55 



This Avius undoubtedly tho boginnins^ of a now ora for tho board, for from this time on 

 we find that its work was extendod and it came into favor witli tlic farmers of the State. 

 Under the authority of the above regulations the first regularly organized farmers' 

 institute meeting was held at Independence, Mo., on December 18 and 19, 1882. The 

 subjects discust at this meeting were small fruits, stock feeding, corn culture, the 

 double tree, butter production, farm experiments at the college farm, animal growth 

 and nutrition, sorglium as a source of sugar, and pork pointers. 



For the season of 1883-84 two meetings were held, and from that time on the num- 

 ber was yearly increased until during the .'«?ason of 1888-89 fourteen meetings were held. 

 These meetings were conducted by the secretary of the board of agriculture, assisted 

 by members of the board and successful farmers who could be induced to take part in 

 the work, and also members of the faculty of the agricultural college. No salaries were 

 paid the lecturers, but only traveling and hotel expenses, which expense was paid 

 out of the very small contingent fund of the board of agriculture. Up to this date the 

 largest amount of funds used in one year in institute work was about $500 expended 

 on the meetings for the season of 1888-89. The first appropriation made by the 

 legislature explicitly for use in institute work was during the session of 1891, and dur- 

 ing the same session the duties of the board of agriculture were greatly enlarged and 

 more liberal appropriations given than had hitherto been made for the support of the 

 board. The total appropriations, however, were yet very modest considering the 

 extent of territory and the scope of the work. The biennial appropriations made for 

 institute work from the first appropriation in 1891 until the present time are as follows: 

 1891-92, .$10,000; 1893-94, .$8,000; 1895-96, $6,000; 1897-98,16,000; 1899-1900, .$4,000; 

 1901-2, $8,000; 1903-4, $10,000. Total for fourteen years, $52,000. 



Out of the above appropriations all expenses for advertising, printing, postage, per 

 diem, and expenses of lecturers have been paid. 



That the work is making a reasonably good progress is shown l>y the following state- 

 ments for the sea.son of 1903-4. There were 147 meetings held with a total attendance 

 of 30,220. Twenty-eight lecturers were on the institute staff, 13 of whom were fur- 

 nished by the State agricultural college and whose expenses only were paid, while 15 

 others were employed at a stijiulated per diem and expenses. 



Thru all these years the progress has been slow but permanent. A great many 

 obstacles have been in the way. The greatest hindrance perhaps has been (1) a lack 

 of information among some of the farmers as to the real object of the institute work, and 

 (2) their prejudices against "book farming" caused, no doubt, by impracticable 

 methods advocated by some so-called agricultural writers and teachers. These hin- 

 drances, however, are no longer in our way, for thru the practical work that is being 

 done by the institute lecturer hundreds of farmers have been benefited and are now 

 earnest in their efforts to promote the work. The only difficulties we find in our way 

 now are first to secure sufficient funds and second to find plenty of competent help. 



MONTANA. 



Farmers' institute meetings in Montana started practically with the organization of 

 the agricultural college and experiment station, the first institute meetings being held 

 during the year 1893, the year the college was organized. Meetings were held this 

 year in some 49 places, scattered in most of the counties of the State. The experiment 

 station staff, of which at that time Prof. S. M. Emery was director, were the principal 

 speakers at the meetings. 



These meetings were conducted with the understanding that the various districts 

 visited raise funds sufficient to pay the expenses of the institute workers. The lec- 

 turers, being mainly members of the college and experiment station staffs, served with- 

 out extra compensation. The large interest taken in these meetings under the cir- 

 cumstances is worthy of note and shows that the Montana farmers and business men 

 were alive to the importance of the work. 



