The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-01-17
TO FOURTH NNUAL
MEETING OF BOARD
OF AGRICULTURE
% INSTITUTES WERE HELD
Farmers Beginning to Real.
ize Benefits

report ui otfItidIN -. a. AtNduu
to the Fourth Annual Meeting of the
Oklahoma Board ef Agriculture:
The year Just closed has been a
decidedly busy one in our depart
ment The volume of business has
steadily increased. taxing our forces
to the extreme limit to handle IL.
While in the aggregate the results of
our efforts have been fairly satisfac-
tory, we can see where a slight alter
alton of plans would have no doubt
produced better results.
The chief handicap or hindrance to
the accomplishment of the best re-
suits lies in the lack of sufficient
available funds with which to carry
out what is abundar tly evident. the
things 10 do. / have reference more
particularly to the Institutes. the
foundation upon which the agricul-
tural department of the Territory
is built
beginning on September oath and
closing December 10Th. there were
held, under the direction of your sec
retary, annual meetings OF County
Institutes in % of the counties of the
Territory. Dates were set for meet
ings to be held in the remaining three
counties but inclemency of the wealth
er prevented two of them being held,
while inability to procure a suitable
room for the meeting caused a fail
ure I'm another instance. Meetings
win yet be held in these counties be-
fore the close of the winter. A good
corps OF lecturers were In attendance
at each meeting kindly supplied by
the A. & NJ. College and Experiment
Station Wherever fair attend
ance was procured, the Institutes
were marked success in every way
but where little interest Wis shown
proportionately less good Was accom-
plished and quite naturally, proper
tionately less incentive was there tC
get the best effort from any lecturer
During the annual meetings alone
there were held. all told 75 sessions
at which there was a total attend
arce Of El95, or an average of 20 per
sons in attendance at each session
Kay county leading with an attend
ance of 1880 in FIVE sessions. Cevc
land county furnished the least at
tendance-15 persons-and one very
poor session. In fact the greatest
number present at any time during
the session was eight Everybody
seemed in great hurry and could not
tarry long enough to warm theil
chairs It was finally "iyen ip as
a bad lob Officers and delegates
were elected and adjournment was
taken
I viii Lot at this time enter into
any lengthy detail of causes for ap
parent lack of interest in some coun
ties, nor the offer Of remedy for thC
Ills, beyond the statement that this
farmers in some localities simply dc
not know what an institute is in
] tended 10 accomplish aLd TO get then
TO realize what IL viii certainly do fol
them we must be able TO get closer
10 them than our present means al
low.
The Institutes We're much better at
| tended this year than they were las
4 year and there was an altogether dif
ferent air surrounding them Th'
| farmers themselves are taking righ
! hold of the meetings with the eyiden
determination to get the best out o
/ them We must have TOWNSHIP
meetings. held in school houses. .wher'
4 Il IS possible TO interest the farmers
of the neiehborhood at least Th'
constitution OF the county oIfanlza
ton should provide for township
! vice-Iresident, who should be electe'
with view of choosing one wh'
would interest himself i'm the WORK q
| the extent OF interesting an the farm
ers Of the township
The annual meeting of the count,
organization should be held at differ
ept places I'm the county. As il
now. the law REQUIRES the annual ses
sion to be held in the county seat Il
several places a more inappropriate
] place for holding meeting coul
not be found in the county
in reading the Farmers Institute
of ether Sc tes, whore the highest su'
cess has been attained, / find tha
their early efforts along this line wer
even more discouraging than ours,an
] that we have progressed In the shoI
space of three years much better tha
/ did most OF the states in twice iha
! length OF time. and too. with little o
no aid by wa, OF state appropriation.
When the legislatures Of orr grea
I agricuitural commoDwealths were fil
ally awakened to tho Importance Q
! encouraging agricultural developmen
Z throagh The medium OF liberal appr,
/ pdations for the conduct of many Or.
/ class farmerg institutes. the work wa
corrCspondlngly eneciiye and the ag
rlcnltaral statistics Of those states hs
speak plainly what II means 20 th
Z prod tive wealth and consequent IN
creased Pre- periy 10 all classes OF th
state,
The increased prosperity Of the IA
mer ia any state means proponicr
etely Increased prosperity OF al tb
people in that state A careful com
perison OF the wealth aud prosperit
OF sialfs which maintain and libel
ally support a thorough system OF fai
niers intitutec With those who 40 no
would readily convince the most skeF
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