St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-05-02
Reading Courses for Farmers.
Plans to Interest AgricuIturists in the
Science of Their Calling

| Science of Their Calling.
The United States department of agri-
culture has in press and will soon issue
bulletin No. u, office of experiment sta
tons, entitled Farmers Reading
Courses" The bulletin was prepared by
Prof L. H. Bailey, professor of horticul-
ture in Cornell university, and gives a
history of the organization of farmers
reading courses, which have become an
important factor among the agencies for
diffusing knowledge and promoting en-
thusiasm among farmers. To show the
character and scope of a reading course
outlined by President Mills of the agri-
cultural college of Ontario in 1892, the
course of reading for second.class certi6-
cates,' as printed in the report of the
college for that year, is given. A few
persons took up the reading and passed
creditable examinations upon questions
which were submitted to them; but the
prizes went mostly to ex-students of the
college, and the number became so small
| after time that the whole enterprise
was dropped.
The bulletin then reviews all the farm
ers' reading courses in North America,
beginning with that established in July,
1892, in connection with the Pennsylva-
MIA state college, which is stated to be
the most famous single venture of its
kind. In 1898 the name ofthe enterprise
which had been known as the "Chautau-
qua course of home study in agriculture, 4"
became Correspondence courses in agri-
CULTURED" Printed lessons on particular
subjects treated in various books and on
farm bookkeeping, are sent to students.
These lessons are designed to bring the
subject matter of the books upt date, to
describe simple experiments, to illustrate
the subject, and to suggest the important
or fundamental matters. The lessons
are sent to the reader one at time. Ac-
companying each lesson is list of ques-
lions to be answered. The replies are
sent to the superintendent of the reading
course at the state college, and another
lesson is then mailed to the reader. In
this way the superintendent keeps in
touch with the student. He can also ex-
ercise some control over the student by
Withholding lessons when the questions
are not faithfully answered.
The Pennsylvania correspondence
courses are five in number: Crop produc-
ton; live stock production; horticulture
and Horticulture; dairying and domestic
economy. Each course consists of seven
distinct subjects or books, making IS
books in all. The reading courses of sew
eral states are conducted on similar lines
to those in Pennsylvania.
The Cornell or New York plan is to
give the farmer a short, specially pre-
pared lesson, and then to quiz him on it.
The motive is to reach the many, not the
few. The farmer who can and will read
books can take care of himself, but the
one who can not or will not needs help,
whether he wants it or not. The idea is
to get the rank and file to read books by
first interesting them in simple, short
and easily digested matter When the
farmer is once interested it needs only
good administrative machinery to keep
him interested and to lead him on. The
operation of the Cornell plan as now
prosecuted comprises: Securing the far
mer's name; sending him lesson with
separate paper containing questions
(called quiz) the active organization
of reading clubs, and the sending of
special inspectors and lecturers to these
clubs.
Two distinct ideas are represented in
the reading courses outlined in the bulle-
tin. The older or Chautauqua- Pennsyl.
vania idea is that ola definite. prescribed,
selflimited technical correspondence cur
riculum, the completion of which is sigma
lied by a certificate or diploma. The
other or Cornell idea is that of flexible,
non-limited, untechncal reading course
in which there is no system Of counts,
and which does not lead to certi6catory
honors. The bulletin says: "The former
is intensive; it is adapted to the few. The
latter is elementary; it is adapted to the
many Each is incomplete.
THE ideal reading-course system is
that which joins the two ideas. It's gen.
eral work is to touch and awaken every
farmer. particularly every poor farmer;
it searches out the man who has small
opportunities. It's special work is to aid
the few who are already successful; it &C.
cepts the man of fair or large opportuni-
ties. If the primary object of reading
course is mission, the Cornell system
would seem to be the better; but if the
object is technical education, the Penn
sylvania or curriculum system is the
better. But since the complete reading
course is both missionary and school
master, it is evident that the two sys-
tens should be conjoined."
The bulletin contains lists of books
used in various reading courses, and in
an appendix representative documents
used in various states.