8 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



for them and with these helps in their work many practical 

 farmers have become most effective speakers at our Institutes^ 



At a recent annual meeting of this Board at which wa 

 a large attendance of representative farmers of Connecticut, 

 one of the speakers asked the audience how many of them 

 read the bulletins they received, and the number of hands 

 that went up in the affirmative was so great as to create 

 instant applause. 



Since the organization of this Board in 1866, there have 

 been formed the Pomological Society, The Dairymen's, To- 

 bacco Growers', Sheep Breeders', Bee Keepers', and Poultry- 

 men's Associations, each independent of all the others, and 

 most of them receiving generous appropriations from the 

 state for the promotion of their special interests, by such 

 means as they may deem best. 



Between these organizations and this Board the utmost 

 harmony has prevailed and institutes have been held either 

 separately or in connection with each of them in many parts 

 of the state, but the system or lack of it at present existing, 

 it is believed, can be greatly improved and plans are now 

 being formulated to bring all the organizations receiving 

 state aid into closer touch in institute work. 



The number of institutes held and the general attend- 

 ance the past year has been fully up to the average, and in 

 some subjects, notably seed selection and poultry raising, 

 unusual interest has been manifested. 



Mr. Shamel of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, has 

 spoken at many institutes in the tobacco belt, and so clearly 

 demonstrated the value of selected seed for this most im- 

 portant crop that many growers are following his sugges- 

 tions, and Mr. East of the Connecticut Experiment Station 

 is doing similar work to improve the corn crop. 



While our farmers are proverbially and of necessity con- 

 servative, they are quick to accept and adopt new methods 

 when their advantages have been clearly demonstrated, but 

 they have little use for the speakers who are more anxious 

 to exploit themselves than the interests of improved agri- 

 culture. 



