PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ILLINOIS FARMERS' INSTITUTE.

The Seventh Annual Meeting of the Illinois Farmers' Institute held at the Opera House in Rockford, Ill., was opened on the morning of February 18, 1902, at 10:00 a. m., with a piano solo, Second Minuet of Moszkowski, by Mrs. J. L. Keep.

President Kimsey: As it is customary in the commencement of all journeys and undertakings to invoke the divine blessing, the audience will please rise, and we will be led in prayer by Rev. R. H. Pooley, pastor of the Court Street church of Rockford, Ill.

Rev. Pooley: Almighty God, creator of all things; Father of all spirits, we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord. We do not think of Thee so much as a theoretical God as a practical friend, one who has led us from our earliest recollection in the journey of life. Our father's God who had guided them always, be with us in our home life and citizen life. Guide us in all personal affairs and in all national affairs. In our patriotic, spiritual and domestic duties from the inner circle to the outer circle may we feel Thy influence and aid. We return thanks to Thee for what we have which reminds us of Thy greatness today. Thou has led us out of the cities, the work of man's hand, onto the land soil, under the open heavens and amid the surrounding fertility of God's own handiwork. We ought to be more reminded than all other people of Thy constant presence, Thy greatness and nearness. Teach us that Thou art a personal God; that because Thou dost exist we exist. That because Thou are present we are directed, because of Thy personal affection and care. Oh God, we thank and bless Thee for Thy care that dost come to us upon the sun's rise every morning and stays with us until the stars died out at night. We return gratitude to Thee, the giver of every good and perfect gift. We thank Thee for our broad State. We thank Thee for its splendid organization. It has been given to our fathers only a few years fresh from the footprints of the Indian, and lo, what a wondrous development of fertility, and in developing its great measure of fertility we stand here as monuments of God's Almighty power receiving his gifts. We thank Thee for our Governor, give him strength to administer his duties. We return thanks for the sister states, for all the help we can obtain from being a part of this great Union in which we exist. We thank Thee for the president and for his cabinet and the men who make and administer the laws, for the representatives and senators. Grant, oh God, that we may be a grateful people for Thy gracious care from hour to hour and from day to day. We thank Thee for this convention, and may Thy blessing rest upon it. Let Thy blessing rest upon the officers of this meeting, guide and direct them. Be with us in each day's session, and when we go to our homes, follow us and be with us through this short life and finally gather us at last into Thy kingdom. We ask it in God's name. Amen.

President: For the committee on resolutions I appoint Mr. James Frake, Mr. C. F. Mills, Mr. J. H. Coolidge, Mr. L. N. Beal and Mr. Weatherby.

For committee on credentials: Mr. Galbraith and Directors A. W. Bryant, D. H. Shank, H. D. Hughes and H. G. Easterly.

President: The secretary will now call the roll of counties and we will have the reports of delegates. When your county is called, please rise and make your report.

Adams County

Mr. Black: It has been a kind of unwritten law that two institutes should be held in our county. I believe no county held an institute larger than the one in Adams county in October of last year, and our next, the 29th, will be held next Friday and Saturday on the last of February and 1st of March. We hold our institutes with the association of domestic science, and we don't try to advertise it at all. We don't find any need for it, it is hard to get room. We have wide awake women, wide awake men and wide awake boys and girls, and while we don't think we have the best institute in the State, we believe we are doing some good and we are sure we never had the interest we have today. Our institute work is doing good in Adams county. I don't think it is right for me to make a long speech.

Delegate: Tell them about the method of holding the institute.

We have it on wheels. We hold it all around the county. It depends a good deal upon the situation of the county and its towns. If they are without a large hall they can not hold a good institute, and I think this is the reason of the failure of the institutes in some counties. But we go to the people, if they can't come to us we go to them.

