FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 299 



IRON COUNTY — IRON RIVER. 



A pleasing characteristic of the Iron River Institute was the cordial 

 assistance of the professional men in the town. Teachers, lawyers, min- 

 isters, and editors were in constant attendance and were very helpful not 

 only in stated contributions to the program, but in starting off the dis- 

 cussions. If the large hall had been embellished with the soil products 

 of the vicinity it would have added greatly to the attractiveness of the 

 meeting. The farmers about this place evidently did not fully under- 

 stand of what value an Institute would be to them, and although the 

 local papers kept the matter before the public each week for a month in 

 advance, this was the first thing of the kind ever held in the place and 

 the attendance was not large. The program was finely printed and 

 there was admirable work done by the county secretary. To his activity 

 the success was largely due. There was a cordial feeling engendered 

 here that brought the people pleasantly together between sessions at the 

 hotel, and this added materially to the effectiveness of the Institute. 

 The discussion in connection with the paper on flax culture was very 

 animated. There seemed to be a morbid interest in market gardening. 



ISABELLA COUNTY MT. PLEASANT. 



A peculiar feature of this Institute was the preliminary meeting the- 

 day before the arrival of the regular State workers. The Institute spirit 

 was already waked, the preliminaries all passed, and the audience pre- 

 pared by acquaintance and enthusiasm to give the speakers a hearty 

 reception, and thoughtful hearing. W. W. Preston, the president, was 

 an excellent presiding officer, and left the conductor little to do in man- 

 aging the Institute. The writer attended the first Institute ever held int 

 the county, and could note the great advance in farm education in the 

 intervening six years. Then, the editor of the "Enterprise," A. S. Coutant, 

 and one or two of the village residents, were the visible and sensible expo- 

 nents of Institute interest at the meeting. Now, a score of good farmers 

 were active workers, leaving the scribe to attend to his reports and the 

 citizen of the town to the enjoyment of the fruit of their labor. Now 

 almost every township in the county has its farmers' club, and represen- 

 tatives of every one were present at the Institute working for its success. 

 An exhibition of honey here loaded the tables, and emphasizes the impor- 

 tance of providing a room for the display of farm products, other than the 

 audience hall. This could be made an instructive feature of every 

 Institute. 



JACKSON COUNTY — PARMA. 



The exercises were held in a church; the attendance was good from 

 start to finish; the interest was intense. Many of those who furnished 

 the literary entertainment had participated in farmers' clubs and grange 

 meetings. The entire program was executed without a break, skilled 

 debaters were plenty. The critics were there in force, and the Agricul- 

 tural College was not altogether spared, but all things were done pleas- 



