33 



fruit and truck lectures, and resulted in the organization of a number of additional 

 fair asisociations for the i)urpose of holding more and better fairs', l)ut only three were 

 held, owing to the prevailing ciuarantine restrictions. There is an awakening inter- 

 est and growing demand for fiurs, winch thi^ department is fostering and encouraging 

 with the desire to have parish and district fairs throughout the State, and eventually 

 a State fair. 



The legislature appropriates $2,000 per annum for institute work, but this amount 

 is totally inadequate, and but for the cooperation of the Louisiana State I'niversity 

 and Agricultural an<l Mechanical College and the experiment stations (which sup- 

 ply us with the greater part of our lecturing force), the joint assistance of the rail- 

 roads, and the farmers' organizations the results would be very unsatisfactory. As 

 it is we liave been able to keep pace with the constant and growing demand for insti- 

 tutes, and liave every reason to believe that much good is derived by the farmers 

 from the work. 



MARYLAND. 

 By \V. 1j. A.MO.SS, Benson. 



Not having reported at our last meeting in an orderly manner I will endeavor to 

 cover the two seasons with this rejiort. 



There has been no lag<:ing of interest on the part of patrons in our work; on the 

 contrary it is a pleasure to rejwrt a healthy growth and evident appreciation of bene- 

 fits derived by attending the institutes. By re<iuest, from year to year, the names of 

 the working and progressive farmers of the State are being added to the mailing 

 lists. We l^elieve in growth in nunduTs of our audience. There is a limit beyond 

 which there will be no increase, l)Ut in value to him seeking knowledge the work 

 has no bounds. It has been and it is our constant effort to establish a feeling of 

 confidence between the worker iu the laboratory and the worker in the field, to their 

 nuitual benefit. No time nor expense has been spared to study new theories and 

 new facts before permitting them to be disseminated among our husbandmen. 



Preparatory to proclaiming that the efforts of the National and State department 

 are working a revolution in crop production, a delegation composed of selected men 

 from counties on tlie Eastern Shore and southern Maryland were invited to visit 

 farms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where probably the best demon.stration 

 could be seen of progressive agriculture and dairying in particular. These representa- 

 tives read reports at the institutes in their respective counties during the season fol- 

 lowing, while during the season of 1904-5 these advanced farmers who were visited 

 came to our State to tell how by ceaseless energy and constant study of bulletins 

 issued by experiment stations they had succeeded. This method of preparing local 

 men to do institute work has been conducted with the best results. It sets aside 

 prejudice, for seeing is believing. It inspires confidence, for it leaves no doubt in 

 the mind of anyone that the department is in earnest and will not promulgate what 

 has not been tried. 



The new and important task assigned the director to collect and install an agricul- 

 tural exhibit for the ^Maryland commissioners to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition 

 at St. Louis kept him actively engaged until December 15, 1904, when the work of 

 organizing the institute season of 1904-5 was taken up and prosecuted in accord with 

 the bill creating the department, with few if any variations from the past. We are 

 required to give one institute in each county. Following the institute season, or the 

 middle of March, some novel institute work was taken up at the suggestion of 

 Director Patterson, of our experiment station, supported by our governor and an inter- 

 ested citizen. Trains of cars were placed at our disposal on the Maryland and Penn- 

 sylvania and Western Maryland roads for the purpose of taking to the farmers infor- 

 mation on selecting and testing seed corn, after the manner previously advised at the 

 special corn institutes attended by Prof. A. D. Shamel, season of 1903. This work 

 was a pronounced success, and suggests a better method of meeting farmers for some 

 branches of work than any tried before. 



It is a pleasure to report that domestic-science work, brought to the attention of 

 patrons and school superintendents by this department, through the energy of Miss 

 Emma S. Jacobs, supernitendent of cooking schools of the District of Columbia, has 

 been adopted by the school board of Baltimore- County. A teacher has been 

 employed and twelve schools are being instructed, one among the colored people. 



During the season of 1897-98 this department endeavored to introduce nature study 

 in the public schools, through the work of Mr. George P. Powell, Prof. S. B. Heiges, 

 and others. In connection with this work it has turned its attention to the teaching of 

 agriculture in the public schools. At the request of Superintendent Simpson, of Car- 

 roll County, Prof. Charles T. Goodrich, author of First Book on Farming, has been 



19983— No. 165—06 3 



