CONVENTION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES. 315 



Georgia; vice-chairman, C. D. Smith, %f Michigan; secretary, T. L. 

 Haecker, of Minnesota. 



Section on horticulture and botany. — Chairman, S. T. Maynard, of 

 Massachusetts; secretary, H. L. Russell, of Wisconsin. 



Section on entomology. — Chairman, J. B. Smith, of New Jersey; sec- 

 retary, C. M. Weed, of New Hampshire. 



Section on mechanic arts. — Chairman, W. S. Aldrich, of West Vir- 

 ginia; vice-chairman, A. J. Wiechardt, of Mississippi; secretary, P. P. 

 Anderson, of Kentucky. 



The committee on nomenclature is as follows: IT. P. Armsby, of 

 Pennsylvania; C. M. Weed, of New Hampshire; E. H. Jenkins, of 

 Connecticut, and E. S. G-off, of Wisconsin. 



MEETINGS OF SECTIONS. 

 SECTION <)V COLLEGE WORK. 



The sessions of the section on college work were devoted principally 

 to papers and discussions on "How may university extension work be 

 best conducted by the colleges of agriculture ?" and "Preparatory work 

 in colleges." 



The first paper on the first subject was presented by I. P. Roberts, 

 of New York. The term "university extension'' was considered too 

 comprehensive, and it was suggested that probably a better and more 

 natural course of studies in the schools may be secured by renaming 

 the university extension work "nature study" and reconstructing the 

 courses in the schools, so that the youth of the laud may "become inter- 

 ested in the growth and development of animals and other natural 

 objects by which they are surrounded and with which they will have 

 to do in after life, whatever vocation they follow." After pointing out 

 the inadequacy of present methods of training and educating farm- 

 ers' children, the part that the agricultural colleges may play in this 

 work was discussed, and the progress made in this line in New York 

 under the patronage of the State and the auspices of Cornell Univer- 

 sity was explained. It was insisted that this extension work must be 

 something more than farmers' institutes. It can only De successful 

 when carried out through the agency of well-trained and enthusiastic 

 teachers and carefully planned courses of study, with suitable text- 

 books and pamphlets of information. It is along this line that the 

 work in New York is being conducted. 



A. W. Harris, of Maine, briefly discussed the same subject. 



B. C. Buffum, of Wyoming, explained briefly the plan of university 

 extension which is being inaugurated in Wyoming. This is similar to 

 the Chautauqua method. Courses of reading are outlined and informa- 

 tion given by correspondence. Lectures have also been given in sev- 

 eral towns of the State. When a certain specified course of study has 

 been finished the student is given a certificate which will allow him to 

 omit that line of work when he comes to the State university. 



