FARMERS 7 INSTITUTES. 29 



the institutes themselves in different States and Territories, and meet 

 representative institute managers and workers at Washington or in 

 conferences held in different parts of the country. Already there is 

 a successfully conducted Association of American Institute Workers 

 which may easily be developed so as to become a very important factor 

 in the further development of the farmers' institute movement. 



(4) By sending out lecturers to address representative institutes in 

 different States on the work of the Department. Thus far the Depart- 

 ment has trusted very largely to its publications for the dissemination 

 of the information which it gathers, and which has grown to be very 

 large in extent and variety. It would hardly be practicable for the 

 Department to be represented in a single year at any considerable 

 number of institutes in any one State or Territory, but it is believed 

 that more might be done to bring the work of the Department directly 

 to the attention of the leaders in this enterprise through the attendance 

 of Department officers at representative meetings, which might be 

 held from time to time in the different States under such conditions as 

 would bring together relatively large numbers of farmers. In this 

 way the influence of the Department would be extended and its officers 

 would have opportunities which they now lack for finding out what 

 the farmers really desire to have the Department do for their benefit. 

 An organization in the Department to promote this work would 

 undoubtedly make it possible for the Department to do much more in 

 this direction, even without any additional funds especially devoted to 

 the purpose. 



(5) In general, by acting through its Office of Experiment Stations 

 as a sort of clearing house for the farmers' institute movement as it 

 has done in the case of the agricultural experiment stations; that is, 

 it would be a center for the focalization and dissemination of informa- 

 tion and influences which would serve to develop farmers' institutes 

 and make them a more efficient means for the education of our farmers 

 and the improvement of our agriculture. 



In order to bring this matter to a direct issue in the Department, the 

 Secretary of Agriculture has included in his estimates to Congress an 

 item of 15,000 to be added to the appropriation for the maintenance of 

 the Office of Experiment Stations for the express purpose of enabling 

 this Office to extend its work in relation to farmers' institutes. If 

 Congress makes this appropriation, it will be used in employing an 

 officer who will give his time and energy to promoting the interests of 

 the institutes. This officer will be sent throughout the Union to advise 

 with the farmers' institute managers regarding the ways in which the 

 Department may help the institutes, will study the problems of institute 

 management at home and abroad, and will seek to shape the Depart- 

 ment's work for the institutes so that it may be most helpful to this 

 enterprise. It is thought that in this way the lines of work may be 



