210 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



activities connected with it, a special agricultural association is formed. 

 It is in this way that the Farm Bureau has assisted in the formation or 

 reorganization of the following special organizations this year: 70 potato; 

 38 farm loan; 21 pure seed; 18 threshermen's; 17 milk producers'; 6 bee- 

 keepers'; 24 hvestock shipping; 107 marketing; 12 cow testing and 39 

 community breeders' associations. 



For the greatest degree of success both of the Farm Bureau and of the 

 special agricultural associations, it has been found necessary to have the 

 work of the Farm Bureau and the special associations closely coordinated, 

 and in several of the counties, steps have been taken in this direction. 

 Most of the problems of the special associations are fundamentally of an 

 educational character and their members are recognizing this and willingly 

 becoming members of the Farm Bureau. 



FORMATION OF THE STATE FARM BUREAU. 



Another step in the federation of associated efforts in agricultural 

 development was the formation of the Michigan Farm Bureau in February. 

 This organization is composed of counties having Farm Bureaus cooperat- 

 ing with the Michigan Agricultural College and the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. It has adopted a State program and has elected 

 a head for each department of the program; each department head selects 

 two associates and the departmental committee formed in this way outlines 

 the departmental project and cooperates with the project committees of 

 the County Farm Bureaus in developing such projects as have a territorial 

 application larger than the county. State Farm Bureaus have been formed 

 in fifteen states and steps have been taken to organize a National Farm Bu- 

 reau in November. 



THE USE OF DEMONSTRATIONS AS A METHOD OF FARM BUREAU "WORK. 



The use of the demonstration on the farmer's own farm has always 

 been a leading method of Farm Bureau work. Experience has proved 

 the value of this method, based as it is upon sound pedagogical and 

 psychological principles. The principle of learning to do by doing is 

 used under conditions which the farmers themselves have to meet and their 

 attention and interest is secured not only by listening, but also by see- 

 ing and doing. The reports for the last calendar year show that 5,297 

 demonstrations were conducted, that there was an attendance of 39,235 

 at demonstration meetings and that the profit resulting from the work in 

 37 counties, on demonstration units alone, was $355,710 or considerable 

 more than the total cost of the work. 



STANDARDIZATION PROJECT. 



Among the outstanding results of the work in Michigan the standardiza- 

 tion project and the projects associated with it deserve special mention. 

 This applies both to work in relation to crops and hve stock. 



A. Crop Standardization: 



The standardization work on crops has been made possible by the 

 variety tests based upon the work in plant breeding of the Experiment 



