42 



The int'thods employed at present in this State are somewhat different from those of 

 many iilhcr Slates. There is no such thing as a "State farmers' institute" in Ken- 

 lucky. The method of organization l)egins with the county club, which is organized 

 under rules laid down by the department of agriculture. No club is recognized with 

 a membership of less than 20, and after its organization the secretary is required to lile 

 a list of all of the officers and members of the club with this bureau. A State lecturer 

 and organizer is constantly engagedjn forming these clubs. After their organization 

 he explains what is expected of the club and suggests a line of work for it. The club 

 is then in a position to apply for a date for a farmers' institute. It becomes the duty 

 of the club to make out its own local program, sample programs having been furnished 

 by the bureau at Frankfort. This is in order to arouse local interest thruout the com- 

 munity and to bring out and develop local talent. After the local speakers have been 

 assigned the program is forwarded to the State commissioner of agriculture, who adds 

 such other lecturers as he wishes. The experiment station at Lexington aims to send 

 one or more representatives to each institute, and as their lectures are thoroly practical 

 as well as scientific they are appreciated by the farmers and their questions and dis- 

 cussion of the points presented are always interesting and instructive. 



For the first time in the history of the department an effort will be made the coming 

 year (1905) to hold meetings in series, using as far as practicable the same corps of 

 special lecturers in each serie^. The State is much in need of more institutes and is 

 ■prepared to give greater attention to their development than has been done hereto- 

 fore. Many farmers are loth to give up antiquated ideas of farming and hesitate about 

 trying new crops even when it is clear that the old crops do not pay, and are slow to 

 take up new and scientific methods notwithstanding the fact that the old methods have 

 proved failures. 



While farmers' institute work in this State is comparatively new, the citizens are 

 o-radually becoming interested. One noticeable feature is the willingness on the part 

 of the farmers to take an active part in the meetings. Where a few years ago it was 

 difficult to secure local lecturers there now is not a county in the State where a farmers' 

 club has been organized and where the farmers have learned the value of cooperating 

 with the department of agriculture, in which there is experienced any difficulty in 

 securing persons to read papers or make extemporaneous talks at the institutes. 



LOUISIANA. 



The first successful effort to organize farmers' institutes in Louisiana was made 

 immediately after the creation of the board of institute managers, December 10, 189(). 

 In a report of the bureau of agriculture for December, 1896, the commissioner states: 



At a recent meeting of the bureau of agriculture and immigration it was determined 

 to inaugurate during the year an active system of farmers' institutes. Thomas D. 

 Boyd, president of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical 

 College; W. C. Stubbs, director of the Louisiana expetiment stations, and J. G. Lee. 

 commissioner of agriculture and immigration, are named as the lioard of institute 

 managers, the commissioner being named as institute conductor. 



During the following year (1897) 27 institutes were held thruout the parishes of 

 southwest and north Louisiana. These institutes, altho the first ever held in the 

 State, were well received, and much interest was manifested, as is shown by the 

 attendance which amounted to something over 3,000 that year. The teaching in 

 the institutes was performed ])y a corps of experienced instructors drawn from the 

 University and the Agricultural and Mechancial College, and from the State experi- 

 ment stations, assisted by some of the most successful farmers. There were also a 

 number of lecturers from other States. 



The meetings were strictly agricultural, th(> papers and discussions being confined 

 as far as possible to matters relating directly to the interests of farming people. The 

 work thus begun under most encouraging and favorable auspices promised from its 



