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MISSISSIPPI. 

 By J. C. Hardy, Arjriciilfiiral College. 



The number of meetings held in Mississippi ilurinj^ the past year was prob- 

 ably inoi'e than have been held during the entire history of the farmers' insti- 

 tute — ir,r». ;Money si)ent, .^rj.OOO. The first appropriation ever made was in 

 1900, $500; in 1002, $l,r)00 ; and this last January, $3,000 a year. Number of 

 speakers employed, 18. 



We have had no permanently organized institutes in our State until about two 

 years ago. This year we have undertaken to perfect the organization, and we 

 have done so, with the exception of the Delta, where we have never undertaken 

 to hold institutes, the Delta people believing purely in the negro and the mule, 

 and thinking that scientific agriculture can do them no good at the present stage. 

 ^Ye have located an experiment station in the Delta, however, and expect, with 

 the menace of the boll weevil threatening our people, that we can do some work 

 there and demonstrate that there is more possibility in the Delta than mere 

 King Cotton in the raw state. AYe have mapped the State out into districts — 

 the horticultural district, the dairy district, and the general agricultural district, 

 and so on — and sent speakers especially adapted for the different sections. 

 About three weeks is the time occiipied by each tour. In addition we have 

 what is called the country district and the river district. Through the country 

 district the institute staff generally go about six weeks, with two teams. 



What we have tried to push this year is bee keeping and poultry work, which 

 we expect to make prominent in the experiment station. Terracing has also 

 received much attention. Our people since the war have been given almost 

 entirely to cotton raising. As a result, our lands have been badly washed. We 

 have therefore been emphasizing the importance of reclaiming these lands by 

 means of controlling the water, by terracing, and otherwise. As a demonstra- 

 tion we actually terraced a man's field for him in some of our institute work. 

 We consider this a very practical method. 



We have just organized in our college industrial pedagogy, probably the first 

 course of the kind that has been organized, for the puri)ose of educating 

 our teachers in agriculture and manual training in our schools. We realize 

 that we nuist have trained teachers for this work. We also expect to hold a 

 naral school at the college for four weeks next year. 



MISSOURI. 

 By G. B. Ellis, Colmnbia. 



The farmers' institute work in Missouri is under the control of the State 

 board of agriculture, and the secretary of the board is the institute director. 

 We try not to be governed in our work in Missouri I)y any hard and fast rules, 

 but are trying to develop a system of farmers' institute work suited to our needs 

 by adopting the best methods we can borrow or that we can work out our- 

 selves, modified, of course, to suit our own local conditions. 



During the year ending .lune .30, 1004. we held 147 meetings, of which 141 

 were one-day, ;"* were two-day, and 1 three-day meeting. The total attendance 

 was 30,220. The institute .season began October 12 and ended April 2. The 

 appropriation for the year was $.5,000. out of which a little more than $1,000 

 was used for printing and part pay of the director's salary, liut to balance this 

 expense the clerical help is paid for out of other funds. We get no money from 

 any other source whatever. 



