FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 297 



start to finish, not only on the part of the farming community so numer- 

 ously represented, but the people in the town of Alma seemed equally 

 interested, as shown by their attendance through all its sessions. Presi- 

 dent Cowdrey brought matters connected with the work out on time, and 

 no time was allowed to go to waste. The question box was a. grand 

 feature in this Institute, and plenty of questions were presented and 

 answers given. In this connection we wish to say that we regard this 

 feature of an institute as a very important one. Less set papers and 

 speeches, and more time devoted to this subject, would, in my opinion, 

 add much to the good to be accomplished in holding Farmers' institutes. 

 The joint work of the schools of Alma with the farmers' work added 

 much to the value of the work done. Music was plenty and of a high 

 order. At one time, when the city schools were present en masse, it was 

 estimated that eight hundred people were in attendance at the same 

 time. The Institute was a grand success from start to finish, and the 

 management may well feel paid for their arduous labors by the results 

 obtained. Three cheers for Alma! 



HILLSDALE COUNTY — JONESVILLE. 



Although the attendance was not large, it was fairly representative, 

 and farmers were present from nearly all of the townships. While 

 topics relating to general farming were of greatest interest, there seemed 

 a tendency towards such spcialties as fruit raising and dairying. In 

 addition to the local speakers and those furnished by the Board of Agri- 

 culture, the committee of arrangement secured the attendance of two 

 well known fruit growers, Messrs. Woodward of Clinton, and Kelley of 

 Litchfield, whose papers were full of good points and brought out 

 lively discussions. The school question occupied the first evening of 

 the meeting, and the merits and demerits of the township unit system 

 were discussed by Prof. J. E'. Hammond, Deputy Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction, and Prof. W. H. French of Jonesville. 



HURON COUNTY — BAD AXE. 



At Bad Axe there was a crowd in the court house; everybody turned 

 out and considered himself an important factor of the meeting. We 

 were in the midst of a fine farming country. Men and women had become 

 used to taking part on such occasions by long practice in the granges of 

 the county. There is little danger of having a small gathering of farm- 

 ers' families at an Institute in Huron county. 



INGHAM COUNTY — DANSVILLE. 



Although Ingham county has had many Farmers' Institutes, it hap- 

 pened that the little village of Dansville had never been thus favored. 

 It is a well known fact that an Institute draws the majority of its attend- 

 ance from a district which has a radius of about five miles from the 

 place where the Institute is held, so that this Institute accommodated a 

 body of farmers who had had little experience at institutes. The dis- 

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