NOTES. 597 



by his wife and four cliildron. one of wlioiii. II. J. Patterson, is director of the 

 Maryland Station. 



West Virginia TTniversity.— The hoiird of regents lias established a depart- 

 ment of domestic science, with Miss Neva A. Scott in charge. 



American Association of Farmers' Institute Workers.— The fourteenth annual 

 meeting of this association was held in I'ortland, Oreg., August Ki and 17. 

 There were 10.'} delegates and visitors registered, representing 23 States and 

 Territories, 3 of the provinces of Canada, and the District of Columbia, 



Statistical reports as to the condition of the farmers' institutes in the United 

 Stares and Canada at the close of the past year were read from 33 States, 1 

 Territory, and 7 provinces. The total number of sessions held by th(^ regular 

 institutes was 18.797. and there were also ISO sessions of round-up institutes. 

 201 sessions of normal institutes, 1.2,S0 sessicms of independent Institutes. 324 

 days of institute trains, and 40,^) picnics and harvest home meetings. The total 

 attendance upon all of the institutes and meetings was 2,4!)S,420 and the cost 

 was .$3.S7,!)2!>..S0. The reports indicated that the institutes throughout the 

 TTnited States and Canada have maintained interest unabated, and also that 

 they are so rapidly increasing that the directors have found it impossible to 

 satisfy fully the growing demands. 



Reports were presented by the chairmen of the standing conunittees on insti- 

 tute organization and methods, institute lecturers, cooperation with other edu- 

 cational agencies, movable schools of agi-lculture, boys' and girls" institutes, 

 and women's institutes. 



The jiresident of the association, J. L. Ellsworth of Massachusetts, in his 

 address cautioned against too gi-eat centralization of the institute, and urged 

 that local cooperation be encouraged to beget a sense of individual responsi- 

 bility in the locality for the success of the worlv. AVithout this, he maintained, 

 there will be lack of enthusiasm and consequent failure to secure the best re- 

 sult.?. The committee on organization and methods also called attention to the 

 importance of local cooperation, and suggested that the interest of business and 

 professional men in the several localities should be enlisted as well as that of 

 farming people. The committee placed special emphasis on siK'urlng the cooper- 

 ation of the boys and girls, and suggested tliat this nnght be accomplished by 

 having them engage in experimental or demonstration work, with directions to 

 report their results at the next institute meeting. 



The committee on boys' and girls' institutes reported that whereas in 1907 

 only States held institutes for l)oys and girls, at present 16 States have 

 organizations conducting work of this character. Many of these institutes are 

 the f)Utcome of contests in corn growing, cattle judging, poultry rearing, etc. 

 The competitive plan has been extensively utilized, and has been found to bring 

 zest and continued interest. 



The functions of the farmers' institute and the place that it will occupy in 

 the future in the tield of extension work were discussed quite fully by the com- 

 mittee on cooperation wdth other educational agencies. Now that more or less 

 complete extension departments have been organized in twenty-five of the agri- 

 cultural colleges, and others are ready to undertake this work, it is believed 

 that the position of the farmers' iiistitute in its relation to this movement needs 

 to be defined. The <'ommittee were deckled in the view that the farmers' insti- 

 tute will always have an important place in any system of extension work 

 that may be organiz(Hl. There will, nevertheless, be other organizations and 

 other methods of giving instruction in agricidture to rural peoi)le that will 

 supplement the institute, and accomi)lish that which it can not do so effectively. 

 It was held by the committee that the most cordial and active cooperation 



