21fo STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Jeddo, St. Clair county, January 33 and 24, attended by Professors W. J. 

 Beal, A. J. Cook, and Geo. H. Harrower. 



Trent, Muskegon county, January 25 and 2G, attended by Professors Sam'l 

 Johnson, E. 0. Carpenter, and Geo. H. Harrower. 



The above arrangement was carried out except that the time of holding the 

 Galesburg Institute was changed on account of local considerations, and Prof. 

 Harrower's appointments were filled by Prof. MacEwan, and Prof. Carpenter's 

 by Prof. Johnson and Secretary Baird. 



THE HASTINGS INSTITUTE. 

 The programme of the Hastings Institute was as follows : 



TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 9. 



Address by the President, Mr. Porter Burton. 



Lecture — " Farming as an Occupation," R. G. Baird, Secretary of the State Board 

 of Agriculture. 

 Essay, Mr. Chas. Bauer. 



WEDNESDAY FORENOON. 



"Rotation of Crops," Mr. Wm. H. Merrick. 



" Cooperation Among Farmers," Mr. Ira Slawson. 



Essay—" The Management of the Dairy," Mrs. M. R. Grauger. 



Response, Mrs. J. J. Hendershott, 



WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. 



Essay — " The Preparation of the Soil for Cereal Crops," Eugene^Davenport. 



" Silos and Ensilage," Prof. Samuel Johnson. 



" Feeding Stock," J. C. Bray. 



" The Cultivation of Flowers," Mrs. Ira Slawson. 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 



" Mixed Husbandry," Mr. A. C. Towne. 



" Holstein Cattle," Chas. H. Stone. 



" The State Agricultural College, its History and Methods," President T. C. Abbot. 



President Burton's opening address was timely and well received, and Mrs. 

 Slawson' s essay on the cultivation of flowers was listened to with interest and 

 favorably commented on. We have not the manuscript of either of these 

 papers. With regard to the general features of this Institute we give the fol- 

 lowing from one of the Hastings papers : 



The presence of Secretary Baird, President Abbot, and Prof. Johnson 

 added much to the interest of the occasion. Some had thought these profes- 

 sional gentlemen would advocate a theoretical agriculture, which might be of 

 advantage to lunar inhabitants, but certainly would be of no advantage to 

 practical farmers. All were happily disappointed, for their remarks were such 

 as reached the experience and touched the practical side of farming. 



The Institute as a whole was a splendid success. The attendance was not 

 as large as a more timely notice would have given, but it was good, and the 

 best of attention to the various essays, papers, and lectures was uniformly 



