344 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



held having an estimated attendance of about 1,000. The agricul- 

 tural experiment station sent out at different times eight men to 

 lecture in the institutes. The aggregate amount of time given by 

 them to this work during the year amounted to sixtj^-three days. 



In assuming tlie responsibilit}'" of statehood Oklahoma has an 

 opportunity for organizing her farmers' institutes upon a comprehen- 

 sive basis and to enlarge the field of the institutes to embrace the 

 giving of assistance to all agricultural institutions of whatever kind 

 and to the system of public instruction as it affects the rural popula- 

 tion by showing how the rural schools may be improved and the 

 education given in them be adapted to meeting the special educational 

 needs of farming people. That portion of the new State known as 

 the Indian Territory which has not had institutes as yet can now be 

 supplied. 



OREGON. 



Institute director. — James Withy coiube, director agricultural experiment station, 

 Corvallis. 



Interest in the farmers' institutes in Oregon is increasing each 

 year. In 1903-4 there were held 46 sessions of institutes, with an 

 attendance of 4,500 persons. In 1905-6 there were held 109 sessions 

 of institutes, with an attendance of 16,350 persons. Farming through- 

 out the State has been much improved by the information that the 

 institutes have distributed, exciting greater interest in the results of 

 the work of the experiment station, and increasing the attendance at 

 the Agricultural College. 



As a rule two members of the experiment station staff attended 

 each institute. In addition to these there were two specialists, one 

 a successfid dairyman and the other a noted breeder of draft horses. 

 During the past season the station men delivered 218 addresses in 

 institute meetings and participated in the discussions. The director 

 has adopted the plan of shortening the addresses and devoting more 

 time to the discussion of the subjects presented. The eflect has been 

 to increase the interest of farmers and to bring out more definite and 

 practical information. 



Encouragement has been given to the exhibition feature of the 

 institute. F'armers are refiuested to bring out for exhibition speci- 

 mens of the products of their farms as object lessons of what can be 

 grown in the several localities. Practical demonstrations of this 

 character have been found to be of great value in encouraging those 

 who have failed in the growing of any crop to try again, applying the 

 additional infornuition whicii the institute has brought them in con- 

 ducting the ()|)eration. 



The stereo|)ticon has been used to considerable extent in tlie evening 

 meetings chiody in illustrating the various tj^pes of dairy aninials. 



