DEPARTMENT REPOllTS. 75 



Spaulding Nursery and Orchard Co Spaulding, III. 



Stark Brothers Nursery Co Louisiana, Missouri 



Stuart, C. W. & Co Newark, N. Y. 



The Van Dusen Nurseries Geneva, N. Y. 



Western New York Nursery Co -^ Rochester, N. Y. 



Whitnev, G. W. & Co Dansville, N. Y. 



Willett," Eugene North CoUins, N. Y. 



Respectfully submitted, 

 L. R. TAFT, 

 State Inspector of Nurseries and Orchards. 

 Agricultural College, Mich., June 30, 1905. 



REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



President J. L. Snj^der: 



Sir — I submit herewith the report of the Farmers' Institutes held in the 

 State during the year ending June 30, 1905. 



The series of institutes held during the past year have, for the most part, 

 been even more successful than in previous years despite the fact that se- 

 vere snow storms seriously interfered with the attendance in a large number 

 of counties. It so happened that at the time the weather was most severe 

 a considerable portion of the institutes were being held and they were lo- 

 cated in counties where the attendance has been very large under favorable 

 conditions. Judging from the attendance in other counties, it is probable 

 that the number of persons in attendance at each of the institutes held 

 during the stormy period was from 500 to 1,200 less than would have been 

 recorded as present had the weather been reasonably pleasant. 



The institutes in nearl)^ all of the counties have been unusually good. 

 In a few cases sufficient care was not given to the selection of a secretary 

 and other officers and it was difficult to perfect the arrangements for the 

 meetings. Last year institutes were held, in seventy-three counties and 

 in 1904-05 the number of counties in which one or more institutes were 

 held was the same. For various reasons no institutes were held in Bay, 

 Houghton, Montmorency and Oscoda counties but the organizations have 

 been kept up and meetings will probably be arranged for the coming year. 

 The following counties organized institute societies and held one or more 

 institutes during the season: Dickinson, Delta, Luce and Missaukee. 



The county institute societies have been maintained and have proved of 

 great service in arranging and conducting the institutes. All of the local 

 arrangements have been cared for by the executive officers. At the present 

 time there are county organizations in all of the counties in the Lower 

 Peninsula except Roscommon, and there are county societies in nine coun- 

 ties of the Upper Peninsula, in eight of which institutes were held during 

 the last year. 



Within the year 200 one-day institutes "were held. A large number of 

 the counties asked for a considerable increase in the number of these meet- 

 ings, but in order to bring the expenses within the appropriation, it was 

 necessary to reduce the number even below that granted in 1903-04. Tlie 



