335] ORGANIZATION FOR DAIRY EDUCATION IZ1 



Among such institutions are the various forms of extension 

 work which are in most cases superintended by the state 

 agricultural college, but in some cases by the office of the 

 state department of agriculture or by the state dairy and 

 food commissioner. The short courses in dairying of- 

 fered by the agricultural colleges, already referred to, play 

 an important part in the popularization of dairy science. 



The farmer's institute is one of the oldest organizations 

 utilized to get into touch with the farmer. Many states 

 have a permanent organization in each county looking after 

 the details of meetings. In Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, Okla- 

 homa, South Dakota, and Wyoming, these local organiza- 

 tions receive state aid. 1 It is urged, however, that county 

 organizations are insufficient to reach everybody in the 

 county and that permanent local organizations are neces- 

 sary to interest the people. At the farmers' institutes all 

 subjects of agriculture are discussed, including of course 

 dairying. The meetings are well attended. Lectures given 

 by college professors bring new ideas before the people, 

 but it has been found that the influence of the institute is 

 too often only inspirational and too infrequently results in 

 the final application of the principles expounded. In view 

 of this fact efforts are now made to follow up the work of 

 the institute with the instructional train, the demonstration, 

 and the movable school. 



The instructional train is furnished by the railroad for 

 the express purpose of interesting the farmers along the 

 road in improved methods of agriculture. In 191 o the 

 Rock Island railroad operated trains in 10 states, covered 

 over 10,800 miles and reached over 172,000 people. 2 In 

 191 3, the distance traveled by 25 different trains of this 



1 Bulletin 251, Office of Experiment Stations, U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, p. 8. 



2 Idem, p. 39. 



