654 BOARD OF AGKICULTURE. 



what had het'ii ac-complisht'd in thi- adjoiniiif? f^tutos and submit a report 

 at thi> annual uieotini? of 18.S7. Tliis conunittoL' consisted of myself and 

 two (itlHT nicnibers of the Board who had not given the matter any atten- 

 tion and (h'sin'(] nii' to lool; after the work and i)rei)are a report for the 

 moetinji. 



"Durinj; the following year I corresponded witli parties in each one 

 of tlic States niriitioncd. and secured wliat I deemed valuable information. 

 At the annual nieetiim- of 1SS7 I presented this as the report of the com- 

 mittee. 



"Tlie report was niinniniously adopted and tlie committee continued 

 and was asked to make all necessary arrangements for the starting of 

 the work in tlie various counties of the State. At the request of the 

 other members of the committee I prepared a program to be presented 

 to the farmers of the State through the columns of the Indiana Farmer, 

 asking them to take iinmediate action for the organization of a Farmers' 

 Institute in every county in the State, the same to be held under the 

 auspices of tlie Indiana State Board of Agriculture. 



•'Taking it for granted that the members of the State Board from 

 every district in the State would see to it that the work would be immedi- 

 ately looked after in this particular district, the program, as prepared, 

 was approved by the editors of the Indiana Farmer and published the 

 following week, the editors lu'ging the farmers of the State to give this 

 work their hearty support. As the member of the Board from the Six- 

 teenth District. I went to work immediately to arrange for the holding of 

 institutes in the counties comprising my district. I had a promise from 

 Tresident Smart, of Purdue, to send me some of his best men to aid me in 

 the work. Also the editors of the Indiana Farmer and Mr. Billingsley. 

 editor of the Tile and Drainage .Journal, tendered their services. In 

 arranging for holding institutes in my district, I set the first meeting to be 

 held at Lagrange. Ind., on Tuesday, Feliruaiy 14, 1887. In making the* 

 arrangement I had the hearty co-operation of Dr. Rerick, editor of the 

 Standard, Hon. J. N. Babcock and J. N. Datta. The speakers secured for 

 that meeting were yourself and Prof. Webster, of Purdue University, 

 lion. Jno. B. Conner, editor of the Indiana Farmer, and Judge Robert W. 

 McBride, together with several local workers. 



"As you are well aware, we had a very interesting institute. The 

 second meeting had been arranged for the following day to be held at 

 Ligonier, Ind.. but a few days before I was notified to withdraw the 

 appointment as it was claimed that the farmers in that vicinity could 

 not be induced to take hold of the work. 



"I then, through the assistance of J. X. Latta and .1. N. Babcock, 

 secured the hall at Sycamore Corners, in the Avest part of Lagrange 

 County, and held the institute on Wednesday, going from there to Ken- 

 dallville on Tlnirsday. to .\ngola on Friday, and to this place— Waterloo— 



