58 THE FARMERS EDUCATION. 



farming. The small pay that is offered will not justify a suc- 

 cessful farmer in leaving his business unless favored by special 

 circumstances, while it is quite sufficient to attract a large 

 class who can do no possible good, but may very likely have 

 a "pull," which the appointing power can not always resist. 

 1 am told that there is much trouble from this cause in some 

 states. Good farmers are, also, not always good talkers, and 

 good talkers are not always good teachers, and some who may 

 be good farmers, good talkers, and good teachers, are unable 

 to realize that it is not best for them to talk all the time. 



The requirements for a successful non-professional institute 

 worker are high character and consequent good reputation at 

 home, infinite tact and good-nature, sound common sense, 

 readiness and clearness of speech, a high order of intelligence, 

 a fair education, with readiness to learn, reasonable success in 

 whatever he has attempted, and respect for the opinions of 

 others. That is a pretty good man. One can not blow a horn 

 and collect a crowd of such men about him. At the begin- 

 ning tlie main work must fall on the staff of the Agricultural 

 College, with such help as can be got in the locality where the 

 institute is held. In the end the progress of the work will 

 develop the men who can carry it on, just as only a war can • 

 develop the great generals. 



Tlie ideal two-day institute is doubtless one or two lectures 

 by college men, on underlying principles, with the remainder 

 of the time occupied by local papers or non-professional 

 lecturers, with a full half of the time devoted to brief and 

 pointed discussion duly kept within bounds by a tactful con- 

 ductor, and the "question box" always going. The question 

 box is a feature of all good institutes, and affords an oppor- 

 tunity for any one to ask any question on any agricultural 

 topic, with a probability that it will be intelligently answered 

 by some one. Stated times are always set for answering 

 questions in the box, as questions during or following an 

 address should always be connected with the' question dis- 

 cussed. On certain topics — like veterinary science, or ento- 

 mology — the services of a university man, or a specialist of 

 some kind, are almost essential. When not available the 



