BRINGING SCIENCE TO FARMERS 113 



and show them to quote my husband's own words 

 "how, by the aid of science and the practical experience 

 of other farmers, to make farming as profitable as 

 other professions are." 



This compelling dream of his had to take shape with 

 a small beginning. As soon as the colony was well es- 

 tablished, my husband began a series of weekly con- 

 ferences, to which the farmers and their grown-up 

 sons were invited. Every Saturday afternoon they 

 would meet in the hall of the village to receive instruc- 

 tion in farming, and to talk over their plans and the 

 results of their work. These lectures were given in 

 the form of explanation and comment on stereopticon 

 views. This proved to be a good method of giving 

 theoretical instruction to men, who, although their 

 minds were active, were not used to getting informa- 

 tion from lecture or textbooks. As my husband said 

 in one of his reports: 



"As we are dealing with a class of people who know 

 little of the English language and are not otherwise 

 prepared for mental work requiring concentration, the 

 method to be used should be picture teaching, or ad- 

 dressing the mind through the instrumentality of the 

 eye, that is, teaching by illustration. The practical 

 training in the different kinds of work in the field and 

 garden and orchard can go on together with an ex- 

 planation in these picture talks of the anatomy of 

 plants and trees, etc., and the best methods of feeding 

 cattle, dairying and raising poultry. I shall also have 

 demonstrations of the newest machines for tilling the 



