8 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed by the President to draw up a 

 scheme for a series of Farmers' Institutes to be held in different parts of the State 

 during the next winter; including in the exercises of such Institutes, lectures and 

 essays by members of the Faculty; that the several members of the State Board of 

 Agriculture, and leading farmers residing in the vicinity of the place of holding 

 such Institutes, be respectfully and earnestly requested to participate in the exer- 

 cises by lectures, essays and discussions. 



Resolved, That said committee be instructed to confer with the State Board of 

 Agriculture, at its next meeting, to make all necessary arrangements for inaugurat- 

 ing and carrying out such series of Farmers' Institutes. 



President Abbot appointed as such committee, R. G, Kedzie, W. J. 

 Beal and R. C. Carpenter. This committee drew up a memorial to the 

 State Board, which was presented at their meeting June 1, 1875, and 

 which is printed in full in the Report for 1875, on pp. 73 and 74. A few 

 quotations will show the drift of the memorial : 



"Whatever may be the cause, we think the fact is sufficiently evident 

 that there is a want of sympathy between the farmers and the Agricul- 

 tural College. * ♦ * We believe that this want of sympathy and 

 lack of interest are because the farmers, as a class, know but little of the 

 real working of the College, and that if the Board and Faculty could be 

 brought into more intimate association with farmers in all parts of the 

 State, these evils might be removed. If the College is not doing such 

 work as ought to command the confidence of intelligent farmers in all 

 parts of our State, then our system should be altered so as to meet the 

 just demands of the farmers; if we are doing such work, we may still fail 

 of our duty, if we fail to make this fact known. * * ♦ The farmers 

 of our State have therefore a right to demand for themselves and for 

 their calling all that is most helpful and stimulating to aid this great 

 industry; and the Agricultural College, and all connected with it, will 

 fail of their duty if they are not foremost in every movement which shall 

 tend to the improvement of agriculture." 



This new departure was anxiously considered and carefully discussed 

 by the Board, because some of the members feared it might end in fail- 

 ure. ''What would you call a success in this new effort?" I was asked. 

 "If fifty leading farmers will attend the Institute, take part in its exer- 

 cises and feel that they have received benefit from it, I would call the 

 Institute a success." "Then I go in for the Farmers' Institutes, and I 

 want the first one held in Armada, and I'll see it is a success," said Geo. 

 W. Phillips, a member of the Board. 



With some misgivings the State Board adopted the plan and appointed 

 Messrs. Childs, Dyckman and Gard a committee to arrange for six Farm- 

 ers' Institutes to be held in January, 1876, and to assign the members of 

 the faculty to take part in them. At the suggestion of the Board an 

 article was prepared for publication in the public prints, setting forth a 

 general plan for the Institutes, and the objects sought to be secured by 

 them, which was published in the Lansing BepuhUcan, Sept. 21, 1875, in 

 the Michigan Farmer and other leading papers of the State. A few 

 extracts are here given : 



WHO WILL TAKE PART IN THE MEETINGS? 



"It is expected and earnestly desired that leading farmers in the vicin- 

 ity of the Institute will give lectures, read essays and take part in the 

 discussions. It is expected that the discussions will be of special inter- 

 est, in which farmers will give their views and relate their experience 



