We shall not take time to specify all the lines of extension work carried on by these various agencies, but a relisting of the forms of extension work actually carried on by agricultural colleges and experiment stations, based on the returns sent in, will be of interest as showing the infinite variety and scope of the work already under way. Lecturing at farmers' institutes. Holding normal institute schools for institute lecturers. Providing short course in agriculture. Equipping and accompanying railway specials. Assisting at teachers' institutes. Courses in corn and stock judging given in district centers. Lectures in district normal schools. Visiting and lecturing in rural schools. Holding summer schools for teachers. Sending out field specialists to give advice to farmers. Preparing courses of study for agricultural high schools. Traveling instructors to lecture before granges, farm clubs, etc. Correspondence (ordinary). 66 vans." Preparing and sending out bulletins, reports, and circulars. Conducting correspondence courses. Preparing articles for the public press. Sending out model agricultural traveling libraries. Conducting and publishing agricultural journals. Preparing extension lectures in agriculture for rural schools. Conducting agricultural correspondence courses for teachers. Organizing and conducting school-garden work. Organizing and conducting field demonstrations. Holding field meetings for instruction. Conducting cooperative experiments in agriculture. Providing educational exhibits at fairs. Organizing excursions to the college by agricultural associations and by individual farmers. Organizing excursions by associations of teachers to the college. Conducting experiments and field demonstrations in cooperation with the National Department of Agriculture. Conducting experiments and demonstration tests on county poor farms. Lecturing before women's clubs. Organizing farmers' clubs, women's clubs, and boys' and girls' clubs. Sending agricultural students to judge stock, fruit, etc., at fairs. Organizing for conducting nature-study work in the public schools. Organizing agricultural high schools. Creating department of extension work in the college. Making study of social and economic questions of agriculture. In colleges and universities not distinctively agricultural almost no work of true extension character is being done. On the other hand, the normal schools are putting forth a surprising amount of effort, although only 25 out of 256 schools addressed reported extension teaching. The variety and scope of their endeavors are suggestive. Not only are these schools giving courses in agriculture as a preparation for teachers to teach nature study, school-garden work, and elementary agriculture, but they are also going out with lectures on agriculture before teachers' and farmers' institutes, are bringing conferences of farmers to the schools, offering excursions by students to farms, giving demonstrations in spraying, etc., issuing monographs on agriculture and horticulture and school bulletins on gardens, and preparing articles on agriculture for the public press. They are also organizing school and home improvement clubs, studying questions of rural sociology, and in other ways putting themselves in touch with the farmers, teachers, and pupils in the rural communities. It is also interesting to note the activities of State and county superintendents of public instruction. One hundred and twenty-three of these reported some form of extension teaching; and the scope of their work, based upon the different kinds of activities which they are fostering, is gratifying as well as surprising. It would unduly prolong this report to give even a list of these activities. They comprise not less than 55 items of extension effort. Libraries, State and local, are also entering the field, 17 reporting traveling libraries, lectures, lecture bureaus, etc. It has not been feasible as yet for your committee to make a comprehensive study of extension teaching on the basis of groups of work. Except in the case of farmers' institutes, few of the colleges and other institutions have thoroughly organized their extension teaching; hence the replies gave very little material for such a study. The farmers' institutes are the most thoroughly organized form of extension work, and the Office of Experiment Stations already contains such full information respecting them that no inquiry blanks were forwarded to the managers of institutes. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS. This preliminary survey of agricultural extension teaching in the United States seems to lead to the following conclusions: (1) The fact that only 6 per cent of all the persons addressed reported extension work of any character shows the field that is opening up in this line of educational effort. On the other hand, the fact that 317 agencies of various sorts are at work is indicative of a splendid beginning, particularly when we add to this the immense amount of farmers' institute work now being done. (2) Nearly all the institutions are feeling their way. The scattered nature and unorganized character of the work are obvious and significant. Only a few institutions have organized departments of extension teaching. The work thus far has grown out of the needs of the farmers and the desire of the younger institutions to win the regard of the farmers as well as to instruct them. All these efforts have been seriously limited by the financial resources at hand and the small amount of time at the disposal of employees of the institutions. The inquiry also disclosed, or rather emphasized, the well-known fact that the agricultural experiment stations are doing an enormous amount of extension work, not only through the printed bulletins and the mass of correspondence of station officials, but also through demonstrations, lectures, and many other lines of effort. Absolutely no criticism can be offered of the spirit in which this work is done or of the good effects produced, but it may be asked, Why should the experiment station longer burden itself with extension teaching? Why should it not turn over all of the duties just enumerated to other hands, and thus free itself, in time, in money, and in energy, for concentration upon the gigantic problems of genuine research? (3) Our correspondence has brought out the most encouraging fact that the country people universally appreciate what has been attempted in agricultural education in their behalf, and most encouraging of all is the evidence that the information already given is merely a stimulus to a demand for further systematizing, perfecting, and expanding along these lines of effort. Apparently also an increasing use is being made of agricultural literature. Extension