36 



(8) to arouse a deeper and more intelligent interest in the improvement nf ihc niral 

 home, the rural schools, and the rural highways as means for agricultural improve- 

 ment and progress. 



In August, 190] , a women's conference was held at the university. As a result of 

 this conference women's auxiliaries to the farmers' institutes have been organized 

 in a number of counties. In several of the counties these auxilialies held inde- 

 pendent sessions for home makers usually at the time of the annual institutes. In 

 other cases these auxiliaries took charge of one or more sessions of the regular institute. 



Exhibits of culinary, dairy, and cereal products are becoming increasingly common 

 features of the farmers' institutes. When properly conducted these exhibits have 

 been made educational in character and added greatly to the interest. 



At the institute conference held in 1904 the question of interesting and enlisting 

 the young folks of the farm in the institute work received earnest consideration. 

 Systematic measures are now on foot in several counties of the State to awaken an 

 abiding interest on the part of the young people in the institute work. One method 

 that has been adopted is the awarding of prizes to young people for exhibits of products 

 grown or made by them, these exhibits to be made first at the county fair and later at 

 the institute the following winter. 



The support rendered to the institute work by Purdue University is deserving of 

 special mention. The president of the university has served as chairman of the joint 

 committee on institutes during the entire period since the work has been placed in 

 charge of the institution, and the director of the experiment station has also served 

 as a member of the committee. The bills presented against the institute fund by 

 county chairman and institute speakers, aggregating several thousand dollars each 

 year, have been registered and audited by the officers of the university free of charge. 

 In addition to this all the members of the agricultural faculty and several of the 

 general faculty of the university have attended a large number of the institutes and 

 taken an active part, making no charge whatever for their services, altho their 

 duties have been materially increased by this gratuitous work. 



The local expenses of the meetings are met by an appropriation of $25, which is appor- 

 tioned to each county for this purpose. In addition to this, two speakers are assigned by 

 the State whose expenses are met by the general committee. About $1,000 has been 

 annually expended upon the several district institutes and in holding the annual con- 

 ference of institute officers and workers. The balance of the institute fund is used to pay 

 the salaries of the superintendent and clerks, and to defray the expenses of the superin- 

 tendent's office, including postage, printing, stationery, traveling expenses, etc. 



Some of the results of the institute work are more intelligent and better care of the soil; 

 greater attention to prevent the introduction of noxious weeds; better culture of crops; 

 increased area devoted to clover and leguminous crops; improvement in seed corn; 

 better kept farms; improvement in live stock; greater interest in dairying and horticul- 

 ture; greater interest and pride in the calling of the farmer; improvement of the rural 

 highways; improvement of rural schools; improvement in home reading; higher appre- 

 ciation of the natural advantages of Indiana as an agricultural State; and a greater rec- 

 ognition of the necessity and value of agricultural education as a means of continued 

 progress in agriculture. 



IOWA. 



In the winter of 1870-71 a numljcr of farmers' institutes were held in Iowa, organized 

 l)y Dr. A. S. Welsh, the president of the Iowa Agricultural College. Among those who 

 were lecturers at these institutes were President Welsh, Professors Jones, Matthews 

 Bessey and Berry, of the faculty of the college. These were the first farmers' institutes 

 held in the State. 



