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The first farmers' institute organization in Oklahoma of which there is any record 

 was effected at El Reno, the county seat of Canadian County, in October, 1893. A simi- 

 lar organization was effected at Pond Creek, the county seat of Grant County, early the 

 following year and less than six months after the settlement of that part of the coimtry. 

 Some interest was also manifested in other localities and it was fostered and stimulated 

 with varying degrees of success by the faculty of the agricultural and mechanical col- 

 lege and the staff of the experiment station. At best, however, the interest was 

 desultory and efforts at organization were sporadic and there was nothing like conti- 

 nuity or permanency in the results achieved. The experiment station authorities 

 labored faithfully to arouse an interest among the farmers of Oklahoma, yet, in the very 

 nature of things, they could not act as organizers in distant localities, and without 

 proper organization there could be nothing done in the way of systematic institute 

 work. 



Early in 1901 there was prepared and introdiiced into the Territorial legislative 

 assembly a bill providing for the organization of a Territorial board of agriculture. 

 With some modifications, the measure was finally pasr, but the law remained inopera- 

 tive for nearly two years because of lack of appropriation. The board thus created 

 consisted of six members, two elected each year for a three-\ear term, by a meeting 

 composed of one delegate from each county farmers' institute. These county farmers' 

 institutes are permanently organized and chartered under the provisions of the board 

 of agriculture law. 



Thru these organizations as a medium the board of agriculture has been laboring 

 with satisfactory results in an endeavor to develop a farmers' institute system. In this 

 it has had the cordial cooperation and active support of the experiment station authori- 

 ties. Dm-ing the year ending June 30, 1904, which was the first year of the operations 

 of the board of agriculture, 52 institute meetings were reported to the board, with an 

 aggregate attendance of 5.400. With the county institute organizations as a basis, it is 

 l>roposed to extend and expand the system until it reaches into every agricultural 

 community in Oklahoma. In 1904 the board of agriculture contributed .$300 for insti- 

 tute support. The local organization met the other expenses from private contribu- 

 tions. 



OREGON. 



The first farmei-s' institute in this State was held at the State capitol, Salem, Decem- 

 1)er, 188-8. This institute was very well attended, and the discussions were good. It 

 wag held under the auspices of the agricultural college, and the institute practically 

 marked the ])eginning of a new era of farming in western Oregon. Up to this time the 

 growing of cereals and the production of wool occupied the attention of our farmers. 

 There was no thought of soil impoverishment and scarcely any attention given to dairy- 

 ing or other forms of animal husbandry. In fact, at this time domestic live stock, 

 except the work horses and fattening swine, had to maintain an existence in the open 

 field thruout the year. 



These institutes at their earliest incipiency attracted the attention of our most pro- 

 gressive citizens. Among the college faculty who contributed to their success were 

 President B. L. Arnold, Director E. Grimm, E. R. Lake, the college botanist, horti- 

 culturist and entomologist, and P. II. Irish, chemist. This staff of workers was ably 

 assisted by Mr. Fitz Roy Osborne, of the Micliigan Agricultural College. Some of the 

 most prominent laymen who were early workers in this educational branch of the col- 

 lege were R. P. Boise; Thomas H. Tongue, afterwards elected to Congress; J. T. Apper- 

 son, subsequently president of the board of regents of the Oregon Agricultural College; 

 J. Voorhees, later master of the State Grange; Richard Scott, and the present director 

 of the Oregon Experiment Station. 



Several institutes were held during the winter of 1888, among the most successful of 

 which were those at Salem, Hillsboro, and Tangent. 



