FOURTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART I. 5 



111 connection with these suggestions, it seems to me, it will be well 

 to consider a plan by which the edition of the reports could be increased 

 to such size, that not only institute workers and the institute officers in 

 the various localities could have these reports, but that practically every- 

 body who is interested in the work of institutes — farmers, stockmen, 

 fruit growers, and all people who are interested in this work will find in 

 that report material that will be of very great value to them throughout 

 the year, and the edition should be so large that it will meet the demands 

 throughout the State. 



I believe that the developing and perfecting of the present system 

 of institutes along some of these lines will not only stimulate greater in- 

 terest in the institutes now being held, but will stimulate such an in- 

 terest throughout the State, that there will be in a short time no county 

 in the State that does not hold institutes. There are some counties who 

 do not hold institutes, because they have not seen the advantage and be- 

 come sufficiently interested; but I am sure this institute organization, that 

 we have in Iowa is a good one. 



As I stated in the outset, I htve no radical changes to sug- 

 gest. I do not think any radical changes should be made. I believe it is 

 a system well suited to Iowa; it is a system different from that in any 

 orher State. I like the Iowa system; it suits the Iowa people and puts 

 them on their resources, develops their ingenuity and originality. They 

 like to manage their institutes; they are getting more out of the institutes 

 in two thirds of the counties in the State than are the people of any other 

 stale I know of. 



The President: The next paper is entitled, "How to Con- 

 duct a Successful Institute," by Mrs. F. A. Scjuires, secretary of 

 the Clay County Farmers' Institute, of Spencer. 



HOW TO CONDUCT A SUCCESSFUL INSTITUTE. 

 Mrs. F. A. Squires, Spencer, Iowa. 



Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen: My subject ''How to Conduct a 

 Successful Institute." I supposed was to have been, ''How We Have 

 Succeeded." 



Sixteen years ago a little band of Clay county farmers met in the 

 city hall of Spencer to talk over the advisability of holding a farmers' 

 institute. They made out a short program and decided on a time of 

 meeting. It never occurred to the committee to have the date of this 

 meeting published, hence, when the day set for the program arrived only 

 those attending that meeting knew of it, and those few decided 

 that persons attending such a meeting had certainly lost their 

 senses, for they were very sure they knew all that was necessary 

 for any one to know about farming. Thus the first institute in Clay 

 county was a very quiet affair, and very soon forgotten, only by the few 

 that made out the program. 



