farmers' institutes in the united states. 663 



massachusetts. 



Population 2,805,346. Total miiiiber of liomes G13,659. Xuinber of farm homes 

 36,510. Per cent of farm homes 5.9. Approximate population in farm homes 

 165,515. 



Director of institutes. — J. T^. Ellsworth, Secretary State Board of Agriculture, 

 Boston. 



The farmer.s' institutes of Massachusetts are held under a general 

 law estal)lishiiio- tlie l)()ard of ao-riculture, which authorizes it to ''dis- 

 seminate useful information in agriculture b}- lectures or otherwise." 

 By a rule of the State board the secretary of the board is recjuired to 

 proxide lecturers for farmers' institutes so far as the appropriation for 

 the object will allow. The board recommends "that whenever an}' 

 farmers^ organization in the State shall desire to have a course of not 

 more than three lectures on any farm subject thej' may appl}' to the 

 secretary of the board of agriculture for a lecturer, and the secre- 

 tary, if he thinks the subject a proper one, shall furnish a lecturer, 

 providing he can secure a competent person to attend on the dates 

 named, and also providing that he has not alread}' been called on dur- 

 ing the year to provide lecturers for more than thirteen courses." 



One hundred and twenty institutes, composed of 154 sessions, were 

 held this year. Twelve thousand four hundred and eightj'-seven per- 

 sons were in attendance, and there were 68 lecturers upon the State 

 force engaged in giving instruction at these meetings. Tw'o thousand 

 dollars was appropriated for meeting the necessarj^ expenses of the 

 State lecturers. The local expenses are met b}^ the societies holding 

 the meetings. Eight members of the agricultural college and station 

 force delivered lectures at 14 institutes, contributing in the aggregate 

 2S days of time. The dates, places, and progranuues for the meetings 

 are arranged b}' the State director in cooperation with the local offi- 

 cials. The agricultural societies represented on the State board of 

 agriculture are the local organizations under whose auspices the insti- 

 tutes are held. 



MICHIGAN. j 



Population 2,420,082. Total numl)er of homes 548,004. Number of farm homos 

 202,457. Per cent of farm homes 36.9. Approximate poi)ulation in farm homes 

 893,342. 



Superintendent of institutes. — L. K. Taft, Horticulturist of the Experiment Station 

 of the Michigan Agricultural College, Agricultural College. 



The State board of agriculture is authorized ])y act of the legislature 

 of 1901 to " hold institutes and to establish and maintain courses of 

 reading and lectures for instruction in the various branches of agri- 

 culture, mcciianic arts, domestic economy, and the related sciences." 

 The board is authorized to ''formulate such rules and rcirulations as 

 it shall deem proper to carry on the work contemplated in the act, and 



