attendance over the previous year of 257,342. While under the system adopted by the American Association of Farmers' Institute Workers for computing attendance duplications occur, yet the totals serve for comparison with those of previous years. When, however, the total number reported in attendance is divided by the number of half-day and evening sessions held, error is eliminated and the progress of the work is accurately shown.

APPROPRIATIONS

The appropriations from all sources for institute support in 1912 amounted to $533,972.09, an increase of $101,278.62 over 1911. The appropriations by the State legislatures were $439,186.54, and from other sources $94,875.55. The amount expended in carrying on the work was $487,832.17, or an average of $25.10 per session of institute as against $25 in 1911. The amount appropriated for institute purposes for 1913 by 35 States reporting is $409,525.

year.

AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AND EXPERIMENT STATION AID

Thirty-eight of the agricultural colleges and experiment stations furnished from their faculties and staffs 474 lecturers, who contributed 6,018 days of time to institute instructions. This is an increase of 129 lecturers and 1,759 days of service over the previous The figures show that the colleges and stations are alive to the importance of this work, and notwithstanding the large increase of resident students in their institutions are sending out more men into the institute field and are giving more time to this form of instruction each year. The average time given to institute work by each college or experiment-station lecturer in 1912 was 12.7 days; in 1911 it was 12 days.

SPECIAL INSTITUTES

Movable schools of agriculture and home economies were held in 14 States. The total number of these schools was 164, occupying 829 days of time, with a registered attendance of 137,669, an increase in attendance over the previous year of 89,234.

Fifty-four educational trains were run in 24 States. Twenty of these States reported 310 lecturers accompanying these trains, and a total attendance in 23 States of 1,033,735. Two thousand one hundred and six stops were made at which meetings were held and 41,991 miles of road were covered.

Independent institutes were held in 17 States to the number of 609. There were 971 sessions, with an attendance of 138,598. Seventeen round-up institutes embracing 166 sessions were held in 17 States, with an attendance of 46,464.

Four hundred and fifty-nine fairs, picnics, and conventions were visited, and addressed by institute lecturers, with a total attendance of 123,881. Fifty field demonstrations were given by seven expert demonstrators, the attendance not reported.

The aggregate attendance at all of the special institutes reported was 1,480,347, making the entire attendance at institutes of all kinds for the year 4,029,546.

FARMERS' INSTITUTES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

One hundred institutes for young people were held in 5 States extending over 107 days and consisting of 163 sessions. The attendance is reported at 14,245. Two States conducted 28 movable schools for young people. The schools covered 121 days, and had a total attendance of 6,054.

Many institute directors do not yet seem to appreciate the importance of institutes specially adapted to young people of the ages of 14 to 18. It must be perfectly clear, however, to everyone who has observed the interest taken by boys in their corn-club work and in the boy scout movement, as well as by girls in their home economics and art association work, that young people in the country are ready now to join the movement for increasing their knowledge of agriculture and home economics if institutes adapted to their ages and attainments were organized and judiciously conducted.

WOMEN'S INSTITUTES

Separate institutes for women were held in 8 States to the number of 720. The States were Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. The institutes embraced a period of 916 days, and occupied 1,375 sessions. The total attendance is given at 78,776. This is an advance over the previous year of 418 institutes, 542 days, 798 sessions, and 30,814 in attendance.

The great progress made during the year strikingly appears if the 8 States reporting work of this character for both the years of 1911 and 1912 are compared. The comparison shows that there has been an increase of 870 sessions, and of 43,767 in attendance in 1912 over 1911. If the 40 other States had organized institutes separately for women there is every reason to believe

that equal gains would have occurred in them all, and that many thousands of women now deprived of the privilege and advantage of such meetings would have been greatly aided in their social life as well as in their home economics work. Here, too, there is need for general awakening to the opportunity for service that the organizing of institutes for women affords to the directors in the several States.

MOVABLE AND CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS

One hundred and sixty-four movable schools of agriculture were held in 14 States. The instruction continued through 829 days, with an attendance of 137,669. Ninety-one of these schools were for men and continued over 490 days, with an attendance of 68,511. Forty-five were for women, continued over 218 days, with an attendance of 11,059. Twenty-eight were schools for young people, continued over 121 days and attended by 6,054. Last year 168 schools of this character were held, covering 659 days, with an attendance of 48,465, showing a considerable increase both in days devoted to this work and also in the number in attendance.

