Some facts concerning the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University. Presented to a hearing of legislative committees. Albany, April 5, 1910/Instruction in the State
Farmers' Reading-Course.—For those who are unable to leave their work but desire to learn. Practical bulletins on agricultural subjects are periodically sent to the reader and correspondence is encouraged. These courses discuss: 1, Soils and Crops ; 2, Stock Feeding ; 3, Orcharding; 4, Poultry ; 5, Dairying ; 6, Buildings and Yards ; 7, Helps for Heading; 8, Miscellaneous; 9, Breeding; 10, Horse Production. Free to persons residing in New York. Forty-seven such bulletins have been issued, averaging about 18 pages each, and these go regularly to about 5,000 readers.
Farmers' Wives' Reading-Course.—These are popular bulletins discussing household economy, cooking, home furnishing, sanitation, and the like. They are used especially in connection with a reading-course conducted by correspondence. Thirty-four such bulletins have now been issued, having an average of about 24 pages each. These go regularly to about 15,000 readers.
Nature-Study.—Extension work is conducted for teachers and pupils particularly in the rural schools. One publication is issued in the interests of the work, the Home Nature Study Course, quarterly, following the State Syllabus. The readers of this course now number 5,341.
Rural School Education.—Farm Boys' and Girls' Clubs are organized and directed in connection with the work in rural schools. One publication is issued in the interest of this work, the Cornell Rural School Leaflet, monthly, for pupils, and a Supplement for teachers. 'Twenty-seven publications have been issued in this series, averaging about 18 pages each. These go to about 65,000 children and 6,000 teachers.
Co-operative Experiments in Agriculture.—The college co-operates with farmers in making experiments on their land that will be of direct practical value to them. The organizations that are now co-operating with the college are: The New York State Experimenters' League; The New York State Drainage Association; The New York State Plant-Breeders' Association, and The Housekeepers' Conference.
Special Lectures.—Lectures are given, upon request, by members of the College Faculty at such times and places as can be arranged, before Granges, Farmers' Reading Course Clubs, Farmers' Institutes and other Agricultural Societies, Schools and Public Assemblies.
State and County Fair Exhibits.—The College, through an Educational Exhibit and Information Bureau, co-operates with the State Fair each year, and with as many County Fairs as practicable.
Special Farm Trains.—Occasionally a Farm Special train is run through a certain section of the State, and stops are made at previously scheduled and announced places, where discussions are held. Three such trains have already been run, and others are now under consideration.
Farmers' Week.—This is a week for the gathering of farmers and farmers' wives at the College. Lectures and demonstrations by members of the Faculty, by successful farmers, specialists and others who have achieved distinction in agriculture are given throughout the week. The museums of the College and the University are opened, and the various departments prepare special educational exhibits. The Agricultural Experimenters' League, the New York State Plant Breeders' Association, the State Drainage Association, and various other agricultural societies hold meetings here at this time. The attendance during these Farmers' Weeks has ranged from 1500 to 2800.
Excursions.—A large number of Granges, Farmers' Clubs, and other organizations come to the College during the warm months of the year. Meeting places and other facilities are provided for such agricultural organizations which may wish to meet at the College, and aid is given by furnishing speakers and demonstrations to make the meetings profitable.
Bureau of Information.—Questions pertaining to farm problems are referred to various Departments of the College for answer. In this way much information is given in a very direct and special way. About 40,000 such communications have been answered in the past year.
The Experiment Station.—The staff of the Experiment Station is endeavoring to solve some of the more pressing agricultural problems of the State. The results of this work are published in the form of bulletins which are sent free to residents of New York State. Up to the present time there has been issued from the Experiment Station 273 different bulletins, giving the results of experiments and observations. These had an average of about 24 pages each. The number of copies published of each bulletin ranges from 3,000 to 30,000. Short circulars on agricultural topics, varying in length from four to eight pages and in editions from 3,000 to 10,000 copies, are also issued from time to time.
The size of the editions and the number of readers in each of the series of publications of the College of Agriculture by no means indicate the interest manifested by the people of the State in these publications. It is necessary in all cases to revise and reduce the mailing list each year. In the Reading Course for Farmers, the publications are sent only to those returning the question blank that goes out with each publication. For the Rural School Leaflets the mailing list is made up entirely new each year from direct requests, yet quickly again reaches the 65,000 to 75,000 limit.
It is believed that it is not too high an ideal to expect that at least one of the bulletins illustrating the investigations of the College should go into each home in the State interested in agriculture at least once a year, yet this ideal is nowhere near accomplishment, and the funds available for publication will not permit such a distribution. With few exceptions the editions of bulletins in all of these classes are too small to meet the demands and are soon exhausted; the available funds will not admit of larger editions.