EDVCATIOXAL ENTERPRISES 371 



leaders in agricultural progress, in what is desig- 

 nated "the rural life conference." In addition to 

 training rural teachers, the Central Michigan Nor- 

 mal School at Mt. Pleasant has special meetings of 

 farmers to discuss topics of common interest, as 

 spraying and the wool market situation. There is 

 also a week's course for farmers and, in the summer, 

 a week's training course for boys' and girls' club 

 workers. Farmers' week at this school is featured 

 by exhibits, such as seed testing, soil testing, feeds, 

 and grains. There is a program of addresses by 

 agricultural experts of state and national reputation, 

 with demonstrations and discussions by persons di- 

 rectly connected with agriculture in Isabella County 

 and elsewhere. 



In 1912 the legislature authorized county boards 

 of supervisors "to appropriate and raise money by 

 tax to be used for cooperative work with the Michi- 

 gan Agricultural College in encouraging improved 

 methods of farm management and practical demon- 

 strations and instruction in agriculture." The next 

 year, the legislature authorized county boards of su- 

 pervisors to create the oflfice of farm commissioner, 

 subject to a referendum to the voters, for the pur- 

 pose of improving agricultural practices within the 

 county ; but this provision of law was rendered prac- 

 tically inoperative by the Smith-Lever Act of the 

 United States. In 1907 legislation had authorized 

 the establishment of county schools of agriculture, 

 manual training and home economics, and such a 

 school has for some years been maintained by Me- 



