farmers' institutes in the united states. 639 



vaiiia, Micliigiui. Idalio. and North Dakota l»i>,481. That this falling 

 off is not roal, hut is occasioned hy the new method of averaging, is 

 shown ])y the fact that these 4 States held 126 more institutes this year 

 than last, showing conclusively that the interest is increasing instead of 

 diminishing, as the figures unexplained would indicate. If this cor- 

 rection is made, the attendance for the past year exceeds that of the 

 previous year b}' 1S4,136. 



The total number of institutes was 8.17!'. One thousand three hun- 

 dred and tifty-nine were one-day institutes; 1,687 were two-day, and 

 77 were three-day and over. A more accurate understanding of the 

 amount of work accomplished is shown ])y the number of sessions held, 

 which amounted to '.•.r)7o during the year. These meetings were 

 addressed \)y 924 lecturers employed by the State directors and b}^ 

 al)Out three times as many more emphn^ed by the local managers of 

 institutes, making a total approximating 4,000 persons who gave 

 instruction at the institutes during the year. One hundred and 

 ninety-six of these were members of the agricultural college or 

 experiment station staffs, who contributed 1,666 days of time to this 

 work, attending in all 752 institutes. 



EXTENSION OF THE WORK. 



The agricultiu-al population of the United States was not less than 

 27,000,000 at the date of the last census. Before this large number of 

 our citizens can be brought in touch with the institute movement, it is 

 manifest that it will be necessarv to greatlv extend the work and effect 

 an organization that will be compact in its structure and systematic in 

 its operation, having definite plans for coming into contact with every 

 farmer's family and for bringing to these workers in the field of agri- 

 culture the precise kind of information which the individual most 

 needs. 



The necessity for a greater mmilier of competent lecturers to give 

 instruction in institutes is felt in ever}" State. In response to a cir- 

 cular letter recently sent out to the directors of institutes asking for 

 the names of lecturers who have been in theii" enn)lov during the pre- 

 vious year on the State lecture force, there have been received some- 

 thing over 850 names. An examination of the reports of 623 lecturers 

 sliows that 2S7 of them had college degives, 188 had taken ]iartial 

 college courses, 108 had the advantage of normal or high school train- 

 ing, and UO were practical specialists, having had ordinary educational 

 advantages. Five States each reported over 50 members on their lec- 

 ture corps: lo States between 20 and 50; 12 States report(>d between 

 10 and 2(t; 12 States reported between 5 and 10. One Stiite reported 

 l)ut 1, and another large agricultural State onl}' 3. A number of States 

 reported scarcely any names outside of those of persons coimected with 

 their agricultural college or experiment station staff's. 



