The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-09-01
FARMERS INSTITUTES

AT the recent meeting OF the American ASSOcla-
ton of Institute Workers at Portland, Oregon, its
president J. L. Ellsworth of Boston, Mass, said:
"The ideal arrangement for the local manage
ment of institute work is to place 1t in the hands
of farmers organization already in exist
ence, and to place in charge an official who is
practical farmer well a teacher Ii 1t is
not possible to who has both quail
ties, then take farmer The institute is for the
instruction of adults of both sexes, who cannot
attend even the short courses at the State Agri-
cultural Colleges. The institutes should be kept
in touch with the State Department, Boards of
Agriculture Commissions of Agriculture, be-
cause they are constantly in touch with the
farmers and their conditions. An effort should
be made in institute work to strike the golden
mean between the lecture platform and practical
demonstration"
Kenyon L. Butterield in his paper Coop
Grafton With Other Educational Agencies" dis
cussed the matters of cooperation with extension
schemes and Agricultural Colleges, the final place
of the Farmers Institute and the institute sys-
tenn, and the responsibility for different kinds of
work. He also said, "The Agricultural College is
primarily educational institution, and it there
fore becomes the function of the college to teach
farmers as we'll as to teach students who come to
college. The highest form of cooperation between
the different institutions interested in institute
work will be the development of the educational
work chiefly by the colleges and the public SER
vice and police work by the state Departments of
Agriculture"
Mr.. Butterfeld is president of Massachusetts
Agricultural College at Amherst, and formerly
superintendent of Farmers Institutes in Michigan,
where he was also editor of the Grange Visitor
some time. Miss Jennie Buell., of Ann Arbor,
Mich. said that the institute sessions in Michigan
have done marvellous work for the home.
Dr. James Withycombe, of the Oregon State
Agricultural College, drew attention to the
operative field of usefulness of demonstration
trains. He said:
"This is age of specialization Not only are
individual farmers becoming specialists but farm
ing communities rapidly being characterized
for special production Agriculture being a
strictly progressive vocation, is constantly con-
fronted with problems. 1t matters not how
we'll farmers may be succeeding, there always
questions upon which information is greatly de-
sired. To meet occasionally and discuss these
various problems is good, but opportunity for
practical demonstration is better. Thus if it be
at all feasible to maintain cooperative demonstra-
ton work along the dominant lines of production
in the various sections it would be of inestimable
value This work could be conducted at accessi-
BILE points in the different localities and form the
base for practical agricultural demonstration. The
fact that farmers without much effort see the
things in which they greatly interested will
have far greater significance than if they could
simply hear without seeing them, is the case in
the ordinary lecture"
All the reports showed great progress and pros
perity among the Farmers Institutes. A report
from the United States Department of Agriculture
showed a total attendance of 2440,072 at the in
stitutes held in the United States during the year
and total expenditure of only $302622.11. The
total number of sessions reported from AZ states
was IL, 496, and the average cost per person for
supporting the Institutes, $22.42.
LABOR DAY