Part I. 



REPORT OF SECRETARY. 



53 



Year. 



Number of institutes, 



Number of sessions 



Number of institutes held by societies, 



Number of institutes held by other organi- 

 zations. 

 Total attendance 



Attendance per session, . . . . 



1912. 



138 

 154 

 111 

 27 

 18,172 

 118 



1913. 



144 

 174 

 106 

 38 

 20,017 

 115 



1914. 



161 

 188 

 86 

 75 

 22,049 

 120 



1915. 



153 



189 



78 



75 



20,009 



107 



1916. 



161 

 185 

 71 

 54 



One of the societies held 11 institutes; 3 held 4; 8 held 3; 

 6 held 2; 12 held 1; and 3 held none; 54 institutes were held 

 by other organizations. 



To take care of the increased demand for institutes and 

 publications, to provide for the administration of the apple- 

 grading law, and the operation of a bureau of organization and 

 markets, an increase of $6,500 is recommended in the appropria- 

 tion for the dissemination of useful information in agriculture. 



Exhibitions and Contests. 



The public winter meeting of the Board at Horticultural Hall, 

 Boston, in January brought out a splendid corn and apple 

 show, as well as an exhibit of boys' and girls' club work. There 

 were also exhibits from the Dairy Bureau, the State Ornitholo- 

 gist, and a milk, cream and butter show conducted by the 

 Massachusetts Dairymen's Association. The exhibition as a 

 whole was far and away the best the Board has so far held in 

 connection with its public winter meeting, and interest was 

 evinced by the large attendance all three days of the exhibition. 



A special prize of $25 was offered through the Board by a 

 friend for the best acre of potatoes in the town of Phillipston, 

 and certain other similar prizes were offered in the same way. 



Some of the money offered at the dairy show at Amherst was 

 provided by the Board, and a very good show resulted. 



The Board as last year offered prizes for a beekeepers' exhibit 

 at the Worcester and Greenfield fairs. Under the direction of 

 Dr. B. X. Gates a very attractive exhibit was gotten together. 

 The orcharding contest was also conducted as in 1915 by the 

 committee on orcharding and fruit growing, and judged by 

 F. Howard Brown with the following results : — 



