142 



Annals of Horticulture. 



' ' Let there be organized, under competent state authority, in various parts 

 of the state, classes in agriculture, which should extend over a period of at 

 least 10 weeks and should meet weekly. They should be presided over by a 

 competent instructor and should admit regular students upon the payment of 

 a nominal fee ; the students registering in these classes should be required to 

 attend regularly, and at the end of the course should be subjected to exam- 

 ination, preferably under the care of the Regents of the State University, and 

 those passing should receive 'pass cards,' which, when a sufficient number 

 were obtained, should be followed by a diploma, as is now done in the case 

 of academy and high school pupils. 



"It will be seen that the scheme embraces the formation of clases in all 

 the various branches of applied agricultural science. Some of the courses 

 that would naturally be organized would be on the origin and formation of 

 soils and principles of culture ; production, care and use of farm manure ; 

 the breeding and rearing of domestic animals ; principles and practice of 

 stock-feeding ; dairy husbandry ; the chemistry and physiology of plant- 

 growth ; the principles of plant propagation ; fruit-growing in all its branches ; 

 injurious insects and their remedies, etc., etc. In short, all those applica- 

 tions of practical and natural science for which the common and high schools 

 now make no provision, should have a place. 



' ' The details of the arrangement of such classes and courses could, of 

 course, be varied to suit circumstances ; for instance, one instructor could 

 Agricul- very easily give instruction in two distinct but related courses, one in the morn- 

 'xtension an( ^ one * n ^ e afternoon, and could meet classes every day in the week in 

 scheme, localities not too widely apart ; so that one instructor could well take charge of 

 six classes in each of two courses, and when he had finished his course could 

 give way to another, who should take the same classes in some other branches. 

 In this way twelve classes in six localities could very easily get instruction 

 in six different courses during three terms of 10 weeks each, from October 1 

 to May 1. In all probability the greater number of the persons desiring in- 

 struction such as that here outlined would be young men and young women, 

 and the instruction should be designed primarily for them ; but an impor- 

 tant feature of the whole scheme should be the opening of all such classes 

 to whomsoever might desire to attend. In this way older persons might get 

 the benefit of the lectures and discussions, but need not be tied down to reg- 

 ular attendance. 



"There should be very little difficulty in getting suitable quarters for 

 holding such classes. Grange halls, farmers' club-rooms, and undoubtedly, 

 in many places, rooms in high schools or academies could be readily had. 

 Nor would it be a difficult matter to find teachers ; those who have attained 

 the best success in the farmers' institute work would for the most part make 

 admirable teachers and leaders for such classes of young men. A large num- 

 ber of the better-informed high-school principals would make admirable 

 teachers demanding most knowledge of pure science, and last, but not least, 

 a large and increasing number of graduates of our agricultural colleges could 

 find here an excellent field to extend their usefulness. Such is a brief out- 

 line of what I believe to be a most desirable form of agricultural university 

 extension ; is it not practicable ? " 



The farmers' institute has exerted a most powerful influence 

 upon the agriculture of the country. It is in the highest 



