farmers' institutes in the united states 351 



washington. 



Institute directors. — E. A. Bryan, president State College of Washington, Pullman; 

 E. E. Elliott, professor of agriculture, State College, field agent in cliai'ge of institutes, 

 Pullman . 



Owing to the fact that there was no appropriation made for insti- 

 tutes in Washington, none were held under State direction. Thirty- 

 two special or independent institutes, however, were held with an 

 estimated attendance of 2,850. The expense was met by the locali- 

 ties holding the meetings, except that $230 was contributed by the 

 agricultural college. An effort will be made during the coming year 

 to secure an appropriation from the legislature that will reestablish 

 the institute work upon a more efficient system than heretofore. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



Institute director. — H. E. Williams, director farmers' institutes, Charleston. 



Institutes were held last year in West Virginia in 45 counties. 

 The whole number of institutes was 81, consisting of 224 sessions, and 

 attended by 4,480 persons, held at a cost of S3, 966. 12. The work is 

 under the control of a State director, who is appointed by the State 

 board of agriculture. The board is required to ''hold farmers' insti- 

 tutes for the instruction of the farmers of the State in the various 

 branches of agriculture." Through its agent or director of institutes 

 it fixes the dates and places at which institutes are to be held, and he 

 is held responsible for the progress and effi.ciency of the work. The 

 instruction given must be, as the law declares, "so arranged as to 

 present to those in attendance the results of the most recent investi- 

 gations in theoretical and practical farming." A dairy school lasting 

 one week was held in Monroe County with marked success. This is 

 an attempt to increase the informational value of the institutes by 

 devoting more time to giving instruction upon a single topic. The 

 proceedings of the institutes are distributed through the Farm 

 Review, a paper published by the State in its department of agri- 

 culture. 



The difficulties of transportation in West Virginia interfere very 

 seriously with the attendance at the institute meetings. The moun- 

 tainous character of the country and the sparsely settled condition 

 of much of the State prevent the holding of as large meetings as in 

 other more densely populated and highly developed agricultural 

 regions, so that the average attendance of twenty at each session 

 during the past year signifies much more interest in agriculture than 

 * the numbers would seem to indicate. 



