43 



Our total meetings, lioth ajrrieultural and tliose attendiii": tlic dairy school, average 

 45 at each meeting, which I tliink i:^ very good. 



About six speakers have been employed at different times witii our agricultural 

 meetings, usually two together, and the total amount expended, including the dairy 

 school, amounts to about $4,0(10. The geniTal plan is to arrange meetings by send- 

 ing out posters lo the secretaries of agricultural societies. The route and date are 

 Hxed at this office and the secretaries j)Ut up the posters and arrange for the hall. I 

 do not know that there will lie much change in this line <>f work. The new agricul- 

 tural college at Truro is now ojjen, and these meetings will be continued largely by 

 members of the staff and others. 



OHIO. 

 l'>y ^^■. \V. Miller, Cohimbuf>. 



Just twenty-five years ago the ()hi(j State board of agriculture began the work of 

 holding farmers' institutes. An api)roj)riation of Sl,()Oo was made from the earnings 

 of the State fair, and 27 institutes were held iluring the winter »i 1880-81. The 

 results were so encouraging that the work was ]>rovided for and carried on by the 

 board for ten years, and during that period 45.3 institutes were held under its 

 auspices. The faculty of the Ohio State I'niversity and the staff of the Ohio Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station rendered valuable .■^ervii-e to the cause during its experi- 

 mental stage. In ISiH) the general as.'^end)ly, recognizing the value of the work, 

 passed an act jiroviding for the organization and sujiport of farmers' institute socie- 

 ties. Since that time H,070 two-tlay institutes of tive se.>^sions each have Ix-'en held 

 under the management of the board, or a total of H, 140 days and 15, 3.50 .sessions. 



Last year there were .31(5 apjilications for in.stitutes, but with the funds at the dis- 

 posal of the board but 243 coidd be granted. The work began December 5, 1904, 

 and closed February 25, 1905. From 18 to 27 two-day institutes were held each 

 week, making a total of 48(5 days and 1,215 sessions; all of them held five sessions 

 and many of them six. The t(jtal average attendance was 80,.5(:8, or an average 

 attendance at each institute, including all sessions, of 331. In addition to these 

 regular institutes a large number of indep(.'ndent meetings were held, 38 of which 

 fo .-warded reports to the department of agriculture showing a total average attendance 

 of 12,085. 



The department of agriculture receives from the counties of the State §8,375 annu- 

 ally for the payment of ])er diem and expenses of speakers, and the institutes receive 

 an equal amount for local expenses. 



The importance of local organization in this work has always been emphasized by 

 the Ohio State board of agriculture, and the responsibility of making up programme, 

 advertising, etc., has Ijeen i>laced upon each society, it being required that local 

 talent" occupy at least a part of the time of each session. In this way a personal 

 interest in the success of the work is secured. I send to theotticers of the institutes, 

 at the earliest possible date, copies of the Institute Bulletin, which contains names of 

 speakers and their topics, institutes to be held, with dates and speakers assigned. 

 On receipt of this information the officers of local societies are expected to make all 

 the necessary arrangements for holding the institutes, and as a rule they are very 

 successful. All of the eighty-eight counties in the State have local institute' organiza- 

 tions, and from one to four institutes are held in each county, with an average of 

 nearly three to each. 



The speakers emi)loyed by the board are all practical farmers. Some of them are 

 graduates of the agricultural college, Ohio State University, and some have taken 

 special training at the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station. The professors of the 

 agricultural college and the staff of the agricultural experiment station do no regular 

 work now on the institute force, but they do supplement the work of the State lec- 

 turers whenever their engagements will permit. 



What is generally termed a round-up we call "the State farmers' institute." The 

 first one was held in Columbus, January 11, 1887, and a two-day State institute 

 has been held in the statehouse every year since. It is largely attended by insti- 

 tute workers, farmers, stock breeders, horticulturists, etc. An effort is always made 

 to secure specialists on the various subjects con.sidered. 



^ The farmers' institute has come to Ohio to stay. That the agriculturists of the 

 State have learned its value as an educator is shown not only by large attendance, 

 but also by active participation in the work and an earnest desire to have the number 

 of institutes increased each vear. 



