102 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



CONFERENCES OF DELEGATES. 



The plan of having meetings of institute lecturers and delegates from 

 the county institute societies" at the time of the Round-up Institute was 

 continued" this jear. The number of counties represented, especially from 

 the northern part of the state, was unusually large and the conferences 

 which were especially devoted to methods of improving the farmers' 

 institute work in Michigan during the coming year were considered very 

 helpful and excellent results are confidently expected from them. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 



Although members of the faculty of the Agricultural College are par- 

 ticularly busy with their classes of regular and short course students 

 during the period when most of the institutes are held, a considerable 

 number have spent one to three weeks in attendance upon farmei*s' in- 

 stitutes and their services have been very helpful and in most cases 

 their attendance at future institutes was requested. The faculty of the 

 Western Normal ?lchool and the State Highway Commissioner have also 

 taken a leading and active part in many of the institutes. The regular 

 state lecturers, many of VN'hom have engaged in the work with a per- 

 sonal and pecuniary sacrifice, have rendered loyal, conscientious and 

 efficient service. The reports of their work received from the local officers 

 have, with very few exceptions, been unusually favorable and indicate 

 the increased ability on the part of the lecturers to instruct and interest 

 their audiences. 



The officei-s of the county institute societies, and the secretaries, in 

 particular, have worked hard to make the institutes successful. In many 

 of the counties this has been done without any remuneration, whatever, 

 even for expenses incurred while attending the institutes, but in a few 

 instances the funds raised from memberehip fees and other sources have 

 been sufficient not only to pay the expenses actually necessary, but a 

 small allowance ranging from ten to thirty dollars has been made to the 

 secretary for his services in addition to paying his expenses as a dele- 

 gate to the Round-up Institute. This has not only made it possible to 

 induce better men to enlist in the work but they have felt that they could 

 give more attention to the duties and this has added to the success of the 

 meetings. 



The state lecturers have been men and women from Michigan farms 

 with one exception. For two years it has been possible to secure the 

 services of J. P. Davis, of Sheridan, Indiana, as one of the lecturers 

 and this year so many calls were received for his services and the work 

 he had rendered was so satisfactory that he was engaged for the entire 

 month of February, including the Round-up Institute, at which he was 

 present for three days and, besides giving three addresses upon topics 

 relating to corn culture, he acted as judge of the corn exhibit. 



SUMMARY OP THE WORK OF THE YEAR. 



Institutes have been held in 75 counties, including a three-day insti- 

 tute at Traverse City and the Round-up Institute lasting four days at 

 Mt. Pleasant. There were altogether .348 sessions of the county institutes 

 with a total attendance of 72,47.3. In addition to this, 329 one-day in- 



