FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



317 



The other line of work was performed b}^ Mrs. Mary A, Mayo of Battle 

 Creek, who attended twenty Institutes, besides the "round-up" meeting 

 at Grand Eapids, and held a woman's section one afternoon at each Insti- 

 tute. The attendance at these sessions, as reported by Mrs. Mayo, is as 

 follows : 



Kalkaska, Kalkaska county 100 



Cadillac, Wexford county 69 



Lake City, Missaukee county 75 



Luther, Lake county 50 



Evart, Osceola county 90 



Big Rapids, Mecosta county 200 



Frankfort, Benzie county 250 



Fremont, Newaygo county 350 



Hart, Oceana county 300 



Muskegon, Muskegon county 250 



Fennville, Allegan county 180 



St. Joseph, Berrien county ..__ 380 



Hastings, Barry county 200 



Cooper, Kalamazoo county 240 



Battle Creek, Calhoun county 450 



Cassopolis, Cass county _. 250 



Centreville St. Joseph county 250 



Coldwater, Branch county 350 



Jonesville, Hillsdale county 25Q 



Dansville, Ingham county 200 



This makes a total attendance of over 5,000 women at the special ses- 

 sions of these twenty Institutes. Besides that there were 825 at the 

 three sessions of tlie woman's section at the "round up" meeting, and 

 about 500 at Miss Sill's meetings. Thus nearly 6,500 women were in 

 attendance at the various woman's sections of the Faraiers' Institutes 

 in Michigan the past winter. Mrs. Mayo was entirely satisfied with the 

 attendance and the interest manifested. Mrs. Mayo's talks at these 

 woman's sections were two: first, "Making Housework Easier,^' and sec- 

 ond, "Mother and Daughter." Both of them appear in the report of the 

 woman's section of the Round-up meeting. The woman's section, as con- 

 ducted by Mrs. Mayo, is entirely new to Institute work in Michigan, and 

 probably to Institute work in the United States. We have therefore 

 taken some pains to discover what the women of the farms think of the 

 innovation. AVe sent out questions to the various counties where Mrs. 

 Mayo had worked, as follows: 



1. Did the women who attended the woman's section at your last 

 Farmers' Institute feel profited by the sessions? Have you heard com- 

 ments on it since the Institute? 



2. At a future Institute in your county would it be desirable to have 

 a special woman's section? Would your ladies want to hold one even if 

 we could not send a lady by State help? 



3. What were the chief iDeneflts that came from the session, and what 

 suggestions have you for improving it? 



The following are some of the replies: 



Mrs. John Hollenbeck, Berrien county: "I have heard the woman's 

 section well spoken of. I attended at St. Joseph and was very much 

 pleased." 



Mrs. A. M. Brown, Kalamazoo county: "I considered our woman's 

 section a decided success, and think the same plan should be carried out 

 at our next Institute, with or without State aid." 



Lucy A. Rikerd, Lake county: "Our ladies expressed themselves as 

 pleased and profited by the meeting. I think it would be desirable to 

 have a special woman's session at another Institute. I think our ladies 

 would carry on the matter, even if the State could not send help." 



Mrs. Wm. T. Adams, Kent county: "The comments on our woman's 

 section were many and very favorable. Some enjoyed the woman's sec- 

 tion more than they did the general Institute, while others would prefer 



