20 



of importance to those in whose interest the convention was called. Among the topics 

 discust at this meeting were economical distribution of water, farming in Ai'izona, 

 cattle feeding, alkali, citrus fruits in the Salt River Valley, etc. 



A similar meeting was held Octol^er 21 and 22, 1898, in Phoenix, and in 1899 eight 

 farmers' institute meetings were held— two at Mesa City and one at each of the following 

 places: Tempe, Buckeye, Glendale, Sa.^ord, Thatcher, and Pima. These institutes 

 were organized and conducted by the staff of the agricultural experiment station, who 

 lectm-ed at the meetings and bore so much of the expenses as was connected with the 

 payment of the lectm'ers and their transportation to and from the several points. 



Institute meetings were held each year thereafter, being conducted under the direc- 

 tion of the University of Arizona. Until 1903 the entire expense attendant upon this 

 work was borne by the university and the agi'icultural experiment station. In 1903 the 

 legislative assembly passed an act providing for the establishment of "farmers' insti- 

 tutes, and short courses of instruction " thruout the Territory and appropriated the sum 

 of $2,700 for the pm'pose of meeting the expenses. The law places the control of the insti- 

 tutes in the hands of the board of regents of the university. 



The institute work for the year 1904 consisted of three weeks of lectures at Thatcher 

 Academy, Thatcher, Ariz., on subjects relating to soils, irrigation, alkali, priming of 

 fruit trees, plant lice, plant diseases, dairying, and feeding. There was an average 

 attendance of about forty persons at each meeting and the lectures were by two members 

 of the experiment station staff, who averaged two hours a day for fourteen days. The 

 direction of the institute work has been placed, by the regents of the miiversity, in the 

 hands of the director of the agricultin-al experiment station. 



ARKANSAS. 



Farmers' institutes have not laeen organized in Arkansas. 



CALIFORNIA. 



From the establishment of the university in 1868 the members of the teaching staff of 

 the college of agriculture participated in the proceedings of societies and conventions 

 devoted to agricultural progress and the dissemination of agi-icultural information. 

 Such association with practical agriculturists secured important results. It brought the 

 institution and its purposes directly to the attention of those whom it aims to benefit and 

 won their interest and support; it assisted the members of the college staff by increasing 

 their knowledge of agricultural conditions and needs; it also, to some extent at least, 

 gave the staff opportunity to observe the natmal resources and characteristics of the 

 State. Since, therefore, all possible participation in agricultural assemblies had been 

 gladly undertaken, an opportunity for freer intercourse with the people in their local 

 meetings was welcomed. This opportunity arose with the request frgm the California 

 State Grange, addrest to the regents of the university, that farmers' institutes be 

 undertaken under the auspices of the University of California, and the regents deemed 

 it fitting to undertake an extension of the instructional work of the college of agricul- 

 tine through the farmers' institute method. This action was taken by the regents in 

 March, 1891; the beginning of institute work under that name in California was in April, 

 of that year, and E. J. Wickson of the university was placed in charge of the work in 

 addition to his duties as instructor in agricultm-al practice. 



It was decided by the regents of the university at the inception of the work that the 

 institute effort should be directed to those parts of the State where gi-eatest interest was 

 manifested and widest cooperation possible. During 1894 and 1895 these points were 

 clearly in southern California, and, to specially minister to and to promote this interest, 

 A. J. Cook, of Pomona College, Claremont, Los Angeles County, was designated by the 

 regents as university representative in farmers' institute work in southern California. 



During 1896-97 farmers' institute woik was prosecuted with more vigor and to a 

 greater extent than previously, and the responsive welcome from the people in all parts 