teaching is one of the chief means of encouraging country people to read this literature. Even the children in the schools are now reading about farming and are taking an intense interest in agricultural study, both in town and country schools. (4) It seems evident to the committee that the time has arrived for a much more complete organization of extension teaching in agriculture. Only a few institutions have thus far attempted any such organization. But the work is so important, and so much of it, although in a rather desultory way, is being accomplished, that the need of concentrating, systematizing, coordinating, and developing the more important aspects of extension teaching, particularly in our land-grant colleges, becomes clearly apparent. RECOMMENDATIONS. Your committee would recommend (1) That each college represented in this association organize as soon as practicable a department of extension teaching in agriculture, coordinate with other departments or divisions of the agricultural work, with a competent director in charge and, if possible, with a corps of men at his disposal. This department should take on, just so far as possible, all phases of extension teaching now performed in other ways. Your committee hopes at some future time o suggest a scheme of organization and effort which would be applicable to most institutions. At present, however, it merely advises this initial and allimportant step-that of having an official whose chief business it will be to foster, to systematize, and to organize for the institution all the phases of extension it cares to assume. (2) If, in case of any agricultural college, this step is at present impracticable, we would recommend most strongly that the college appoint a faculty committee on extension teaching in agriculture. This committee can be of great assistance to your own committee in further investigating conditions and methods of extension teaching in the respective States. Further than that, each one of such committees should make a careful study of the problem in its particular State, with special reference to the feasibility of organizing definitely a department of college extension. (3) We request that, if sufficient funds are available, the Office of Experiment Stations print a report, at as early a date as convenient, which shall embody in more detailed form the results obtained in the present investigation through the inquiries sent out by that Office. We believe that the facts collected should be issued in printed form and that this publication should be placed in the hands of the officials of all of the institutions and agencies which are now doing or which ought to do extension teaching in agriculture. To that end we would advise a large edition of this pamphlet for wide circulation by the Department of Agriculture. All of which is respectfully submitted. KENYON L. BUTTERFIELD, Committee. W. A. Henry, of Wisconsin, moved "that it is the sense of the association that the report of President Butterfield be printed at an early date by the Department at Washington.” The motion was seconded and adopted. RESOLUTION REGARDING AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORK BY THE OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. K. L. Butterfield, of Massachusetts, submitted a resolution on this subject which, after some discussion which developed opposition to "authorizing" or instructing" the executive committee to work for an appropriation for the purpose named, was adopted in the following (modified) form: 66 Whereas we believe that the Office of Experiment Stations of the Department of Agriculture should be given an adequate appropriation for the distinct purpose of investigating, in a much more thorough manner than is now practicable, the details of the various forms of agricultural-extension teaching already in vogue, of assisting the different institutions to organize this form of work somewhat comprehensively, and of widely disseminating information and suggestions relative to new developments in this most important form of agricultural education: Therefore, be it Resolved, That this association favor an appropriation by Congress which will enable the Department to carry out the work suggested. A. C. TRUE, of the Office of Experiment Stations. As a matter of information I would like to state the exact condition of things with reference to this matter in the Office of Experiment Stations. We have had for a number of years an appropriation of $5,000 for work relating to the farmers' institutes. Last year the Secretary of Agriculture took up this subject more broadly, asking Congress to increase the authority of the Department so that it might investigate and report on agricultural schools as well as farmers' institutes, and for that purpose he asked for an increase in the appropriation. This matter was taken up at the last meeting of this association, and the executive committee was instructed to favor that proposition. The chairman of your committee appeared before the Senate Committee and spoke strongly in behalf of the measure. The House, in the meanwhile, had refused to grant the request of the Secretary, and fixed the appropriation just as it had been in previous years. The Senate, influenced, I have no doubt, largely by the request of this association, granted both the increase of authority pertaining to the scope of our work so as to include agricultural schools and the increase of appropriation. Then, of course, the matter had to go to conference, and in the final outcome we were granted the authority to do the work, but not the increase of appropriation. Meanwhile it appears that friends of agricultural education in the country, who include, of course, many members of this association, have got it into their heads that we are to do this work, and seem to have overlooked the fact that we do not have any more funds to work with; so in the last six or seven months we have been simply flooded with requests for additional efforts in various lines, and it is absolutely impossible for us to do the work without more money. Perhaps I ought to add that the way in which the matter will come before Congress in the first instance, at any rate, will be through the estimate already submitted by the Secretary of Agriculture. This does not propose to change any existing legislation. The general terms of the bill will be the same, and will authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to investigate and report on agricultural schools and farmers' institutes, and suggest better methods for the utilization of these agencies in the dissemination of information obtained by the stations. The only new thing that will be brought to the attention of Congress is the increase of the appropriation for that purpose, and the Secretary has recommended $20,000 next year, instead of $5,000, as appropriated at present. The Secretary of Agriculture is supporting this matter very cordially. He sees very clearly the interests involved, and we may depend upon his doing all he can. Anything that substantially puts this association behind the movement of the Secretary to increase our appropriation will be useful to us. