8 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



was silent. It creates a pleasant, restful feeling that otherwise would 

 not exist. If the audience gathers early they are requested to stand 

 during the singing. This is followed by the invocation. If for any 

 reason a person is not present whose name appears on the program, 

 the presiding oflBcer calls on some one in the audience, who. as a rule, 

 will respond. Then follows the president's annual address. The old 

 oflBcers can usually tell if a mistake has been made, if he be a new 

 president. To close we have some topic of general interest, in which 

 we try to have all join in the discussion'. Thus closes the first session 

 of our three days' work. 



We try to overcome the mistake of so many institutes, i. e., the 

 delay in beginning. If there is not more than a half dozen present 

 when the time arrives to commence, we take up the work. People 

 have learned this of our institute, and unless the morning is a very 

 severe one the room is well filled at the opening hour. 



The Woman's Session is next in line, and this is carried out in the 

 entire by the ladies. If possible we secure a professor of domestic 

 science to be with us on this afternoon. It is an afternoon we con- 

 sider both pleasant and profitable. The institute president takes his 

 place in the audience, and the ladies provide their own chairman. 



Our county is composed of diversified farming, and we aim to have 

 topics that will be of interest to the corn" growers, the poultry men, 

 dairy men, hoticulturists. and those interested in feeding stock. We 

 secure the best authority that can be had on all these. 



We have our regular dairy session, sheep session, corn session (this, 

 of course, is a very prominent feature of all institutes). We have our 

 corn' exhibits in a room separate from the one in which the meetings 

 take place, in which room it is scored and judged, and those who care 

 to, after the corn talk is over, may go to this room and watch the work 

 that is being done. We have secured two prominent corn men from 

 Ames this year, and while one is doing the scoring the other will try, 

 as far as possible — and it is nearly always possible — -to answer the 

 questions the average farmer will ask. As far as possible we have 

 the topics discussed by the farmers themselves. We learned, early 

 in this work, that it was far the better way to have a farmer tell 

 in his own way what he has done in his line, and how he did it, 

 than have a man far more learned discuss the subject in an exhaustive 

 manner, and you will rarely, if ever, get any response from the average 

 farmer assembled. However, on the other hand, if a farmer leads, they 

 seem so much better prepared to take up the line of thought conveyed 

 by their brother in the work. 



We are very careful when we find it necessary to secure a general 

 helper, or referee, if he is called on at the session to give a talk, not 

 to have his address too long, and not have it too general, but go more 

 into sufficient detail. We appreciate the fact that such helpers do 

 not, or are not, supposed to understand the views of the farmers pres- 

 ent, and hence if their talks are at all profitable, supplement them by 

 answers to such questions as the audience may propose. 



