THE FARMERS' INSTITUTES AND EXTENSION WORK IN THE 



UNITED STATES, 1911. 



By John Hamilton. 



Farmers^ Institute Specialist, Office of Experiment Stations. 



The farmers' institute season which closed June 30, 1911, registered 

 a larger attendance than any previous year. The reports show that 

 institutes were held in all of the States and Territories excepting 

 Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico. Although no institutes 

 are reported for New Mexico, nevertheless local meetings were held 

 at which members of the agricultural college faculty and of the experi- 

 ment station staff gave instruction. 



to*^ 



INSTITUTES HELI^. 



The total number of institutes held during the year was 5,889. 

 These were made up of 3,948 one-day meetings, 1,727 two-day, and 

 214 three or more day, an increase over the previous year of 409 one- 

 day meetings and 42 three-day. There was a falling off in the two- 

 day meetings of 213. The whole number of days of institutes held 

 in 1911 was 8,045, an increase of 110 over the year 1910. 



SESSIONS. 



The number of sessions was 16,741, or 155 more than were held in 

 1910. These sessions were each a half day or an evening in duration 

 and, taken m connection with their average attendance, indicate the 

 progress of the work more accurately than the total number of insti- 

 tutes held or their aggi-egate attendance. 



ATTENDANCE. 



The entire attendance reported at all regular institutes was 



2,291,857, wdth an average attendance per session of 138. This shows 



a faUing off of 104,051 in general attendance and of 6 in the average 



per session. The States in which the greatest faUing off occurred are: 



Arkansas, 20,909; Colorado, 15,443; Illinois, 67,001; Louisiana, 



15,730; Maine, 4,953; Montana, 5,897; New Jersey, 2,805; Ohio, 



45,855; Oklahoma, 74,680; South Dakota, 35,400; Tennessee, 4,768; 



Utah, 24,628; Virginia, 16,000; Washington, 8,505; Wyoming, 3,430; 



a total of 346,004. 



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