52 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



respective exhibits. Whereas 21 of the 33 societies applying for 

 bounty expended in 1915 in excess of $800, the bounty available 

 for general premiums and gratuities, only 13 societies paid out 

 more than the $200 bounty in premiums to children. Is it not 

 evident that the agricultural societies are not doing as much 

 for children as the Commonwealth is ready to pay them for 

 doing? 



Institute Work. 



The thirty-eighth consecutive year of institute work has been 

 completed with the usual satisfactory results. 



The revised list of lecturers with subject index, as approved 

 by the committee on institutes and public meetings, contains 

 the names of five new speakers. Six lecturers were dropped. 

 The call for practical speakers increases, and the institute staff 

 is strengthened at every opportunity by the addition of dairy- 

 men, poultrymen, fruit growers, market gardeners, and the like, 

 who are doing something, have a story to tell and are capable 

 of telling it. With few exceptions speakers are given a year's 

 tryout before election to the staff. 



Poultry raising continues to be the most popular subject, as 

 it is the most widely practiced agricultural industry; fruit 

 topics stand second, while calls for lectures on vegetable grow- 

 ing, dairying, farm management, marketing and forage crops, 

 and on economic subjects, are frequent. 



Organizations to which the Board furnishes speakers are re- 

 quired to print and display the official colored posters adopted 

 in 1914, of which 8,025 w^ere printed the past year. These 

 posters are also used in advertising meetings, exhibitions and 

 demonstrations of the Board, and in calling attention to 

 menaces to and legislation affecting agriculture. From 30 to 

 100 questionnaires on the topic under consideration were dis- 

 tributed at each institute session. These have an inestimable 

 influence on the discussion following the lecture. To these may 

 be attributed in no small degree the cause for the frequent reports 

 that unusual interest was exhibited in this or that institute. 



The following table shows the status of institute work for the 

 last five years : — 



