56 



From the first year the railroads of the State gave free transportation to the institute 

 ■workers. After that this favor was withdrawn, and this large addition to the expense 

 cut down the number of meetings at the smaller settlements for succeeding years. A 

 few meetings were held, however, in various parts of the State nearly every year up 

 to the enactment of the present farmers' institute law, which was past during the 

 winter of 1901. The law is as follows: 



Section 1. The board of administration of farmers' institutes as provided for in this 

 act shall consist as follows: The governor of the State and the director of the Montana 

 Experiment Station, both of whom shall be ex officio members, and the president 

 of the following named organizations, the Montana Wool Growers' Association, the 

 Montana Live Stock Association, the Montana Horticultural Society, the Montana 

 Agricultural Association, and the Montana Dairymen's Association, when these last 

 two shall have been duly organized. Members of such l)oard of administration shall 

 be designated the "directors of the Montana farmers' institutes," and shall be author- 

 ized to hold such institutes for the instruction of the citizens of this State in the 

 various branches of agriculture, and shall prescribe such rules and regulations as they 

 may deem best for organizing and conducting the same. Such institutes shall be held 

 at least once in each county in each year and at such times and places as the directors 

 may designate. The directors may employ an agent or agents to perform such work 

 in organizing and conducting said institutes as they may deem best. The course of 

 instruction at such institutes shall b*e so arranged as to present to those in attendance 

 the results of the recent investigations in theoretical and practical agriculture. 



Sec. 2. For the purpose mentioned in this act the directors may use such sum of 

 money as they may deem proper, not exceeding the sum of $2,000 in any one year, 

 and such amount is hereby annually appropriated for that purpose out of the moneys 

 in the State treasury not otherwise appropriated. Each institute held under the 

 authority of this act shall be entitled to the sum of not exceeding $50 from the amount 

 appropriated under this act. 



The institutes are placed under the direction of the agricultural organizations of the 

 State, and thru the directors of the experiment station are kept in touch with the 

 scientific investigations of the station. In the organization of the board the director 

 of the station was made secretary of the board and later superintendent of the farmers' 

 institutes, with immediate charge of the work over the State. During the first and 

 second year under the law it was found that sufficient funds had not been provided to 

 meet the needs of the work, and so but a part of the State was covered during this 

 time. An annual report of nearly 300 pages was gotten out, however, and the interest 

 in the work increased, so that the law was amended during the winter of 1903 and the 

 amount of funds appropriated increased to $4,000 per year. 



While the station and college staff has been the main dep,endence of the work, yet a 

 large number of practical farmers have generously contributed freely of their time in 

 visiting various parts of the State to help at these meetings. Some fifteen or twenty 

 persons have signified their willingness to help. This will make it possible to extend 

 and broaden the scope of the work. 



The State has been divided into districts, and the people in the various localities 

 have been encouraged to organize local farmers' institutes. Some ten to twelve such 

 organizations are now in existence, and a live interest is being taken in the meetings. 

 During the past year every county in the State has been visited, and a marked increase 

 in attendance and interest was shown over the previous year. It is believed that the 

 work has now a firm place in the educational forces of the State and in the confidence 

 of the people. 



NEBRASKA. 



The farmers' institute movement in Nebraska began, so far as records are obtainable, 

 with meetings held at Kearney and Gibbon, Buffalo County, as early as 1877. These 

 meetings were attended by Profs. S. R. Thompson and H. C. Culbertson, from the 

 university, on invitation of the local institute manager. Other institutes were held at 

 later dates without regularity, and no record of the officers in charge or evidence of a 

 permanent organization can be found. 



