82 



provide a basis for the discussion of the question of organization in institute work 

 and of the form that Avill best serve to accomplish the objects which the institute 

 has been created to secure. 



Although the system sugeested is not in operation in all of its details in any single 

 State, nevertheless every feature has been tested by actual experience and has been 

 successfully applied by institute workers. 



The form of organization projiosed provides in general for — 



(1) A central board of control for the State, acting through an executive officer or 

 State director. 



(2) An organization in each county acting through a secretary who is an agri- 

 cultural expert. 



(3) Town.«hip organizations subordinate to the county institute society and acting 

 through their several secretaries. 



(4) School district clubs composed of families organized by the county and tow"n- 

 ship societies, and holding their meetings at each other's homes. 



(5) For nonpartisan control, and for continuous and adequate supi:)ort. 



FORM OF AN ACT OF ASSEMBLY FOR THE CREATION OF A SYSTEM 

 OF FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



AN ACT Providing for the establishing of a system of farmers' institutes for the State and making 



appropriations for their .support. 



Section 1. Be it enacted, etc., That a board of administration of farmers' institutes 



is hereby established to l)e known under the name and style of the State 



Board of Farmers' Institute Directors. 



Sec. 2. Its purposes shall be to organize farmers' institutes in the several counties; 

 to furnish lecturers who shall give instruction in the institutes; to disseminate useful 

 agricultural information, and to aid in developing the agricultural resources of the 

 State. 



Sec. 3. The State board of farmers' institute directors shall consist of the president 

 of the board of regents or other governing board of the State agricultural college; 

 the director of the State experiment station; the dean of the faculty of the school of 

 agriculture in the State agricultural college; the president of the State board of agri- 

 culture, or in case no such or similar body exists in the State, then by the president 

 of the oldest incorporated State agricultural organization; the State secretary or com- 

 missioner of agriculture, and the State superintendent of public instruction, mem- 

 bers ex officio, and of four persons to serve for one year, elected by delegates from 

 county farmers' institute societies, all of whom shall serve without pay, except that 

 their actual and necessary traveling and hotel expenses incurred in attending the 

 annual convention, and the meetings of the board shall be paid by the treasurer of the 

 State upon presentation of properly certified itemized vouchers approved by the sec- 

 retary of the said board. The seven named ex officio members of the board'of direct- 

 ors shall be empowered immediately upon the passage of this act to organize tem- 

 porarily as a l)oard and exercise all of the powers and perform the duties set fctrth in 

 section IS of this act until the four elective members have been elected and qualified. 



COUNTY INSTITUTE SOCIETIES. 



Sec. 4. When twenty or more persons, over 21 years of age, residents of any county 



in this State, shall organize themselves into a society to be called the County 



Farmers' Institute Society, for the purj)ose of carrying out the objects of this act in 

 accordance Avith its provisions and in conformity with rules and regulations furnished 

 by the State board of farmer.^' institute directors, such society shall be deemed a 

 county institute society and a jtublic corporation of the State: Provided, That not 

 more than one such county iui^titute society in any county shall be created by this 

 act: And jjruridcd further, That no person shall be entitled to enrollment as a mem- 

 ber or to vote until he or she has signed the constitution of the society and has paid 



into the treasury of the society an initiation fee of $ , and each year thereafter for 



continuing membership the sum of $ annual dues. 



Sec. 5. The first meeting for the ])urpose of organizing a county farmers' institute 

 society shall be called l)y the State board of farmers' institute directors, to be held at 

 the county court-house of each county, respectively, upon such date as the State 

 board of farmers' institute directors may select, and each of the clerks of the courts 

 of common pleas of the several counties shall give notice of such meetings for organi- 

 zation in two newspapers in each county by two insertions, at least one week apart, 