These figures do not show the entire amount of movable school work done during the year. In a number of the States this work has been detached from the farmers' institute and transferred to the extension department of the agricultural colleges, and therefore does not appear in the institute report. The statements made show, however, that the work is growing rapidly and is supplementing the old form of institute by devoting longer periods to instruction in the localities where the meetings are held. It must be confessed, however, that in but few instances have they met the standard for movable school work set by the Office of Experiment Stations. Much of the instruction is still fragmentary and somewhat superficial. It would be greatly to the advantage of the movable school enterprise if demonstrations by experts could be had to show precisely how the system proposed can be most efficiently operated.

Similar demonstrations showing the practicability of conveying information by means of the method of correspondence outlined in last year's report of the institute specialist are likewise needed. A few demonstrations carefully conducted along the lines there proposed showing how agricultural instruction of high grade can be given to men and women of average intelligence, but having experience in the practical operations of farm and home economics, would be of great service in convincing the State institute directors and extension workers of the practicability and value of the method.

ITINERANT WORK IN TEACHERS' INSTITUTES AND RURAL SCHOOLS

The farmers' institutes in a number of States have been detailing lecturers to address school teachers at their country institutes and conventions. Also to visit the normal schools, high schools, and common schools to speak to the students on subjects related to agriculture and rural life.

During the past year 12 State directors reported that 55 of their instructors had given 371 days of time to teachers' institutes and that they had met in these institutes a total of 32,642 persons. Four hundred and five men gave 612 days to high-school instruction, meeting 91,705 persons; 9 men gave 21 days to instruction in the normal schools, meeting 2,050 persons; 42 men devoted an aggregate of 2,953 days to lecturing in the rural public schools, meeting 72,379 children; 74 men gave 3,796 days to itinerant work among farmers, giving advice and conducting demonstrations; and 18 men gave 2,350 days to other forms of extension work.

The effect of efforts in these several directions cannot be definitely known, but that they are productive of great good in stimulating interest among rural people in advanced agriculture and in the betterment of rural conditions is unquestioned.

IV. UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

[From Van Hise, Charles R., President's Report. Biennial Report of the Regents of the University of Wisconsin, 1906-1908, pp. 18-21.]

University Extension Reorganized. No step in the progress of the university during the biennial period has been more important than that of the reorganization of the extension division. For many years university extension has been announced in the catalogues. However, aside from agricultural extension, the work consisted mainly in sporadic lectures or groups of lectures in various parts of the state as called for by the citizens. While some correspondence work was undertaken some years ago, until the reorganization of the division it had practically ceased to exist as a real activity of the university. This situation was an extremely undesirable one, and therefore the question arose as to whether the extension work, other than agricultural, in the university should be vivified or killed. Certainly, it could not be allowed to continue in a moribund condition.

The enormous success of the commercial correspondence school suggested that here was an educational opportunity which had been neglected by the universities. At my request, Dr. Charles McCarthy investigated the work of the commercial schools with reference to the people of Wisconsin. He found that these schools, while having certain defects, are undoubtedly performing a great educational work, and moreover the astonishing fact was disclosed that many thousands of persons in the state of Wisconsin were taking correspondence work for which they were paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars per annum.

The situation was placed before the regents at the meeting in June, 1906, and as a result of this a small appropriation was granted to begin the reorganization of the extension work. The fund was not sufficient to secure a permanent director of extension. Mr. H. E. Legler, of the free library commission, was so deeply interested in the movement that he consented to act temporarily as secretary without compensation. The response of the state to the offer of the university to do effective extension work was immediate. The general interest shown in extension was so great before the end of the first year that the legislature of 1907 appropriated $20,000 a year to support university extension. With this fund available the time had come for the appointment of a director. . . . Already the university extension division is so strongly organized within the university and is held in such esteem among the people of the state that this division is recognized as of great importance among the branches of the university.

The report of Director Reber shows that the extension work is organized in four departments, (1) correspondence study, (2) instruction by lectures, (3) debating and public discussion, and (4) general information and welfare. In his report he gives fully the scope of the work of each of these departments, and this report I shall not summarize.

Correspondence Instruction. It is, however, worthy of note that at the end of the first year of the appropriation for extension more than one thousand students are doing regular correspondence work. The weaknesses of correspondence instruction in the past have been (1) that it does not bring together the student and instructor, and (2) that the student works alone. Because of these facts, an unnatural amount of stamina is required of the student, in order that he shall persist in his work. It has been the experience of the commercial correspondence schools that only a small fraction of the students beginning a course continue to the end.

Director Reber has devised a plan which removes these defects. This is the institution of the traveling professor, several of whom