404 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



lar farmers' institutes were held, with 11,500 in attendance. In addi- 

 tion to the above, there were 17 special institutes, consisting of edu- 

 cational progi-ams at fairs, farm unions, agricultural conventions, 

 etc., the attendance at which was not recorded. These are regarded 

 as giving the best hold on the agricultural public and not only reach 

 a large audience but a higher class of instruction is given. Six in- 

 stitutes for women were also held during the year. Post-card invita- 

 tions have been found to be the most satisfactory method of adver- 

 tising the meetings, which were more numerous and attracted a larger 

 attendance than during any previous year. 



ILLINOIS. 



Institute director. — H. A. McKeene, secretary of the farmers' institute, Spring- 

 field. 



The State of Illinois makes two separate appropriations for insti- 

 tute work, one for the purpose of holding county farmers' institute 

 meetings in each county, and one for office expenses, administration, 

 etc., and for holding the annual State meeting. These two appro- 

 priations combined amount to $21,650. Again, many county boards 

 of supervisors appropriate funds for assisting the work in their 

 counties, and this added $4,965 to the regular State appropriation for 

 institute work. Besides the above, many merchants, interested farm- 

 ers, and others contributed to the county institutes, so that there was 

 actually spent, in addition to the other funds mentioned, $17,853.23 

 which came from these private sources, making the total actual cost 

 of the farmers' institute work for Illinois this year $44,468.23. 

 Every county in the State held at least one institute. The total num- 

 ber of sessions of regular institutes was 792, and the attendance 

 231,732. The agricultural college and experiment station furnished 

 36 lecturers, with a combined total of 369 days of service. Thirty 

 State lecturers were employed, and many local persons addressed the 

 meetings. There were also 8 sessions of round-up institutes, with 

 8,000 in attendance. Besides the above, there were also held boys' 

 camp schools and picnics, and special seed and soil trains were run, 

 but no record was kept of the attendance at these. No special 

 women's institutes were held, but nearly every meeting was planned 

 for the benefit of women as well as men, and almost always there were 

 women on the program. The dates, places, and programs are ar- 

 ranged for by the superintendent and county institute officers at the 

 district conference held in April and June each year. Every county 

 in the State has an institute organization and the one-day meeting 

 has been adopted by most of them. Fifty thousand copies of the an- 

 nual report of the farmers' institute are now published. 



