FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



Hitherto the State Board of Agriculture has published an annual report, 

 including in addition to a statement of the finances of the College and of its 

 various departments of education and industry, a full account of the Farmers' 

 Institutes held each year. 



This, together with a few miscellaneous papers, and the report of the State 

 Agricultural Society, make a volume usually of about six hundred pages. 



The Legislature of 1881 passed an act requiring all State Institutions to 

 publish biennial reports. In compliance with this provision of law, this 

 report covers a period of two years (from September 30, 1880, to September 

 30, 1882), and the two series of Farmers' Institutes held during the winters 

 of 1881-2 and 1882-3. 



Instead of giving, as heretofore, a full report of each Institute, we give 

 only a brief sketch of each, followed by a selection from the essays and lectures 

 which were read, and of the discussions which followed the reading of some of 

 them. This method will make the report less bulky and more convenient than 

 it would otherwise be, while it has not been necessary to omit anything but 

 papers and discussions similar to some of those published in previous reports 



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FARMERS' INSTITUTES HELD DURING THE WINTER OF 1881-2. 



At a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture held November 21, 1881, 

 the Committee on Farmers' Institutes presented the following report, which 

 was adopted : 



Your committee have been furnished by the Secretary with all the applica- 

 tions for Institutes received and filed in his oflBice, and having considered the same» 

 would recommend that during the approaching winter vacation of the College, 

 Institutes be held as follows: 



1. Cassopolls, Cass county, January 17 and 18, attended by Professors Kedzie and 

 MacEwan, and President Abbot, and F. S. Kedzie. 



2. Leslie, Ingham county, January 19 and 20, attended by Professors Beal, Johnson, 

 Carpenter, and President Abbot. 



3. Berlin, Ottawa county, January 24 and 25, attended by Professors Johnson, Beal, 

 MacEwan, and SecretaiT Baird. 



4. Greenville, Montcalui county, January 26 and 27, attended by Professors Mac- 

 Ewan, Beal, Kedzie, and President Abbot. 



5. Lapeer, Lapeer county, January 30 and 31, attended by Secretary Baird, Pro- 

 fessors Carpenter, Harrower, and Johnson. 



6. Macon, Lenawee county, February 2 and 3, attended by Professors Carpenter, 

 Kedzie, Harrower, and Secretary Baird. _ 



J. WEBSTER CHILDS, 

 GEO. W. PHILLIPS, 



Committee. 



