The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-14
ON farmers INSTITUTES
PROF. BAILEY, OF CORNELL, PRE-
PAREs A PAPER COVERING
THEIR HISTORY
IOWA HAD THEM BACK IN 1859
Two Years Later an account Was
Published by the Board of the
Iowa Agricultural
Co1Ieee.

WASHINGTON, May 13. = (SpeciaI)-
Under the direction Of A. G. True director
of experiment stationsy Prof L. H. B ,ilev
OF Cornell universityshas prepared an ar
ticle on farmers Institutes, in which ne
says The history of the origin Of the
farmers institute is obscure but it is GER
tain that the movement began earlier
than we have been led to suppose The
movement is an outgrowth of farmers
societies of various kinds many of which
are of long standing. 1t began to assume
definite and separate shape early in the
seventies, when several states under, ,ook
to hold farmers meetings On essentially
the same plan as at present Ac early
as 1869 and 1870 such meetings were held
in Iowa by Welch, Roberts, Bessey. Jones
Matthews and Mrs. Tupper the expenses
being met by the community in which the
institute was held. In 1871 an account of
farmers institutes" was published in the
report of the board of trustees of the
Iowa Agricultural college, in which ii
said that the experiment Of holding
farmers institutes in different localities
in the state, for the purpose of giving
familiar lectures on prominent TOPICS In
agriculture, was tried last winter with
very gratifying success Institutes last
ing three days, were held at Cedar Falls.
Council Bluffs, Washington and Musca-
tine, at each Of which points we found an
enthusiastic gathering of farmers YER
mont, Michigan and some other states in
augurated institutes about this time.
IN MASSACHUSETTS.
Massachusetts took steps earlv to in
augurate a series of farmers institutes
through the endeavors of the state board
of agriculture. The first reference to such
meetings is to be found in the records of
the secretary of the state board of ag1i-
culture under, date of Jan. q, 1859. when
it was voted by the board ito appoint a.
committee to consider and report upon
the propriety of tnstituting meetings
similar to teachers Institutes" This com
mittee reported in Februaty of that wear
in favor of holding such meetings. and
recommend that they be commenced as
soon as possible. February 1871 the
board voted that the various societies of
the commonwealth be redusted to organ
ize an annual meeting for lectures and
discussions at such time and place as NAV
| be convenient for each society: these
meetings to be denominated The Farm
ers' Institutes of Massachusetts.
The legal authority for the holding of
Institutes in Michigan in connection with
the agricultural college is held to be
derived from the following clause in the
organic law of 1861: The state board of
agriculture may institute winter courses
Of lectures for other than students of the
regulations. This Michigan law possesses
unusual interest, for it is probably the
first legal authority conferred upon an
educational institution in this country to
carry instruction to farmers who are not
students in the college. And this recalls
the fact that the farmers institute move
ment is essentially university extension
lnasmuch as the greater number of the
institutes are held under agricultural col
lege auspices. The vital connection which
exists between these colleges and the in
stituteS may be learned from. a
study of the statistics. 1t is true
that the institute movement lacks much
of the defintteness of specific university
extension, but the ultimate aips of the
two are the same, and writer's upon uni
versity extension are recognizing this
fact. eYsa
The Institutes are now 9aiJaa
UNDERGOING A TRANSFORMATION.
Farmers are constantly asking for more
specific instruction, and courses of tech
nical lectures upon a series of intimately
related topics are in demand The in
stitute bureaus in some cases publish
roster of speakers, with announcements
of their subjects, and from these lists
the different localities select their lectur-
ers. The demand for definite and con-
secutive instruction in agriculture mas
brought forWarda number of schemes
looking to the intensification and eX ten
sion of the institute system.
The farmers institute has exerted a
most powerful influence upon the agri-
culture of the country. It is in its high
est sense a philanthropic and patriotic
movement. In Wisconsin, for example,
1t has met with marked success. The
annual appropriation is $4,000 The first
funds were given in 1885. The first two
fiN,,
The proceedings of the institute were
printed each year in a volume, of which
81 900 were issued. From 70 to IS insti-
tutes We're held during the winter Of
1891, with an average attendance of over
500.
The institutes are held under the aus
pices of the board of regents of the
state university About 100 meetings are
held each year, distributed as evenly over
the state as possible. The number held
in 1899 was 127, with an aggregate at
tendance of about 55, 900. An annual appro-
prfation for their maintenance has been
voted by the legislature. There is
state board of agriculture in Wisconsin
which as yet bears no official relation
to the institutes The agricultural col
lege, co-operated with the institutes to
extent of doing limited amount of work
at a few institute meetings. One of the
most important parts of the work is the
publication of $4,000 copies each year of
the Farmers Institute Bulletin, which
has proved very popular.
WORK IN CALIFORNIA.
The department of university extension
! in agriculture of the University of Cali
fornia holds the farmers Institutes. The
! official year ends July l. 1899. In 1888
SO, Sc were held. The average attend
! ance at each of these institutes is esti-
mated to be 200, making a total of about