FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



REPORT OF INSTITUTE WORK FOR SEASON OF 1897-8. 



BY KENYON L. BUTTERFIELD, SUPERINTENDENT OF INSTITUTES. 



The third season under the present Institute law, taken as a whole, 

 was the most successful of all. We were able to give to the various 

 counties, to a large decree, the speakers and topics they wished, and, so 

 far as our programs were concerned, we believe that we largely met 

 the wishes of the people. On the other hand, local work was better done 

 than ever before. In most counties the meetings had been well worked 

 up, the advertising was good, and the attendance larger than ever before. 

 In certain counties small attendance at the county meetings can.be ac- 

 counted for by severe storms prevailing at the time of those meetings. 



The appropriation for Institutes was increased by the legislature of 

 1897 from |5,000 per year to $5,500 per year. . The bill, as introduced, 

 called for $6,000 per year. It was thought that with another $1,000 we 

 could hold at least 100 One-day meetings in addition to the regular County 

 meetings. The legislature saw fit to give but $500 for this purpose, and 

 with it we succeeded in holding 71 One-day meetings. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 



We should be guilty of serious ingratitude if we did not 'freely and 

 emphatically acknowledge the splendid work of the officers of County 

 Institute Societies, and especially the large body of efficient Secretaries 

 and Presidents, some of whom put in days and weeks of time to make 

 the Institute work in their county a success. The fact that from what- 

 ever standpoint we view the subject the past season of Institute work 

 is by far the most successful ever held in Michigan, shows the faithful- 

 ness and zeal, the intelligence and ability, of these officers. 



In connection with this we wish to affirm that it is no more than just 

 that all officers of Institute Societies should receive their entire expenses 

 when doing Institute work. There is scarcely a Society in the State 

 which, by proper efforts, cannot raise enough fuuds from membership 

 fees not only to pay the necessary expense of the Institute themselves, 

 but to make sure that no officer is out a single cent for expenses incurred 

 in doing Institute work. We know from private letters that this is not 

 always done. In some counties where the agricultural interests and the 

 interests of Institute work are sufficient to maintain a vigorous and 

 flourishing County Society, the leading officers have been compelled not 



