THE farmers' institutes IN THE UNITED STATES. 333 



the farmers feel that they have gradiiated, so to speak, from the 

 necessarily elementary character of the instruction jriven in them. 

 These special-purpose institutes can, by devoting the entire meeting 

 to a single subject, go deeper into the matter and present the whys 

 and wherefores and the scientific principles underlying them which 

 are of vast interest to the farmer, but which can not be gone into in 

 the short time devoted to a single subject in the regular general 

 institutes. They give an insight into the theories and a better under- 

 standing and appreciation of the work under discussion, and thus 

 arouse an enthusiasm and love for agricultural work which helps to 

 elevate this vocation to that of a profession and an art. and to build 

 up a higher plane of rural life. The regular general institutes should 

 not be relinquished, for they will always have their field of useful- 

 ness, but the special or single-purpose institutes should be developed 

 and extended in those States where institute work has been in active 

 and extensive progress for a number of years, and especially in 

 those locations where there is a jDronounced tendency toward special- 

 ization of production. 



Colorado has developed its short-course institute work to the 

 extent of producing what might be termed movable schools. The 

 success attending this work can be judged from the report of the 

 superintendent of farmers' institutes, who says: ''The most valuable 

 and the best appreciated work that we have done is in holding six- 

 day farmers' short courses and five-day housekeepers' short courses 

 in various parts of the State." 



The Georgia farmers' institute held last year teachers" institutes 

 in cooperation with the county school commissioners. The director 

 of farmers' institutes says of this work : 



The teachers' institute movement has been an unqualified success and prom- 

 ises to grow rapidly in the future witli l)enisn results to both adults and the 

 boys and girls. We are more than gratified at the reception given our lecturers, 

 and have been unable to meet the demand made upon us for assistance. We 

 hope to stress this work more than ever another year, as it seems to us to 

 promise as large dividends as any feature of the institute work we have had 

 exr>erience with. We have made a start on itinerant schools in connection 

 with our institute service, which promises well. 



Indiana holds each year in October, just before the opening of the 

 institute season, a normal institute and also a conference of institute 

 workers. All the farmers' institute speakers assigned for work that 

 year are required to attend both these meetings. The county chair- 

 men are expected to attend in person or to send substitutes to the 

 conference, and the presidents of women's auxiliaries are invited to 

 the conference. 



In Minnesota one twelve and one eight weeks agricultural lecture 

 course was held at the high school in each of two towns. The lectures 

 and discussions lasting for two hours were given Monday afternoons, 



