62 



111-oblem before us is how we can reach more people, how we can get at the 

 young peo])le. As I have said, we look upon the soc-retary as the chief officer in 

 the county, and we do not want to '^•iiang" him from year to year: we want to 

 keep the same man ;it that work, a umn wlio becomes famili.ir with the forms 

 we require him to lill out. He studies the matter of advertising, and in that 

 way is of great assistance to the superintendent. We generally find that as 

 soon as the secretary is changed the work is apt to lag for a year or two, until 

 the new secretary gets iinld of the ropes. 



"At the meeting for tlie selection of officers the directors select the places at 

 which they wish meetings held during ihe following institute season, both where 

 the regular metings are to lie hold juid the supitlementary meetings. We hold 

 two series of meetings in caili county. The first series we call the regular 

 meetings. Each county is allowed two of these meetings, and the department 

 undertakes to pay the sjieakers' tra\eling exjienses and everything excei)t the 

 advertising for those two meetings. For the four supplementary meetings we 

 undertake to pay the wages of the sjieaker, while the local institute pays the 

 traveling exjienses. Any additional meetings are paid for entirely I)y the local 

 organization. Some of these local organizations hold as many as twenty meet 

 ings during the year in an electoral district. 



" The way in which these local institutes are enabled to do this is this : 

 They charge 25 cents memliership fee for every person who joins tlie institute. 

 They are given a Government grant of ^'2~>. and they get a grant from their 

 county council of ^'27>. The Government grant is given to tlicm on condition 

 that they get the $1'.") from the county. 



"And another method which they have of raising money is running excur- 

 sions to our agricultural college and experimental farm. A great many of 

 the counties get special rates from the railroads and run an (excursion there, 

 and some of them make as higli as ^l.jO, or ."fl'oo, or $!.'."»») out of their day's 

 excursion, and they u.se that money for their local work. 



" I can not impress upon you too strongly the importance of li.iving good mem- 

 bers of the Iioard of directors. They are useful in many ways, lint especially 

 in assisting in tlie local advertising. 



"If a meeting which has been arranged and advcM'fised has to lie canceled 

 on account of bad weather or sickness of the sjieaker or for any other cause, 

 these local men are there and they will arrange for a meeting in two or three 

 weeks, advertise it among themselves, and hurry it on, and probably have just 

 as successful a meeting as otherwise would have lieen the case. They arrange 

 for speakers themselves, through their own secretary, and carry on tliis meeting 

 independent of the dejiartment at Toronto, although they are required to report 

 and to superintend all meetings which have been held. 



"They also hold seed fairs, which are a very good feature. 



"As regards judging competitions. I \\ isli to enijiliasize the fact that you mu.st 

 be very careful in arranging for fliem or you :ire apt to create local jealousies. 

 It is much better to .get all the stock wliich you are going to use at a judging 

 competition from one iier.son and ha^'e a competent person to point out the good 

 and the li.id points of the different cattle in the exhibition, and, if possible, get 

 a nundter of volunteers from the audience to enter the competition as judges. 

 After they have expressed their judgment they are interested in it and are 

 anxious to see what tlie man in ch.irge of tlie class will point out in the way of 

 any mistakes that may have been made. 



" I think also that a f(>ature in connection with this work which should prove 

 very beneficial is the holding of monthly meetings during the winter month.s. 

 I would not advise it during the smnmer months. Iiut during the winter I think 

 we can well furnish work for the various townships. 



