50 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



another, and six new ones were added. Many new lectures 

 were added or substituted for those discarded. Those speakers 

 who are achieving practical results on their own places continue 

 to be the most popular. More are needed on the list of 

 workers, for in such speakers lies the strength of the institute 

 system. 



A series of nine questionnaires on topics most discussed at 

 farmers' institutes has been issued, and more questionnaires 

 will be added from time to time. These are forwarded to local 

 institute managers either to be sent out with the notice of the 

 institute or to be distributed at the close of the lecture. These 

 have been used for a number of years in New York, and have 

 proved valuable in confining discussion to the subject and 

 suggesting further questions of interest to the audience. The 

 topics covered are: soil and fertilization, orcharding, poultry, 

 the farm garden, raspberries and blackberries, currants and 

 gooseberries, strawberries, crops and marketing, and dairying. 



The total number of institutes for the eleven months ending 

 November 30 was 153, with 189 sessions, and the total attend- 

 ance was 20,609, or 107 per session, against 120 last year, 115 

 in 1913, and 118 in 1912. One of the societies held 8 institutes; 

 one held 5; six held 4; eight held 3; four held 2; nine held 1; 

 four held none, and 75 institutes were held by organizations not 

 represented on the Board. 



To take care of the increased demand for institutes, publica- 

 tions, and for the operation of the apple-grading law, an increase 

 of $4,000 is recommended under dissemination of useful informa- 

 tion. 



Meetings of the Board. 



The annual meeting of the Board was held in January, 1915, 

 and at that time the regular routine reports were read, and the 

 policy of the department outlined for the coming year. 



The summer field meeting was held at Pines Stock Farm, 

 Leominster, the summer residence of Mr. L. L. Richardson, 

 president of the Worcester North Society. Mr. Richardson is 

 making a specialty of breeding coach and trotting horses, and 

 so the question of horse raising was made a special feature of 

 the day. Professor J. A. McLean of the agricultural college 

 spoke on raising farm horses, and Mr. Richardson exhibited 



