269 



FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



Statistics of farmers' institutes in the United States for 1914 

 are found in U. S. department of agriculture bulletin No. 269. 

 just received. William Weinrich Jr. is secretary and treasurer 

 of the institutes for Hawaii, but as this Territory is noted with 

 "no report," the presumption is that the movement, like many 

 others in this easy-going sub-tropic domain, lacks vitality. For 

 the entire Union, in the year mentioned, 1-day meetings were^ — 

 general 5554, women 724, young people 241 ; 2-day meetings — 

 general 1791, women 128; 3-day or more meetings — general 155, 

 women 28 ; number of institutes — general 7740, women 880, 

 young people 241; total number days institutes — general 9601, 

 19.431, women 1451, young people 60; total attendance all ses- 

 sions — general 2,964,769, women 78,237, young people 7145. 

 Funds appropriated — by the States $382,364.27. bv colleges and 

 from other sources $67,518.37; total cost $447,897.51. cost per 

 session v$20.43 ; appropriation for 1915 $363,550. 



Total number of lectures on State forces. 1287; members of 

 agricultural college and experiment station statTs engaged in in- 

 stitute work, 528; days contributed to work by last-mentioned, 

 7142; State lecturers giving instruction at teachers' institutes 107, 

 at high schools 348. at normal schools 26. at common schools 200. 

 Copies reports of proceedings published. 279,000. Movable 

 schools — number 219, days 1464. registered attendance 112,498; 

 railroad specials — number 34, stops 1141, miles 17.766, number 

 of lecturers 156, attendance 474.906. Independent institutes — 

 number 1643, sessions 1513, attendance 345,509. Round-up in- 

 stitutes — number 21, sessions 362, attendance 85,189. Picnics, 

 fairs, conventions, etc. — number 635, sessions 817, attendance 

 90,735. Field demonstration meetings — number of experts 185. 

 days of service 40,084. Total attendance, 1,127,803. 



FAILURE THAT PROMISES SUCCESS. 



The Garden Island has the following comments to make con- 

 cerning failure of the Kuiaha homesteaders to make a living 

 growing pineapples for $11.25 per ton when it costs about $15 

 per ton to raise the fruit : 



"Maui is fretting just now over what seem to be indications 

 of the failure of the Kuiaha homesteading project. It appears, 

 from all accounts, that the homesteaders in this once promising 

 area have become discouraged and. while they are not disposing 

 of their lands, are leaving there to seek a livelihood elsewhere. 



"Before this case is heralded abroad as another failure of 

 homesteading in this Territory, we would like to see it thor- 

 oughly investigated. On Kauai we do not understand why local- 

 ities so favorable to homesteading as Kuiaha was supposed to be 

 should not have brought success to the settlers there. Kalaheo, 



