34 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Ot£. Doc. 



sevextei':ntu annual repokt of the bukeau of 

 fakmeks' institutes fok the season of 1910-11)11 



Harrisburg, Pa., Jcumary 1, 1912. 



To the Hon. N. li. Critclifield, Secretary of Agriculture: 



Sir: I have the honor to present herewith the Seventeenth Annual 

 Report of the Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. 



INSTITUTES HELD AND ATTENDANCE 



There were held in the season ending June 1, 1911, in the different 

 counties 477 days of institute and schools, divided into 1,162 sessions, 

 a total attendance at which was 189,383. Attendance at Regular 

 Institutes 162,809, Special Institutes 10,376, Movable Institute Schools 

 16,198, Harvest Home Picnics 20,000, making a grand total in atten- 

 dance of 209,383. Our Annual Normal Institute was held in the city 

 of Lancaster, May 23-26, 1911. This meeting was attended not only 

 by Managers of Institutes in the various counties and practically all 

 State Lecturers, but representatives of County Agricultural Societies, 

 local granges and farmers' clubs. The State Grange was represented 

 by Master Creasy. More than ordinary interest was manifested on 

 part of the delegates on the question of Co-operation amongst the 

 Farmers for the Marketing of their Crops and purchasing Farm 

 Supplies. A committee was appointed, consisting of Messrs. R. P. 

 Kester, E. B. Dorsett and Archie Billings to investigate the matter 

 and make recommendations for action at our next annual meeting. 



MOVABLE SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTES 



Movable Schools, continuing four days each, were held in 12 coun- 

 ties of the State, consisting of Potter, Warren, York, Lebanon, Lacka- 

 wanna, Columbia, Venango, Erie, Crawford, Westmoreland, Chester 

 and Lehigh. As previously reported, these schools continue to teach 

 and demonstrate lessons in Dairying, Horticulture, Poultry and Do- 

 mestic Science, and Home Sanitation, as a result of which a marked 

 improvement may be noted in the matter of dairy improvement by use 

 of the Babcock Test, the unprofitable dairy cow is being rapidly 

 elimiated from the herd, barn ventilation and conveniences is taking 

 the place of old and unsanitary methods. Horticulture, as developed 

 by our experts, is being practiced by thousands of farmers of the 

 State with very satisfactory results. I may name one instance in 

 Tioga county where 15 orchards within a radius of two miles were 

 supplied with a spraying outfit directly as a result of such teaching. 

 This Is only an example of what is occurring in hundreds of other 

 places. Our fruit industry is scarcely second to that of dairying. 

 A careful and somewhat hurried estimate of the fruit growing in- 

 terests of the State shows that we have over 23,225,000 apple trees 

 planted, 1,000,000 pear, 3,000,000 peach, making a total of 27,225,000 



