31 



to the nu'thod of computing attendants apprDved l.y the Aiiierican Association of 

 Farniersi' Institute Workers. 



The State expenditure for tlie institute work was i?10,t)00. It is assumed that tlie 

 several localities where meetiuL's were held ad<led ahout S-',G0(1 to the al)ove-named 

 sum. Of State funds >;2o was apportioned to varh county to helj) in meetiufj; the 

 local expenses incurred in holdiuii the institutes scheduled l>y the State superintend- 

 ent. The halance of the apporti()nment was used in paying the per diem and trav- 

 eliiiij expenses of speakers holding an annual conference and in meeting the expenses 

 of the general ofh(;e. 



The numher of assigned speakers was 47. It is presumed that at least as many 

 local workers a.«sisted in rendering the programme at the several nu-etings. 



There is no uniform rule as to the proportion of assigned and local speakers, 

 although the State sui)erinten«lent recommends that a])out half the time he given to 

 local speakers. In some places local si)eakers are not assigned any place on the pro- 

 granmie, hut join informally in discussingthe suhjects presented by assigned speakers. 



Practically every county now has an organization county-wide in extent. Early 

 in the spring this "organization, through its ofticers, who represent the several town- 

 ships, suggests to the State sui)erintendent, upon his request, dates and places for 

 meetings and suhjects for assigned sj)eakers for the ensuing year. With this informa- 

 tion the State superintendent arranges the schedule of meetings and ].ul>iishes the 

 same ahout two months prior to the opening of the institute season in November. 



The State superintendent assigns two speakers to each two-day meeting and one 

 speaker to each one-day winter meeting. Extra speakers are sometimes assigned to 

 discuss special subjects. 



The several institutes scheduled are prepared for and conducted by the county 

 chairmen in their respective counties. 



In addition to serving as lecturers, the speakers are authorized to assist and advise 

 the county chairmen in such other ways as may be deemed necessary for the good 

 of the work. 



An othcial rejiort of each institute, giving attendance, method of advertising the 

 meeting, and other information, is made to the State superintendent by the secre- 

 tarv and bv each speaker. 



Each autunm, al)out six weeks before the opening of the institute season, an 

 annual conference is held for the purjiose of preparing county chairmen and speakers 

 for the meetings to follow. 



The only strictly new line of work taken up the past year was the holding of sum- 

 mer institutes e.speciallv for farmers' wives and children. As before stated, 31 

 meetings were held in .tune and July. A domestic-sc-ience instructor, by request, 

 attended all of these meetings. ( )ver half the meetings were attended, upon retiuest, 

 by a practical poultrvman. These meetings ranged in attendance from less than 25 

 to 200 or more. The summer audiences were made up largely of women, but there 

 was a liberal sprinkling of children and a small jiroportion of men at most of the 

 meetings. This work has proved popular, and will be continued if funds will 

 permit. 



KENTUCKY. 



By Hubert Vreeland, Frankfort. 



Institute w ork being practically an innovation in Kentucky, we have proceeded in 

 a different manner from that employed by many of the States that have been holding 

 institutes for many years. The farmers of the State were ignorant as to the nature of 

 institute work, and it was realized that to attempt to hold a large number of meetings 

 throughout the State with two or three lecturers would prove a failure until the farmers 

 had come into svmpathv with the movement. The commissioner of agriculture, who 

 is the director of farmers' institutes in this State, decided to hold a number of large 

 county institutes in various sections of the State, in order to arouse the interest of the 

 farmers and acquaint them with the nature of the work. As high as seven lecturers 

 were employed for one institute, and they were of such a nature as to attract the atten- 

 tion of all of the surrounding counties. " The result is that such an interest has been 

 created throughout the State" that all of the counties are now clamoring for institutes. 

 Beginning the 1st of January the forces will be divided, and an effort will be made to 

 hold an institute in every county in the State each year. 



Last year the department conducted only 24 institutes, Ixit these were all conducted 

 on a large scale and were usually held at the county seats. A number of small insti- 

 tutes were held at different precincts in the various counties. In addition to this the 

 commissioner conducted an alfalfa and corn special over the State, and lectures were 

 delivered at 73 points along the route. From one to three lectures were delivered at 



