91 



This moctinji: proved a success beyond all expectation. John A. Myers of the experi- 

 ment station; I). D.Johnson, of Tyler County; Oliver (larals, of Pleasants County; D. (i. 

 White, of Pennsylvania; A. A. Kellar, Judge Looniis, Mayor J. 15. Gihlx'us. J. A, 

 Ilutchinton, H. C. Henderson, and A. D. Hopkins, of A\'ood County, were the priii- 

 cipal speakers. 



An evening session was held for the purpose of discussing plans for interesting farm- 

 ers thruout the State in institute work and to take steps toward securing State and 

 other aid in canying out the objects of the Farmers' Institute Society of West Virginia. 



At the close c.f the institute S. S. Stone, D. D. Johnson, and John A. Hutchinson 

 were api)ointed a committee to go before the legislature, then in session, and urge upon 

 that body the importance of appropriating an amount of money sufficient to enable 

 this society, the board of regents of the State University, or both, to organize and con- 

 duct farmers" institutes in the State. Three bills were prepared by A. D. Hopkins 

 and submitted to this committee on February 3, 1890, one of which was selected and 

 presented on February 16 by the committee before the joint committee of finance of 

 the senate and house, asking for an appropriation of $5,000 for farmers' institute work. 

 The bill past the house, giving the Farmers' Institute Society of West Virginia $2,000 

 for the purpose of holding farmers' institutes, the vote standing 36 to 15. The bill 

 then went to the senate, where an amendment was made to strike out the Farmers' 

 Institute Society and insert the board of regents of the West Virginia University, which 

 was carried. An amendment was then proposed to place the funds under the control 

 of the executive committee of the board of regents for the experiment station, which 

 also carried. At this point unexpected opposition was encountered. Senator Knott, 

 of Jefferson County, the master of the State Grange, moved to strike out the entire 

 clause making the appropriation, and as this was offered by the farmers' representative 

 in the senate, it carried and the bill was defeated. 



At a meeting (;f the society April 29, 1890, in Parkersburg, the secretary, in an address 

 upon the subject of farmers' institutes, discussing the failure of the State approjiri- 

 ation, stated: 



It appears now that the only available resource from which we can look for aid is 

 thru the board ( f regents of the State University. I would therefore move that 

 someone be apjjointed to attend the annual meeting of the board at Morgantown next 

 June to solicit such aid in this work as is in their power to give, until we can determine 

 whether or not State aid will be extended at the next session of the legislature. 



After a discussion the secretary was appointed to go before the board of regents of the 

 State University at its annual meeting in June and solicit aid from that body in estab- 

 lishing institute work in the State. On June 11 the secretary, in pursuance of this 

 action, presented the resolutions of the society before the board of regents and requested 

 them, in the name of the institute society, to assist it in holding a State institute at 

 Parkersburg in August, and to otherwise assist the society in extending a system t f 

 farmers' institutes to other counties of the State. The board of regents, in compliance 

 with this request, appointed D. D. Johnson, of the agricultural experiment station, to 

 assist in organizing county farmers' institutes in the different counties of the State, 

 his expenses being paid out of the station fund. Colonel Johnson proceeded to organize 

 county institutes during the following month (July, 1890) in Lewis, Harrison, and 

 Barbour counties. 



In the meantime the institute society took active steps toward holding a State 

 institute at Parkersburg on August 28 and 29, 1890. The institute was held at the 

 time and place mentioned, but was only -a partial success. 



During December, 1890, Colonel Johnson conducted farmers' institutes in Marshall, 

 Wetzel, Tyler, and Pleasants counties. 



On January 21, 1891, the director of the experiment station and the secretary of the 

 Farmers' Institute Society arranged for a series of farmers' institutes which were con- 

 ducted by members of the experiment station staff, assisted by county institute 

 societies and individual farmers in Wood, Barbour, Mineral, Berkeley, Monroe, 



