OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 193 



education in the publication and distribution of suggestive courses of 

 study and of a bibliography of works that would be helpful to teach- 

 ers, by distributing seeds and plants for use in establishing school 

 gardens, by furnishing schools with collections of specimens of bene- 

 ficial and injurious insects, plant diseases, and other illustrative 

 material, by supplying teachers with the publications of this Depart- 

 ment which would be useful to them, and by such other means as 

 would suggest themselves as the work progressed. The Department 

 might also do much to promote the great movement for the better- 

 ment of country life by timely articles on this subject in its Yearbook 

 and other popular publications. 



FARMERS' institutes. 



As the work of the experiment stations has developed it has become 

 very evident that in addition to their publications there is needed a 

 thorough system for the prompt and efficient dissemination of their 

 results directly to the farmers through oral communications. To 

 understand and appreciate the station bulletins the farmers must in 

 many cases be taught something of the elements of agricultural sci- 

 ence and must have their objections to the introduction of new meth- 

 ods of farming met and overcome by personal contact with the living 

 teacher. This need has already been partially met by the farmers' 

 institutes. 



These institutes had their origin in farmers' societies of various 

 kinds, some of which date back half a century or more, but State 

 aid to such meetings is mostly confined to the last thirty years. The 

 participation of the State in giving itinerant instruction to farmers is 

 largely the result of efforts put forth by members of agricultural col- 

 lege faculties in different parts of the country. In Iowa this work 

 was begun as early as 1869; in Vermont, Michigan, and some other 

 States, a few years later. In nearly every case these early institutes 

 were supported by funds diverted from the regular college funds. 

 That there was a demand for farmers' institutes is shown by the 

 increasing appropriations for their support. In 1891 nearly $80,000 

 was spent for farmers' institutes in the United States, but of this sum 

 not more than $60,000 was specifically appropriated for this purpose. 

 In 1899 the specific appropriations for institute work aggregated 

 $140,446.72, more than twice the sum thus appropriated in 1891, and 

 the estimated expenditure of funds derived from other sources was 

 $30,000, making a grand total of more than $170,000 expended for 

 2,000 farmers' institutes, which were attended by over half a million 

 farmers. 



Farmers' institutes are now held in 43 States and Territories. In 19 

 of these the institutes are under officials of agricultural colleges or 

 experiment stations, in 17 they are under State or county officials, and 

 in 7 they are under the joint control of State officials and college or 

 station officials. Successfully conducted institutes are found under 

 each system of management. In Wisconsin, for example, institutes 

 are held under the auspices of the board of regents of the State Uni- 

 versity. About 120 institutes are held each year and the aggregate 

 attendance is about 55,000. Each institute extends over two days, 

 except the last, which is a three-day round-up institute. For the sup- 

 port of these institutes the State legislature appropriates $12,000 a 

 year. Agricultural college officials do a limited amount of work at a 

 few of the meetings. In Michigan the legislature has placed farmers' 



AGR 1901 13 



