DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 87 



were quite common. This was largely due to the interest taken by the 

 local officials, as it is nearly impossible to have a meeting of this 

 kind properly worked up unless there is someone on the ground to give 

 the matter attention. With few exceptions the executive officers of 

 the county societies perform their duties in a very creditable manner 

 and this was true to a large extent with the vice-presidents who acted 

 as local managers. In a considerable number of cases the local man- 

 agers for one reason or another failed to advertise and make arrange- 

 ments as they should have done and in these instances partial failures 

 were recorded and these were practically the only ones except where 

 severe storms made it almost impossible for people to reach the place 

 of meeting. 



The topics that seemed to bring out the most interest were those 

 relating to corn growing, potato culture, dairying, clover, good roads 

 and schools, although, of course, in many sections other topics were of 

 especial interest. 



In arranging the institutes the plan that has been followed for quite 

 a number of years was made use of. The one-day institutes, which 

 usually preceded the county institute from one to three weeks, were 

 held upon consecutive days and a single state speaker was furnished. 

 He was taken in charge by the county secretary who arranged his 

 itinerary and who was himself present at most of the meetings. In 

 several counties all of the meetings were also attended by the presi- 

 dent of the institute society but in most cases only one or two of the 

 institutes were attended by the president. Three regular speakers were 

 furnished for each of the county institutes and in some cases one or 

 two special lecturers were sent. The total number of county institutes 

 has been seventy-three, while two hundred and fifty-three one-day in- 

 stitutes have been held. 



In addition to ten members of the college faculty and of the staff 

 of the experiment station it was necessary to employ a number of other 

 speakers. For the most part they were successful Michigan farmers, 

 only one, W. G. Farnsworth, of Waterville, Ohio, coming from another 

 state. Considerable help up6n educational topics was furnished by 

 Hon. P. H. Kelley, Superintendent of Public Instruction and his as- 

 sistants and by the faculties of the normal college at Ypsilanti and the 

 normal schools at Mt. Pleasant and Kalamazoo. The State Forestry 

 Commission and the Dairy and Food Commission also furnished valu- 

 able assistance. Above all, however, we were indebted to Hon. H. S. 

 Earle, State Highway Commissioner, who devoted nearly three months 

 of his time to speaking at farmers' institutes, while his deputy, Frank 

 F. Kogers, spent nearly an equal time. 



During the state fair at Detroit last September arrangements were 

 made for demonstration lectures by several members of the college 

 faculty, including Prof. C. D. Smith, Prof. R. S. Shaw, Dr. Geo. A. 

 Waterman, Mr. L. B. McWethy, who took Prof. J. A. Jeffery's place 

 upon the program, Mr. F. O. Foster and Mr. T. A. Farrand of the 

 South Haven station. It was planned to have two talks in the forenoon 

 and three in the afternoon upon the three principal days of the fair, 

 each speaker occupying one-half hour. While the results in general 

 were quite satisfactory, it is believed it will be better to take one or 



