41 



It is well known that the agriculture of New York is more varied than that of any 

 other 8tate, and that our people are engaged in more lines of special work than most 

 others. Consetiuently it is almost inipossil)le for us to follow the system of some 

 other States of sending a given nund)er of speakers out who are kept together from 

 the beginning of the season to the close. To meet the conditions as they exist and 

 have only live, up-to-date subjects iliscussed in each community, we find it necessary 

 to vary the (!orps somewhat, although the conductor in each series of meetings usually 

 remains the same. 



Our special poultry institutes, special horticultural institutes, and special bee- 

 keepers' meetings are increasing in attendance and interest each year. The success 

 of this class of work has brought us to the point of holiling a special sugar-beet grow- 

 ers' meeting, where the advantages of various sorts of seed and methods of cultiva- 

 tion and fertilization will be discussed; also of having special potato and alfalfa 

 growers' meetings. All these special meetings are increasing in attendance and inter- 

 est each year, and are among the most profitaljle features of our work. 



On the" whole. New York State's institutes have never been more popular than they 

 are at the present time, and four times as many meetings were asked for the winter 

 1905-6 as can be held. 



NORTH CAROLIN.\. 

 By T.MT BtTLEK, Raleigh. 



During 1905 the North Carolina State department of agriculture has held 81 farm- 

 ers' institutes in 7S counties of the State, at which about 1H,000 farmers were present. 

 This is a much larger nundjcr of institutes tlian held during any previous year. On 

 the whole these institutes have been fairly well attended, and in sections where 

 institutes were held last year a marked increase in interest and attendance was usually 

 apparent. 



The amount of monev expended for farmers' institutes in North Carolina during 

 1905 was about !r2,000. " This is exclusive of advertising, printing annual report of 

 30,000 copies, salary of acting tlirector, and salaries of the workers in the State depart- 

 ment ( f agriculture, agricultural college, and exjyeriment station, from which sources 

 were drawn the greater number of the regular institute lecturers. 



The number of institute speakers employed was about twenty, exclusive of those 

 supplied by the local committees. Most of the work was done by the regular work- 

 ers in the State department of agriculture, but some assistance was received from the 

 agricultural college, experiment station, and Ignited States Department of Agricul- 

 ture. There were also employed several farmers within the State, and in addition 

 the services of two lecturers from outside the State were obtained. 



During 1905 in every instance where there existed sufficient interest to secure the 

 active cooperation of a local committee of arrangements a very successful institute 

 was held. In fact the experience of 1905 more than ever before shows clearly the 

 necessity for local farmers' institute organizations to cooperate with and assist the 

 general institute director. To properly advertise and arrange satisfactory programmes 

 for and arouse an interest in these meetings active local cooperation is with us an 

 absolute necessity. Wherever such a committee had been previously secured the 

 institutes this year were well attended, the interest manifested was intense, and the 

 demand for a continuation and enlargement of the work very apparent. Recogniz- 

 ing the fact that without the active assistance of the farmers themselves the institute 

 work could never be properly conducted nor reach that development which its 

 importance demands, considerable effort has been made to secure as many county 

 farmers' institute committees as possible. Up to this time such institute committees 

 have been organized in 77 counties, and within the next six months it is expected to 

 complete the organization of the whole State by securing similar committees in the 

 remaining 20 counties. 



A list of the leading farmers, numbering from 200 to 500 in each county, was 

 obtained through the justices of the peace in each township, and to each of these 

 farmers was sent a circular letter and a copy of the programme of the nearest insti- 

 tute. In addition posters advertising the institutes were sent to each post-office and 

 country store in each county and a copy of the programme published in the local 

 and county papers. Schedules giving location and dates of all institutes were pub- 

 lished in the leading daily, agricultural, and other State papers. 



No especially new lines of work have been introduced in the sense in which I 

 interpret the same suggested by our secretary. However, the advancement in insti- 

 tute work in North Carolina has been very great during 1905, but has consisted 

 chiefly in extending and perfecting the organization and work along the old lines 



