im- 

 provement. develo})ment, and expansion of the institute movement 

 were ably presented. 



