EDITORIAL. 3 



we must aim at is to teacli men to think and reason for themselves." 

 This Avas the eounnent of one speaker, and another stated that an insti- 

 tute eoukl be most etiectually killed 1)}" a semi-oratorical speaker with 

 visionary ideas, or by droning out platitudes. 



The standard of requirement has risen very material]}', and calls for 

 men of education and training. It is for this reason that experiment 

 station workers and instructors at the agricultural colleges have been 

 much sought as institute workers. They have a message for the 

 farmer, and they have won his confidence by their experimental work 

 and their writings. It is very natural to look to them to explain their 

 work to the farmers verbally; and within bounds this can be defended 

 upon the ground of the mutual benefit which results. But the calls 

 upon the stations should steadily be relatively less, and they should 

 not l)e expected to bear the brunt of the institute work. It is a dis- 

 tinct and independent line of work from that of the experiment sta- 

 tions, and is in the domain of instruction or university extension. Its 

 aims and its methods of work, as well as its particular field, give it an 

 individualit}' and distinguish it from all other agencies. The growth 

 of the movement emphasizes the increasing need for the work of the 

 experiment stations. They will furnish the basis for the institute 

 work, as they have shown the need for it. It is well, therefore, to 

 hold to the true conception of the station as being primarily a genera- 

 tor of information rather than a demonstrator and broadcast difiuser. 

 The Ofiice of Experiment Stations is now engaging more largely than 

 formerly in work directly relating to the farmers' institutes, but it is 

 not the intention to abate in any degree our former contention that 

 research is the chief and distinctive business of the experiment sta- 

 tion. It will be our efiort to secure increased financial support for 

 the institutes with a view to putting them on a more independent 

 basis and relieving station workers from attendance upon the institutes 

 which would in any degree interfere with their work as investigators. 



The institute work is now recognized as constituting one of the 

 great factors in the s^'stem of agricultural instruction which is being- 

 worked out in this countr}-. These factors — nature stud}^ and agricul- 

 tural instruction in the elementary and high schools, agricultural 

 schools and colleges, farmers' institutes, and the experiment stations — 

 are being correlated and their respective fields outlined. 



In man}^ States the institute work has been put well on its feet, and 

 is considerabl}" in advance of some of the related agencies. Farmers 

 are believing in it more and more, and the attendance is increasing at 

 a rapid rate. It nuist develop, as one of the speakei's stated, or it will 

 go to seed; and this development will naturally be in the direction of 

 greater individuality and a more efiective organization. The connec- 

 tion between it and the stations and colleges will almost necessarily 



