The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-07-27
Make the Farmers Institute Pay.

Have you well-conducted institutes
in your State? If not, whose fault is
it? Have you noticed that in States
where the institutes are we'll organized
and we'll attended, the farmers are
getting more prosperous? l have no
ticed this, because [ have lectured at
Institutes in twelve different States,
and have noted the methods in various
States.
Where there is a thorough State
organization and support, and the IN
stitutes are under the direction Of a
man who takes the field and controls
the institutes and prevents their de-
generating into mere neighbOrho0d en-
Iertainments, the Institutes have be
come q great power IN the improve
neent Of the agriculture of the State.
II others where there is plenty OF
n1cney and a fairly good organization
he POPULAR man in the institute work
c the man who can tell the most
amy anecdotes, and the county or
.antzations are not controlled by the
.:-cct0r. who stays in his office, and
7eCGl girl recitatiOns, comic singers
q phOn ograph concerts use up time
II should be employed in the dis
es;On of practical matters Of i'm :
rtance to farmers. In other States
Ee county of institutes is
rely given a certain amount of
re2cy for expenses and gets what
okers he IAN for the money. II
= result is poor Institutes and mail
;@0CGance.
now of no States where the far
:e~e' institutes have been better con-
q ted and have accomplished more
y the farming interests Of the State
thu in Maryland and North Carolina,
I'd neither State has had the amount
rconey at the disposal of the State
rector that other and richer States
ve had. But in both States the in
ftutes have been the work of the
.~ectors, who have given their time
9 them and nave kept them to their
innate work, and have not allowed
-~.a to becom entertainments or
nstrel shows. Director AmOss IN
erEland has sternly set down o. any
tempt to pervert the work TO such
-s~~s and has stopped of-hand any at
amt of any one to grind his x in
institute, as I nave seen done i'll
~~ther State, where a fertilizer
'ra9er was allowed to take an hour
d q half giving all sorts Of misin-
nation that the State speakers had
0lTrect afterwards.
North Carolina the institutes
re heen brought to their present eff
tive state through the wise direc-
On Ct Dr.. Butler, who, like Mr..
1-Css, has kept the meetings strictly
= heir work and has shut out fun
e T3cre aInusements.
II no matter now strong the in
~s<itJt:on nor how effective the 0irec-
fcrs and management Of rhe institutes,
.reH will never do what they can
rov the farmers till the rme them
selves realize that these abe their in
st;ttues and take an active part in
hem. The best equipped speakers
II ev lecture and may not touch once
-c:1ts that a majority Of the farmers
T~e~nnt wish to cal discussed.
me f~lattest failure in an institute
I have ever attended has been where
there was a good audience who listen
ed attentiveIy to all that was said
and then went home as solemnly rs
though they had been to church. The
speakers did not know whether they
had helped any one or not
The best institute [ ever attended
was n in which [ was one of the
speakers, and the audience pumped