DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 135 



mnterinlly from that of 1910. There were three passenger coaohes iu 

 whicli five or six tallcs of five minutes each were given after whicli the 

 visitors were talven through the exhibit cars. One of these contained a 

 complete outfit of dairy machinery, including milk testers, separators, 

 churns and butter w^orkers; another contained a dozen or more breeds 

 of poultry, models of poultry houses, samples of poultry feed, etc, A 

 third car was occupied by the bacteriological exhibit which did not 

 differ materially from that shown at the Round-up Institute. The fourth 

 car was utilized for an exhibit of grain and forage crops and for an 

 exhibit by the horticultural department illustrating pruning, graft- 

 ing, spraying and the use of cover crops. Samples of some of the more 

 dangerous insects and diseases and remedies for them were also dis- 

 played. 



The attendance throughout the entire trip exceeded that in any previ- 

 ous year except upon one or tw^o days when the weather was quite 

 stormy. At a very large proportion of the places where stops were made 

 the number reached 300 to 350 pei'sons which was about as many as 

 could be readily accommodated upon the train. The attendance at 

 Coopersville, Fremont, Shelby, Bellaire and Reed City ranged from 500 

 to 550 and for the twelve davs with 61 stops there was an attendance of 

 18.800. 



Among those who were with the train as lecturers or demonstrators 

 were Prof. J. C. McDowell, of the Farm Management Bureau, U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture; W. F. Raven and A. R. Potts, Field Agents; 

 Prof. C. P. Halligan and Instructor O. I. Gregg, of the Horticultural 

 Department; W. B. Liverance of the Dairy Department; Dr. Ward Gilt- 

 ner of the Bacteriological Department and H. L. Kempster and J. O. 

 Linton of the Poultry Department. L. W. Hopkins and C. H. Knopf 

 acted as demonstrators. 



Especial interest was shown in the lectures and exliibits relating to 

 alfalfa and spraying although all of the lines illustrated received care- 

 ful attention. 



EXHIBITS AT THE INSTITUTES. 



One of the features which has been quite generally introduced at 

 the county institutes and which has received some attention at the 

 one-day institutes has been the exhibits of farm crops and work of the 

 public schools. In some counties considerable prizes have been offered 

 for the best exhibits of corn, grains, potatoes and other farm crops grown 

 by farmers while in others a i)art or all of the prizes have been limited 

 to crops grown by boys or girls under eighteen yeare of age. In several 

 counties boys' corn clubs have organized under the auspices of the 

 county institute societias and especially where they have had the co- 

 operation of the county commissioner of schools they have resulted in 

 bringing out a large number of exhibits many of which compare very 

 favorably with those shown in the classes for adults. In a few counties 

 the prizes have also been offered for the best loaves of bread, samples 

 of plain sewing, etc. exhibited by girls. 



Wherever this work has been taken up it has not only added to the 

 attendance and interest at the institutes but it will also undoubtedly 

 have a beneficial effect upon rural life in ]Micliigan for yeai-s to come. 



