246 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Again in order to enforce the stallion law properly I believe that imme- 

 diately after the first of April of each year, the time limit for renewing 

 certificates of soundness, there should be placed in the hands of each stal- 

 lion owner a bulletin showing the name of owner and the name of each 

 stallion offered for public service in the state that had renewed certificate 

 and qualified to stand. At present the only alternative will be to send 

 each owner a year book. This will be a very expensive plan and there are 

 not a sufficient number of books printed to go around. The printing of 

 this bulletin giving a list of stallions in the state might be taken care of 

 out of the fees received for certificates if the department was authorized to 

 use them in this manner. 



Other bulletins on interesting subjects could be printed to advantage 

 from time to time and be given a much larger circulation than under the 

 present plan of printing everything in the Year Book. 



FARMERS INSTITUTES AND AGRICULTURAL SHORT COURSES. 



During the year from June 1, 1910, to June 1, 1911, reports from farm- 

 ers' institutes in seventy-six counties in the state were filed with this de- 

 partment and certified to the auditor of state. 



The state aid paid these institutes on state auditor's warrants amounted 

 to $5,582.23. The reports reveal that these institutes held 670 sessions, or 

 an average of nine sessions each. The total attendance was 127,703, an 

 average of 1800 to the institute, or 20O at each session. The receipts in- 

 dicate that in addition to the state aid there was received from local sub- 

 scription, membership fees, etc., $12,794.00. 



The disbursements were as follows: 



Expense of judges, speakers and instructoi's $4,065.81 



Cash premiums on live stock, agricultural, horticulturg,! and pro- 

 ducts of domestic science 7,224.00 



Miscellaneous expense, consisting of hall rent, advertising, etc 6,456.00 



Under the provisions of Chapter 109, Acts of the Thirty-fourth General 

 Assembly, which permits short course associations to draw the state aid 

 due farmers' institutes in counties where no institutes are held, and the 

 aid due county or district fairs in counties where no fairs are held, seven 

 associations took advantage of this provision. 



Kossuth and Worth counties drew the aid due the institutes only, as 

 county fairs were held in both of these counties. Cherokee county drew 

 the aid due the county fair, and Emmet, Floyd, Ida and Plymouth counties 

 drew aid due both the institute and fair. 



The total amount paid out on state warrant in support of these short 

 courses amounted to $1,450.00. These short courses had on an average of 

 25 sessions each and an average attendance of 125 for each session. This 

 is not a complete report of all short courses held in the state as only 

 those that drew state aid reported to this department. 



We find that neither institutes or short coui'ses drawing state aid were 

 held in the following seventeen counties: Audubon, Cass, Clarke, Craw- 

 ford, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hardin, Iowa, Jasper, Jones, 

 Marshall, Osceola, Pottawattamie, Webster, or Winneshiek. Our report 

 in detail follows: 



