82 



were required to furnish a hall free of charge and also to provide for the advertising 

 ■of the institutes and the entertainment of the speakers. 



In 1895 Professor Shepard was formally placed in charge of the institute work as 

 director. No appropriation was made by the State to meet the expenses of the work. 

 Meetings, however, were held during the seasons of 1895 and 1896, and some good 

 work was accomplished. 



In 1897 the legislature took up the in.'^tilute question, and the Slate engineer was 

 made director of farmers' institutes, and the sum of !?] ,000 per year was granted for 

 meeting the expenses of the work. With this the director, S. A. Cochran, employed 

 a lecturer on dairy science and one on domestic economy for about two months each 

 winter. N. E. Hansen, professor of horticulture of the agricultural college, was 

 added to the force, but with no compensation other than his salary received from 

 the college. With this corps of instructors a considerable number of two-day insti- 

 tutes were held in various parts of the State, aided by such local talent, as the several 

 communities were able to furnish. Two institutes were held each week, and a sys- 

 tem was rapidly being inaugurated which promised excellent results. 



The legislature of 1900-1901 failed, however, to make any appropriation for the 

 institutes, and since that time up until the beginning of 1905 no institutes were 

 held, except a few local meetings conducted by the farmers themselves. 



The legislature of 1904-5, at the request of the officers of the State agricultural 

 college, appropriated ?5,000 per year for farmers' institute purposes, and has placed 

 the oversight of the work in the hands of the president of the college and the regents 

 of that institution. The way, therefore, is open for resuming the work, and it is 

 the intention of the college authorities to inaugurate a vigorous campaign along insti- 

 tute lines during the coming winter. 



TENNESSEE. 



The oldest agricultural organization in the State is known as the East Tennessee 

 Farmers' Convention, which held its first meeting in 1875, and has held annual meet- 

 ings ever since at Knoxville. Its membership embraces all of the East Tennessee 

 counties. The present officers are: W. Getys, Athens; A. M. Soule, secretary, Knox- 

 ville. 



The institute movement under the auspices of the StiUe department of agriculture 

 was first inaugurated during the administration of Commissioner A llisoTi in 1893. No 

 appropriation, however, was made for its maintenance at that time. Four institutes 

 were held in that year at the following places: Knoxville, Pulaski, McMinnville, and 

 Jackson. Commissioner Allison continued this work during his administration of four 

 years, as did also Commissioner Essary during 1897-98. 



Thomas H. Paine was appointed commissioner of agriculture in 1898, and recognizing 

 the importance of this work, secured an appropriation of $2,500 per year for institute 

 work for a period of four years. 



The commissioner of agriculture selects the lectiu'ers, arranges the programs, and 

 decides the times and places for holding institute meetings. The State is naturally 

 divided into three distinct geographical sections — eastern, middle, and western Ten- 

 nessee. Originally the institute organizations were formed into several divisions. It 

 was during Mr. Paine's administration that county organizations instead of division 

 organizations were attempted with success. Interest continued to grow in the work, 

 until under the present administration an appropriation of $5,000 per year has been 

 secured for the use of the farmers' institutes. During the past year 69 county institutes 

 were held, and 3 division institutes in the different grand divisions of the State. The 

 ^.verage attendance of the county institutes was 140 and the division institutes 1,200. 



