32 



oach point. :\Iore than 10,000 fanners wert' addressed in this way. The department 

 of agrienltiire has also oru'anized 45 farmers' chibs in the State, which clul)s will make 

 the local arranijeinents for institntes in the future. The institutes held last year 

 averajied !p70, but this will be considerably reduced next year. The department has 

 spent (hu-iuir the jiast year ft4,lS() in the" holding of farmers' institutes, organizing 

 farmers' chrbs, and conducting the alfalfa and corn special. Twenty speakers have 

 been employed at various times. 



The dei)artment has made it a rule to retpiire the various counties to form a per- 

 manent organization before a county institute is held, as it has been found that with 

 a good working l)ody of farmers it'is nmch easier to arouse the interest and hold a 

 successful institute.' When these clubs make application for an institute, they are 

 directed to arrange the local i)art (jf the iirogramme and to submit same t(j the com- 

 missioner, who adds the lecturers from a distance and returns the programme to the 

 club completed. The clubs are also directed to send in a list of the subjects that are 

 of })aramount importance in their particular community, and the lecturers are 

 secured accordingly. The ])roceedings of all institutes are ])ublished, and 10,000 

 copies are disseminated among the farmers. 



The only new line of work carried out was the conducting of the alfalfa and corn 

 si>ecial, which has done more to arouse the interest of the farmers and to inspire 

 them to grow l)etter (!roiis than anything that has ever been accomiilished along 

 agricultural lines in Kentucky. Prof. P. G. Holden, of Iowa, was the principal 

 lecturer on corn growing, and Joseph E. Wing, of Ohio, was the i>rincipal lecturer 

 on alfalfa. The trip of the special consumed nine days, and the train was welcomed 

 ever\\vhere by the farmers. Twenty tliousand booklets on alfalfa and c(jrn growing 

 were distril)uted along the route. 



The department will organize the local clubs into a State farmers' institute within 

 the next few months. 



LOUISIANA. 



By J. G. Lee, Baton Ixoiige. 



I have the honor to submit the following report of institute work done in my State 

 for the year ending, which, owing to the outbreak of fever, was severely handicapped 

 and materially curtailed on aecoimt of the quarantine restrictions that occurred when 

 our well-orgaiiized corps of institute workers had begun the regular suminer Avork. 

 Owing to the jirevailing conditions, these corps were called in, and the continuation of 

 the quarantine restrictions prevented any resumption of the work. Therefore we can 

 only present a partial report and tell of vvliat might have been done. In the begin- 

 ning of tlie year, during tlie months of January, February, and March, we placed a 

 competent corps of expert lecturers in the field who conducted a series of fruit and 

 truck institutes, twenty-two in nmnber, which resulted in increasing the fruit and 

 truck industry and greater diversification of crojis. At these institutes our lecturers 

 explained the methods of planting and cultivating fruit and truck, grafting, fertiliz- 

 iiiir, selecting, cuttin-r, an<l |)acking for the market; also the disposing of their prod- 

 uces to the best advantage. 1 may here say that these institutes encouraged increase 

 in the fruit and truck business, which is attracting the attention of our small farmers 

 in .several parts of the State who had formerly farmed on the one-crop i)lan. It is 

 likely, with the great advantages of many parts of our State where rajnd radroad 

 transportation exists, the fruit and truck industry will ])ecomean important factor in 

 the revenue of the State. Our institutes, notwithstanding the inclement weather 

 which sometimes prevails in the aforesaid months, were well attended, and many 

 intelligent and progressive farmers took jiart in the discussions and seemed anxious 

 to leani more of these important sulijects jiertaining to their welfare. 



There was also held at the beginning of the year, in cooperatii>n with the conuiiis- 

 sioner, the annual convention of the Louisiana Agricultural Society and Stock Breed- 

 ers' Association, at which stock raising and economit; agrii'ultural subjects were pre- 

 sented and discussed in an able manner by experienced and ])ractical lecturers and 

 succc'^sful laymen. Then, atrain. the fertilizer convention and State horticultural 

 society was lield, in which tlie institute lecturers took part and discussed matters 

 l)ertai"ning to field, farm, and orchard. Lectures were given in ten summer normal 

 schools for ]mV)lic school teachers. . ,. 



Summer institute work, as iireviouslv mentioned, was organized into three strong 

 corps, which wert" to have covered all parts of the State, but owing to the conditions 

 as exi)lained this work had to be abandoned. Twenty speakers and two lady lec- 

 turers in domestic science were secured for this work, and with the satisfactory 

 results from the previous year everything augmented a much more successful institute 

 work. The importance of more and Ijetter fairs was also taken up at the time of the 



