EEPOKT OF SUPEKINTENDENT. 



President J. L. Snyder: 



Sir — With this I respectfully submit the report of the Farmers' Insti- 

 tutes held in Michigan during the year ending June 30, 1904. 



All of the counties reported last year as having institute societies 

 have held two-day institutes. These were opened in the upper peninsula 

 during the month of November, and all had been held previous to the 

 Round-up Institute except the one for Ingham county, which was post- 

 poned until the first week in March. The list of counties in which the 

 organizations have been maintained include all in the lower peninsula 

 except Missaukee and Roscommon, and in the upper peninsula there 

 are county organizations in Chippewa, Schoolcraft, Baraga, Houghton, 

 Ontonagon, Iron and Menominee, making up a total of 73 counties in 

 which two-day institutes were held. 



The attendance at a large number of these meetings was reduced 

 by the inclement weather. This was especially the case during Novem- 

 ber, the latter part of January and the second and third weeks in 

 February, during w^hich time fully one-half of the institutes were being 

 held. During the winter months the roads were badly blocked and 

 upon a number of occasions it was impossible for the speakers to 

 reach their destination in time for the forenoon session, but in no case 

 was it necessary to abandon the two-day meetings, although in a num- 

 ber of cases where the speakers were on the program for a single ad- 

 dress they were not able to meet their appointments. This has resulted 

 in a slight decrease in the attendance at the two-day institutes, al- 

 though the number of cases in which the attendance is less than last 

 year is about the same as the number in which the attendance for this 

 year exceeds that for 1902-1903. 



During the season 219 one-day institutes were held. In addition to 

 this number some twenty others had been planned for and the speakers 

 assigned but for various reasons, such as a quarantine for smallpox, 

 inability to procure a hall, etc., the meetings were given up. The 

 attendance at the one-day institutes exceeds that of last year by some 

 3,000, which is accounted for in part by the fact that nine more meet- 

 ings were held. While the one-day institutes are not doing the work 

 that they should, there is a strong demand that they be continued 

 and that the number be considerably increased. In a large number 

 of counties applications for additional meetings had to be refused and, 

 as the applications for one-day institutes next year is considerably 

 larger than that of one year ago, it is evident that it will be possible 



