1902.] DISCUSSION. 81 



he lives? I think there is a good deal of practical worth in 

 this theory of his, and if we could have more such theorists 

 it would be a mighty good thing for the farmers of the 

 country. 



The President. Who is the next man to talk about 

 these farmers' institutes? 



Mr. R. S. HiNMAN. Mr. Chairman : I do not want to 

 say much about the farmers' institutes, except that I think 

 one suggestion that Mr. Collingwood made was very good, 

 and that is that we ought to give the farmers mor.e of a chance 

 to ask questions. J have been to quite a number of institute 

 meetings, and I have seen many who were disposed to ques- 

 tion the speakers that were there, but I never have been to 

 one where there seemed to be any time for that. There 

 usually seemed to be more speakers than there was leisure 

 for, and the result was that there was not much opportunity 

 to ask questions. 



Now, I do not know that it would be entirely proper to 

 contrast the agricultural conventions of today with those of 

 1869, but I want to say that one of the most valuable reports 

 that I have seen, and one of the most valuable reports that 

 was ever issued, was the one for that year. It was a four 

 days' session, and the first day opening up for public discus- 

 sion in the evening. That was continued for three days. In 

 that time there were but three lectures. You cannot buy 

 the book. In looking it over I noticed there were some 

 communications sent in, and as the result of one of those 

 communications there follows seventeen pages of questions 

 and answers and discussions. That was taken part in by 

 such men as ex-Gov. Hyde, P. M. Augur, J. J. Webb, Mr. 

 Day of Windham, and men of that character from all over 

 the State. Moreover, the discussions that occurred in the 

 meetings of those days were published in the newspapers all 

 over the State. Now, it seems to me that most of the farm- 

 ers who attend these conventions and the institutes would 

 Agr. — 6 



