228 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



PRIZE REPORTS OF FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



Last autumn the following circular letter was sent to superintendents 

 of schools at each point where a County Farmers' Institute was to be 

 held during the winter. The circular explains itself: 



rrizes to pupils of graded and high schools, offered by the Michigan Agricultural 

 College in connection with Farmers' Institutes: 



I. The contestants must be pupils actually enrolled in the high school or graded 

 school of the town or village where the County Institute is held. (This contest does 

 not apply to the so-called One-day Institutes.) 



II. Contestants must attend at least one session of the Institute and raalvc a 

 written report of the proceedings of that session, giving a synopsis of each talk 

 or paper presented, together with an intelligent report of the discussions which 

 follow. 



III. These reports must not be over 1,200 words in length, neatly written on one 

 side of tlie paper, in ink. 



IV. The report must first be judged by committees appointed by the siiperintend- 

 ent or principal of the school, and judged on the basis (1) of value as a complete 

 report of the entire session, and (2) as to literary excellence. 



V. The two reports (one by a young man. the otlier by a young woman) judged 

 by local committees to be the best written by any pupils in the school, to be for- 

 warded to the Superintendent of Institutes not later than March 15, 1899. 



VI. Reports sent to the Superintendent of Institutes will be judged by compe- 

 tent persons designated by the Superintendent. 



VII. Young men contesting must attend one general session of the Institute, 

 preferably an afternoon session. Young ladies contesting for the premiums must 

 attend the Women's Section of the Institute, if one is held. 



PRIZES. 



The Agi'icultural College offers the following prizes for the most successful com- 

 petitors in this contest: 



1. To the young man sending in the best essay under the above rules, the Agri- 

 cultural College will remit room rent for one year. This will amount to about $15 

 or $20, according to the room chosen. 



2. To the young lady sending in the best essay under the above rules, the Agri- 

 cultural College will remit Toom rent for one year. This will amount to about $15 

 or !f20. according to the room chosen. 



3. Any one securing either of these prizes will have the privilege of entering the 

 College and utilizing the prize at any time within three years. 



4. Koports from at least eight different schools must be received before the prizes 

 Ijecome available. 



Tin-; ^Itchtgax Agrtoultukal College, 

 J. L. Snyder, President. 

 I. H. l?nTTi:RFiELD, Secretary. 



We have received reports, as the results of this competition, from 18 schools. A 

 total of 42."> students attended the Institutes at the various points, 220 of these being 

 boys and 205 girls. Of those attending 149 entered as competitors under this prize 

 contest, 71 of these being boys and 78 of them girls. Pupils from several other 

 schools attended the Institutes, but did not compete, and no report was made to us. 

 A total of 15 essays written by young ladies, and IG written by young men, was 

 sent to the College for final judgment. Three of the essays by young men were too 

 long, much overrunning the limit of 1.200 words. These, unfortunately, had to be 

 thrown out of the contest, leaving thirteen competitors among the young men. 



The following table shows the names of the schools competing, the attendance at 

 the Institute from boys and girls from various scliools, the number of those com- 

 peting, and the names of writers of the essays sent in for final decision. 



The essays were turned over to the proper authorities at the College, and accord- 

 ing to their judgment the following are entitled to the prizes: Of the yoimg men, 

 Mr. Raymond H. Bangs, of the Alma school, receives first prize. Of the young 



