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The Illinois Farmers' Institute is required to make an annual 

 report to the Governor of its transactions. 



Further details are given in the Reports on Farmers' Institutes, 

 published in the Annual Reports of the Office of Experiment 

 Stations for the years 1905 and 1906. 



Report of Secretary of Agriculture for 1906-07. 



The Report of the Secretary of Agriculture for the year ending 

 30th June, 1907, was received too late to make its contents 

 part of the general basis of this report. It has, however, been 

 referred to more than once, and the following is a short sum- 

 mary of the parts specially devoted to agricultural education. 



Mr. Wilson states that in response to numerous demands, the 

 work of his department in regard to agricultural education has 

 been gradually broadened until it now touches nearly every 

 phase of the subject. The Department, through the Office of 

 Experiment Stations, has been active in aiding the establishment 

 of agricultural high schools and the introduction of agricultural 

 subjects into the curricula of the public schools. 



Representatives of the Agricultural Office have addressed 

 meetings in various States, have given advice regarding legisla- 

 tion and courses of study, have visited various agricultural 

 colleges, and held conferences with their teachers. A special 

 study has been made of agricultural education for negroes. 



The most important lines of educational effort in which the 

 Department should engage are outlined by the Secretary as 

 follows : — 



(1) To aid the agricultural colleges to reduce the result of 

 the investigations made by the Department and the Experi- 

 ment Stations to pedagogical form for use in agricultural 

 colleges and schools of different grades. 



(2) To promote the efficiency of agricultural instruction in 

 the negro land grant colleges, in order that the funds granted 

 for negro education by the Federal Government may contribute 

 towards keeping the negro on the farm. 



(3) To aid the agricultural organisations in the several States 

 in promoting an efficient organisation of public high schools, 

 consolidated common schools, and other educational agencies 

 best adapted to secure a high state of prosperity and content- 

 ment in rural life. 



