308 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



tute for miles around, and we were surprised "at the number in attend- 

 ance and with the interest taken in the papers and talks. The chairman 

 and secretary had evidently' done some ''hustling.-' From Mio we had a 

 stage drive of thirty miles over the "plains to the railroad station. 



OTSEGO COUNTY — GAYLORD. 



Ga.ylord is an enterprising northern Michigan town situated in an 

 excellent belt of hardwood land. This meeting was the first State Insti- 

 tute held in Ihe county. The details had been well worked up by the 

 local committee and an interesting time was had. The principal crop 

 grown by the farmers in this vicinity is the potato, for which their soil 

 is particularly adapted. The very low prices realized by the growers 

 (6 to 8 cents per bushel), have left little money for the season's work. 

 Fruit and stock received a good share of attention, and many present 

 expressed a determination to pay more attention to these lines in the 

 future. The meeting closed with resolutions to make the next Institute 

 even a greater success than the one just held. 



ROSCOMMON COUNTY — ROSCOMMON. 



Every citizen of the town and every farmer from the surrounding 

 country united in making the Institute a marked success. Disregarding 

 the time honored custom of holding Institutes in the court house the 

 audience assembled in the opera house, which was comfortably tilled 

 during the day sessions and provided ''standing room only" for many 

 each evening. The program was carried out in its entirety. The pre- 

 liminary work of providing the speakers, arranging for the music, and 

 most important of all, advertising the fact that there was to be an Insti- 

 tute and that all farmers and progressive citizens should attend, was 

 thoroughly well done at this point. We visited the farms of Messrs. J. 

 H. Sly and A. D. Wayne on the uplands west of town, and were shown 

 a large variety of the finest potatoes, some grown on soil just being sub- 

 dued. A field of rape sown in corn still showed a rank growth after 

 being fed over by a flock of sheep. 



SAGINAW COUNTY SAGINAW. 



It was the misfortune of this Institute to be held in a city. As a result 

 of this circumstance, the attendance was discouragingly small, and the 

 per cent of farmers in the meagre audience was still smaller. The local 

 speakers were well prepared and the interest in the subjects of the dairy 

 and soil work was most excellent. 



SANILAC COUNTY — SANILAC CENTRE. 



It is generally agreed by all who have been in attendance at the Sani- 

 lac county Institute that the society has done much good in promoting 

 the interests of the farmers of the county. There is not by any means 



