NOTES. 399 



Territory, and 3 provinces of Caniula, besides one visitor eacli from >s'e\v 

 Zealand and tlie Transvaal. Secretary Wilson, of this Department, made a 

 brief address, in wliicli be described the sending out by the Department of 

 demonstrators in different lines of farm practice, stating that " my experience 

 in the Iowa Agricultural College of six years, my experience in the Department 

 of Agriculture of twelve years has brought nie back around again to the cap- 

 sheaf of agriculture — the sending out of people to lecture to the farmers." The 

 Commission on Country Life was in attendance at one of the sessions, and 

 Chairman L. H. Bailey, of the commission, explained its object and invited 

 suggestions for the betterment of country conditions. By invitation, the asso- 

 ciation attended as a body a meeting of the National Grange, which was then in 

 session in Washington. 



The annual presidential address, made by Dr. Tait Butler, in discussing the 

 ways in which the institutes had been of service, affirmed that " the carrying 

 of agricultural knowledge to the adult farmer and the instruction of the adult 

 members of his family in household economy is naturally and vuiquestionably 

 the true and legitimate field which should be chiefly if not exclusively culti- 

 vated by the farmers' institutes." The speaker strongly advocated increased 

 Federal appropriations for the dissemination of agricultural information in this 

 way. He also declared it to be "the duty of the farmers' institutes to give their 

 aid and moral support to every institution, organization, and force that has for 

 its object the upbuilding of a better agricultural civilization," and commended 

 the women's institutes as a means to this end. 



An address was also made by Dr. James W. Robertson, president of Mac- 

 Donald College, on The MacDonald Movement for the Improvement of Rural 

 Conditions in Canada, in which attention was directed to the immediate need 

 for teachers of agriculture for the rural schools. President Robertson explained 

 in some detail the method employed in Canada for supplying this need tlirough 

 the education of teachers in MacDonald College. 



The reports of the standing committees showed that the institutes were rap- 

 idly developing, particularly in the direction of movable schools of agriculture, 

 and of boys', girls', and women's institutes. The committee on movable schools 

 reported that these schools were held during the year in 10 States and 5 

 Canadian provinces. In the opinion of the committee, '* wherever movable 

 schools have been held they have met with favor, and it seems that the time is 

 now ripe for the very general adoption of this form of extension teaching." 



The committee on boys' and girls' institutes called attention to the remarkable 

 growth of this form of extension work, but expressed a belief that the first 

 work of the institute in behalf of the boy and the girl is to be done with the 

 parents. Among the new features developed during the year was the " farm 

 encampment," where the boys live in tents and are taught in classes in such 

 subjects as corn and live-stock judging, seed identification and tile draining. 

 At one of these encampments a tented school of household sciente for girls was 

 introduced, which proved a most interesting feature. 



Women's institutes were strongly indorsed by the committee on that subject 

 as having demonstrated, in localities where they have been long established, 

 their great practical value in the refinement of farm homes and in the better- 

 ment of rural conditions in general. 



' The subjects in the general programme were mainly directed toward defining 

 the status of the farmers' institute in its relation to other forms of agricultural 

 education. Dean Davenport discussing the agricultural college. Director Burnett 

 the experiment station, F. H. Hall the normal school, F. L. Stevens the agri- 

 cultural high school, A. B. Graham the rural public schools, President .J. H. Con- 

 nell the agricultural journals, and Alva Agee the agricultural fair associations. 



