PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 25 



in some of its phases, more detailed and intensive instruction than could 

 be expected from the Institute. 



We find, therefore, reading courses for farmers offered as a further 

 amplification of the Extension work, and the Department of University 

 Extension in Agriculture of the University of California has the rather 

 unique distinction of being in the lead of such departments connected 

 with the Experiment Stations and Colleges of Agriculture, in the matter 

 of these reading courses for home study. At the present time the 

 department in question offers two such courses, one in economic ento- 

 mology and one in irrigation practice and institutions. Any one desir- 

 ing to read up on these subjects, in a systematic way, may enroll in the 

 courses, and literature will be furnished him, free of all cost save the 

 expense of transportation of the books from and to Berkeley. These 

 books and publications are chosen as being representative of the best 

 thought and study and experience on the questions at issue, while the 

 students using them have the privilege of referring questions that may 

 arise to those members of the staff of the College of Agriculture, Berke- 

 ley, who are specialists in the subject being studied. The courses may be 

 considered as bringing University Extension teaching to the students' 

 homes. 



Other forms of work are undertaken by the department in question, 

 but enough has been said to indicate the policy under which it works. 

 How well the purpose and spirit of the institute movement are being 

 carried out can be perhaps best shown by a review of the work done 

 in the past year. This review must to some extent deal with figures, 

 but is instructive none the less. 



During the past year Farmers' Institutes were held in 30 counties of 

 the State. The total number of institutes held during the year was 84. 

 Of these, 33 were one-day meetings; 48 continued through two days; 

 while 3 were of three days ' duration. The total number of sessions was 

 296, while the total attendance at these meetings was 20,470; making 

 an average attendance of 69 at each session. 



It required the services of 23 State lecturers and 195 local speakers 

 to carry on the work of these institutes. Of these State lecturers, 13 

 were employed at various times to give instruction in special topics, 

 while 10 lecturers and demonstrators from the faculty of the College of 

 Agriculture devoted a total of one hundred days to the work. 



In addition to those already noted, three general institutes were held. 

 Two of these were in conjunction with the State Teachers' Institutes 

 at Fresno and Chico, and one with the Sonoma County Grange. The 

 total number of sessions at these meetings was 8, and the total attend- 

 ance 2,500, or an average attendance per session of 312. 



The work done at these institutes covered, from both the practical 

 and the theoretical side, many of the problems confronting the agri- 



