DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 107 



EEPORT OF ^aiPERINTENDENT OF FARMERS' INvSTITUTES. 



BY L. R. TAFT. 



In accordance with the requirements of the law nnder which the Agri- 

 cultural College conducts its farmers' institutes, county institutes were 

 held in all counties in which they were requested by the officers of the 

 county institute societies. This included all counties in the Lower Pen- 

 insula, and ten counties in the Upper Peninsula, making seventy-eight 

 counties in which institutes were held. In addition to this, the same ten 

 counties in the Upper Peninsula, and all but four in the Lower Peninsula 

 were provided with speakers for a number of one-day institutes. While 

 in a few counties only one to five institutes were held, in many it ranged 

 from five to ten, and in others the number was from fifteen to nineteen. 



The same general plan of arranging and planning the institutes was 

 followed as in previous years, the local arrangements and the advertis- 

 ing of the institutes being left with the officers of the county institute 

 societies with a local manager at each point. In counties having county 

 farm agents, they acted as general managers in perfecting the arrange- 

 ments for the institutes. In the Upper Peninsula, the general arrange- 

 ments were looked after by Mr. W. F. Raven, who was in charge of the 

 College Extension work in that part of the State. 



Several of the regular force of institute lecturers having taken up 

 work as county agents, or in other lines which prevented their giving 

 much time to farmers' institutes, it became necessary to make numerous 

 additions to the corps of institute lecturers, and we were fortunate in 

 securing a number who did excellent work. 



In counties having county agents arrangements were made to furnish 

 one state speaker in addition to the county agent, and a series of ex- 

 changes were arranged by which the county agents would spend a num- 

 ber of days at institutes in other counties. This aided materially not 

 only in reducing the cost of the institutes, thus making it possible to in- 

 crease the number that could be held, but it secured as lecturers a num- 

 ber of men who had been upon the force for several years, and others 

 whose observations in the field, in connection with the cooperative work 

 carried on by them during the year, afforded them a store of practical 

 information which they were able to use to the very best advantage at 

 the institutes attended by them. 



In the past the benefits derived from the institutes have been lessened 

 by the fact that however strong an impression may have been made by 

 the speakers at the institutes, comparatively few of the farmers present 

 put the suggestions made by the speakers into practice. This objection 

 the county agent can overcome as he will be able to inaugurate a sys- 

 tem of "follow up" work. Not only can he induce one or more farmers 

 in each locality to carry on a series of soil, crop or live-stock demonstra- 

 tions, but by working with and aiding them he will be able to see that 

 they are carried on under proper conditions. The institutes- will also 

 provide for county agents a most excellent opportunity for interesting 



