42 ANNUAL REPORT. OF THE Off. Doc. 



HISTORY OF FARMERS' INSTITUTES OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



TLc liistoiy of Prnnsvlvania i'aiiiieis' institutes, from their orgau- 

 izatioii bj State aiilhoiity iu 1887 to the present date, is an interest- 

 ing one, at wliicli dale I he IJoaid of Agriculture called a meeting 

 of its members for the consideration of the agricultural interests 

 of the State, This Board of Agriculture was composed of duly 

 elected representatives of county agricultural societies and was 

 placed in charge of the local management of farmers' institutes, 

 which assisted in these and continued to assist under the various acts 

 of Assembly following the Act of 1877. By Act of Assembly 1885, 

 the Legislature granted an appropriation of |1,000 for the actual 

 and necessary expenses of holding local farmers' institutes (see Act 

 of 1885). This appropriation, though seemingly small, was of great 

 benefit to the farmers. In 1887, the Legislature increased the annual 

 appropriation to $3,000 (see Act 1887). During 1890, sixty-five insti- 

 tutes were held and in 1891, the appropriation was increased to 

 |7,000 per year (see Act 1891), and that year there was a proportion- 

 ate increase of institutes to 84, and sixty-two of the sixtj'-seven coun- 

 ties of the State had representatives on the Board of Agriculture. 

 The results accruing from these early institutes in Pennsylvania can- 

 not be well over-estimated. The work continued under the manage- 

 ment of the State Board of Agriculture and its Secretary, Col. 

 Thomas J. Edge, until 1895, when, by Act of Assembly (see Act 1895), 

 the Department of Agriculture was established, in which was placed 

 the Division of Farmers' Institutes. The Deputy Secretary of Agri- 

 culture, by virtue of his position, became Director of Farmers' Insti 

 tutes for the State. Prof. John Hamilton, of State College, Centre 

 county. Pa., was, in 1895, appointed by Governor Daniel H. Hastings 

 as first Director of Institutes and served in that capacity until 1899. 

 During his tenure of office, successful institutes were held in every 

 county in the State, interest in the work was increased and the a])- 

 propriation was raised to |12,500 per annum, and in 1901 to |15,000 

 per annum. 



During the ten years in which institutes have been held under the 

 Department of Agriculture, 3,100 days of institutes have been held, 

 with an annual attendance of over 130,000 people. To estimate the 

 benefits derived from these meetings would be a stupendous task. 

 The appropriation for carrying on this work for the past two years 

 has been |17,500 per year, and from the month of December until 

 March we have five corps of lecturers traveling continually througli- 

 out the State giving lessons and instruction in every department 

 of agricultural work. At these meetings lessons are given on the 

 most approved methods of dairy management, including feeding, 

 stabling, care of milk, butter-making and how and where to market 

 most profitably these products. In soil improvement, instruction is 

 given as to maintaining nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash in 

 proper proportions, and that leguminous bacteria so essential in the 

 growth of legumes and building up within the soil that most costly 

 of all its fertility — nitrogen. The management of swine, sheep hus- 

 bandry, market gardening, horticulture, bee-keeping, and, in truth, 

 every line of agricultural pursuit for which Pennsylvania has been 

 noted, is intelligently presented at its institutes. At least one ses- 

 sion of these institutes is devoted to the interest of education, such 



