FAKMERS' INSTITUTES. 127 



and "ologies," tied up thereby and mentally distorted and ruined. [Laugh- 

 ter.] The farmer was not cabined or confined by any such restricted views, 

 but was able to see good in everytliing. In regard to the size of farms much 

 depended upon the farm. His, for instance, was of 116 acres, and one acre of 

 it was as productive as four acres of an ordinary farm. Indeed, one of his 

 neighbors who had s:one to Kansas and returned said, "Your farm is worth a 

 whole county in that country.' 



Mr. Norton, of Oakland County, gave it as his opinion that while it might 

 be true of the past that a liberal education tended to divert from the farm, it 

 was now apparent that farmers were beginning to seek a higher education for 

 the sake of the benefits which it gave them as farmers. He believed that, 

 however it might seem at the commencement of a man's career, as one passed 

 the decline of life and tended down hill to the end, there was no occupation 

 ■which gave better returns, or permitted of more enjoyments and comforts with 

 less exertion and fretful ness, than farming. 



EVENING SESSION. 



The second evening session was occupied by Secretary K. G. Baird and Pres« 

 dent T. C. Abbot. The former gave his lecture on "Farmer's Boys in Kela- 

 tion to Farming," the latter his lecture on "Manual Labor in our Colleges." 

 For both of these lectures see Lectures and Addresses given at more than one 

 Institute. 



At the close of Pres. Abbot's address resolutions of thanks to the State 

 Board of Agriculture, the representatives of the Agricultural College and oth- 

 ers who had aided in making the Institute a success were adopted, and the In- 

 stitute declared adjourned. 



BUCHANAN INSTITUTE 



was held January 27th and 28th, and was presided over by Mr. Thomas Mars, of 

 Berrien Center. Wm. D. Davis, of Niles, and J. F. Higby, of Benton Harbor, 

 vrere chosen Vice Presidents. J. H. Gillette, of Bertrand, was chosen Secre- 

 tary. Music was furnished by the Hoe family quartette. President Mars 

 made the following 



OPENING ADDKESS. 



In behalf of the friends of Bucanan and farmers of Berrien county I bid you 

 ■welcome.'''*' Farmers and friends, we are pleased to see so many turn out to 

 assist us in this, our first Institute in this county. May it prove a lasting ben- 

 efit to farmers and a source of pleasure and profit to all in attendance. 



The object of these Institutes is to disseminate knowledge in science and 

 practice, through lectures and discussions, on subjects relating to farming. 