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON EXPERIMENT STATION ORGANIZATION AND POLICY.a E. Davenport, of Illinois, submitted the following report: When the standing committe on station organization and policy was appointed at the Washington meeting a year ago there seemed little work for the committee to do, and it was decided best not to force work, but allow matters to develop and take up such questions as might from time to time arise. I. THE ADAMS ACT. In March, when the passage of the Adams bill seemed to be assured, Director True, of the Office of Experiment Stations, wrote the chairman of the committee that a number of questions as to the policy of stations in the expenditure and use of this new fund would be much discussed in the near future, and on some of these matters the Office of Experiment Stations would have to take action as representing the Secretary of Agriculture in the administration of the Adams Act. He suggested, therefore, that the committee be called together to take such action as might seem desirable. Accordingly, a meeting of the committee was held at Chicago April 7. Directors Davenport, Scovell, Thorne, and Woods, of the committee; Doctor Babcock (representing Director Henry), and Director True and Assistant Director Allen, of the Office of Experiment Stations, were present, the last three on invitation of the committee. The committee found itself in accord with the Office of Experiment Stations in regard to the general scope of investigations that can properly be undertaken under the Adams Act. There has been during the year the most cordial relation and a very complete understanding between the committee and the Office of Experiment Stations in regard to the policy to be pursued, and the committee heartily indorses the letters and circulars of the Office relative to the Adams Act. a See also U. S. Dept. Agr., Office of Experiment Stations Cir. 71. Among the problems under consideration by the committee are— (1) How can unnecessary duplication of work be avoided? (2) How can continuity of effort be better insured, and rapid changes in station officers be avoided? (3) What are suitable lines of investigations to be taken up under the Adams Act? To gain as much light as possible on these and similar points, the following letter was sent to the directors of the various stations: "The committee on station organization and policy desires to collect information upon the following topics: "(1) The character of experiments that ought to be undertaken under the Adams Act. "(2) How to prevent undue competition (between stations) so far as men are concerned. "(3) How to best reach boards of control. 66 '(4) What influence can be exerted to prevent sweeping and disastrous changes in station organization? "(5) The relation of the work of the United States Department of Agriculture to that of the stations." A large number of replies were received and have been carefully considered by the committee at numerous meetings held at Baton Rouge before and during this session of the association. At the request of the committee, Doctors True and Allen have met with and greatly assisted the committee in their labors. It speedily became evident that it will of necessity be a matter of years before a perfectly satisfactory working out of the relations of the station to the Adams Act can be accomplished. The local conditions surrounding the stations, both as to environment and personnel, make it impossible to hope that at the beginning it will be always possible for a station to take up lines of investigation of the high type it is hoped that all the stations may ulimately attain. Even at the risk of wearying the association it seems wise to outline as briefly as may be some of the difficulties found in the way of clearly defining the relations of the station to the Adams Act. In the abstract everybody agrees with the purpose of the Adams Act and the desirability of restricting the fund closely to original investigations. When we come to concrete cases, however, there is a very great difference of opinion. It must be said that there are indications of a certain unreadiness for research of the true type. The difficulty is in a sense a fundamental one, but grows to a considerable extent out of a habit of mind. Many of our station workers see only the immediate duty of the station to the local farmer of to-day. They forget that the station has a duty to all phases of agriculture in a broad sense, in order that its labors may lead to much more permanent and widespread benefit. The greatest difficulties at the present time, as disclosed by conversation and correspondence with experiment station men, are (1) a lack of clear discrimination between investigation in a strict sense and ordinary experimental work; (2) a lack of definiteness in the purpose and plan of the investigations; (3) a tendency to take up too large or broad problems; and (4) the outlining of too large a number of projects. As indicating the first difficulty, take the milking machine for example. At least a dozen stations have purchased milking machines, or plan to do so, with a view to making what they designate as investigations of the use of that machine. In several cases the plan of work as outlined merely contemplates the comparison of the machine with hand milking as regards yield of milk, composition, and cost of operation. In several other cases the effect of machine milking on the bacterial content and general sanitary condition of the milk is included, and in at least one other case the investigation is extended to different types of machine and is to include the mechanical construction and the effect of continued use upon the cow. Obviously a great deal will depend in this line of work upon the mental attitude and ideals of the man in charge of it. It may easily degenerate into something quite analogous to the tests of separators and other dairy machinery which were so popular a few years ago and which, useful as they were, could hardly be regarded as investigations or research. Perhaps more projects have been proposed in plant breeding than in any other subject, and these are of great variety. They may be classed somewhat roughly as follows: (1) Those which aim at improvement" in a vague and indefinite way; (2) those which propose improvement and adaptation along 66 |