REPORT OF SECRETARY. 15 



institute work, and with that money a regular force of lecturers was em- 

 ployed and 8i meetings were held ; 26 in 1891 and 55 in 1892. Each 

 succeeding Assembly since that time has made an appropriation for this 

 purpose. The amount appropriated for the last biennial period being $8,- 

 000. With this sum 234 meetings have been held, and a number of meet- 

 ings are now in progress, and others have been planned for in the next 

 few weeks, and when they are finished it will make a total of 250 meet- 

 ings held this period. One hundred and twenty of these meetings were 

 held before the last annual meeting, and the remainder since that time. 

 Sixty per cent of the meetings have been conducted for tw'o days. The 

 two annual meetings of the State Industrial Association were conducted 

 for three days and the rest of the meetings for,one day only. The one-day 

 meetings have been attended by two or three lecturers, the two-day 

 meetings by four or five lectures, and the State meetings by a number of 

 lecturers. 



The cost of the oresent meetings, compared with the cost of the first 

 two years, is in a ratio of 32 to 123.4. Not only has the expense of hold- 

 ing these meetings been reduced, but the ability of the lecturers em- 

 ployed has been of a high standard as reference to the appended list will 

 show. The attendance has been good with but few exceptions, and the 

 farmers have taken a very great interest in the work. The exhibit feature 

 has become more prominent, and I am sure is a great benefit. In nearly 

 all the places fine displays have been made of orchard, garden, farm and 

 other products. Many of these exhibits would do credit to the State, 

 shown at the State Fair or other great expositions. One subject that has 

 been given more than ordinary attention has been the subject of good 

 roads. Twenty-five meetings have been held devoted entirely to this 

 subject, and the plan of road construction and maintenance advocated 

 by the lecturers has been put into practice in a number of counties, and 

 has been approved by a number of our leading citizens. The plan of 

 making hard dirt roads, as printed in the January bulletin, and which plan 

 has been successfully operated for the past six years, by Mr. D. Ward 

 King of Maitland, Missouri, has not only received the approval of a 

 number of the citizens of this State, but it has attracted the attention of 

 two other states, where the plan has been adopted. 



A NEW FEATURE OF INSTITUTE WORK. 



With the co-operation of the Agricultural College, a new feature of 

 institute work has been inaugurated in a series of meetings that are now 

 in progress. A passenger car has been placed at our disposal by the 

 Missouri Pacific Railway Company, and the car is fil'ed with m.aterial 



