49 



control, but such control would call for largely increased appropriations and might 

 possibly also result in a falling off of interest by offending the conservatism of the 

 farmers who have a sturdy independence which calls for a large voice in the manage- 

 ment of all matters connected witii their interests. 



MICHIGAN. 



The farmers' institute movement started in Michigan in 1875, as a result of con- 

 ference of members of the faculty of the Michigan Agricultural College. President 

 T. C. Abbot, Robert C. Kedzie, W. J. Beal, A. J. Cook, and R. C. Carpenter were 

 among those present. Believing that it would be to the interest both of the college 

 and of the farmers to establish closer relations and to come together for the discussion 

 of topics of mutual interest, a request was made of the State board of agriculture for an 

 appropriation to pay for the expenses of such a series of meetings. The appropriation 

 was granted and the first meetings were held at Allegan and Romeo in January, 1876. 



The speakei"s were supplied from the faculty of the college, and the attendance and 

 interest were so satisfactory that similar meetings have been held each year since that 

 date. For some twelve years the number of regular institutes numbered only six 

 annually, and each member of the college faculty was expected to attend two institutes. 

 The calls for institutes increased until it was determined to hold a larger number each 

 year, and about 1891 the number was increased to twenty-two. Previous to that time 

 the work of arranging institutes has been attended to by the secretary of the college 

 and by members of the faculty. The preliminary correspondence was carried on by 

 the secretary, and after the places for the meetings had been determined each of the 

 institutes was placed in the hands of a member of the college faculty, whose duty it 

 became to "work up" the meeting. As a rule, the places were visited, and at a pre- 

 liminary meeting a local committee was appointed to take charge of the arrangements 

 for the meeting. Topics were selected for the State speakers, and local talent enlisted 

 to furnish one or more papers for each session, as well as music and recitations. The 

 conductor also looked after the itinerary of the State speakers and saw that hotel 

 accommodations were secured and that proper local arrangements were made. 



When the number of institutes was increased the general charge of the work was 

 placed in the hands of A. C. Glidden, who was at the time a member of the State 

 board of agriculture. The interest in institute work increased until in 1895 the State 

 made an appropriation of $5,000 annually for farmers' institutes, and the State board of 

 agriculture deemed it wise to appoint a special superintendent of institutes and selected 

 Kenyon L. Butterfield for the purpose. Mr. Butterfield was also given charge of the 

 college-extension work and advertising. The law under which the appropriation was 

 made provided that a two-day institute should be held in each of the counties which 

 requested one and which organized an institute society. It also gave the board of 

 agriculture authority to hold a number of one-day institutes. As originally past, the 

 law provided that in case a county institute society did not care to accept the 

 speakers furnished by the board of agriculture an allowance of |25 should be made for 

 the payment of the expenses of an institute to be held in the county. This was 

 repealed hj the next legislature, however, and at the present time only the per diem 

 and traveling expenses of the State speakers who attend the institutes are paid. 



WTien the number of institutes was increased, the faculty of the college was no 

 longer able to carry on the institute work without assistance, especially as in 1895, the 

 college year, which previously provided for a winter vacation, was changed so that the 

 long vacation came in the summer. It therefore became necessary to secure a con- 

 siderable number of speakers in addition to the assistance that could be furnished by 

 the members of the faculty. For the most part, the speakers chosen were successful 

 farmers and fruit growers. In order that he might be sure that the speakers carried 

 out in practise what they advocated in their addresses, the superintendent visited 



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