Boone County

1

Mr. Walter Lucas: We held our seventh annual institute on January 28, 29 and 30 last, and I am pleased to report that it was the most interesting and successful institute we have held. The attendance the first day was good, much better than we expected, as it was very cold. A year ago there was a Domestic Science association organized in connection with our institute, and they had charge of the second day, which proved to be the crowning day in point of enthusiasm, entertainment and attendance. Free coffee and lunch was served at noon hour which added much to the interest in a social way. The attendance and interest continued good to the close of the session. We had on our program good speakers from home and abroad, and the program was carried out to the letter, every speaker responded to the call.

Bureau County

Mr. F. J. Nye: We didn't have any special features. We had an excellent program. The Domestic Science had the first afternoon and the next day, the second, was farm topics. The morning hour was in all cases poorly attended. In the afternoons we had a splendid attendance, probably not less than 1,000 a day, and the last day much more than that. The only special feature was offering premiums for essays. The essays were good, but they seemed to have the ear marks of teacher rather than pupils. There is a question in my mind whether it is very beneficial or not.

Carroll County

Mr. Charles Spots: I am glad to say that we have a lot of farmers in Carroll county, both old and young. I am glad to say the young men are not smart Alecks. I am very glad to say that a number are jewels to the county and they want to obtain good common sense-farm sense.

We had an institute at Shannon, Ill. Our house accommodations were not sufficient to accommodate the crowd that were interested in the Farmer's Institute of our county. Evidently the interest of the Farmer's Institute is on the increase in our county. We turned away at least one half of the

people that came to listen to the proceedings of the meetings, and I am very sorry to say some speakers who came a little late found the doors locked, and I hope when they come again they will be able to be present on time.

Champaign County

E. E. Chester: Champaign county held a very profitable institute this year. The difficulty some gentlemen have spoken of in getting a room large enough to hold our institute has been avoided by holding two. We aim to hold two institutes in each year. The first was held in January at the University of Illinois in Morrow hall. The name Morrow hall seems to add interest to the meetings, but the crowning effort was held in Mahomet, a little town 12 miles away, but they have a large hall and we had an enthusiastic program. So you see Champaign as the oldest institute county is yet enthusiastic. One need not fear enthusiasm will die out if the proper notice is given to the people and the proper program is furnished them.

Christian County

Mr. Harry Grundy: Mr. President, as I see the secretary is not here to report, and as a member of the executive board and a delegate I would say that Christian county held her 16th annual institute at Stonington in October, 1901. The executive committee have adopted the policy of holding the institutes in different parts of the county. In the contest, among the different sections of the county for the institute everybody becomes interested. The result is a large attendance and plenty of enthusiasm. An exhibit of agricultural products was held at Stonington in connection with the institute which aroused a lively competition and contributed largely to its success. On the whole the interest in the institute is evidently increasing and its effect on the agricultural, horticultural and social interests of the county is felt to be very great.

Cook County

President: Is there any farming in Cook county?

Mr. Frake: We have a little, but a good deal of something else.

Mr. President and members of the Illinois Farmers' Institute: The Cook County Farmers' Institute was held at Chicago Heights January 31 and February 1, 1902.

The two institutes previously held in this county were held in the northern part of the county, more than 40 miles distant, the last one being held three years ago.

Chicago Heights is in the extreme southern part of the county. It is surrounded by a large farming district, devoted principally to stock raising and feeding, and to dairying. But few of the farmers in the southern part of the county knew what a farmers' institute meant and had never attended one. The program was one of the best. On it were many of the institute speakers in the State. All who attended were not only interested and instructed but well pleased.

Hon. L. H. Kerrick of Bloomington told the institute in a way as no one could tell but him, how he raised, fed and cared for his cattle. Prof. O. T. Bright, county superintendent of Cook county schools, who followed him in an address on the "Schools and Farmers," said, by his having heard Mr. Kerrick's address, he was a more capable man; that he could better instruct the teachers of Cook county how to teach, care for and manage the children intrusted to their care.

One gratifying feature of the institute was the large number of farmers' sons who attended. They and others at the close flocked around the officers, soliciting them to hold another institute there soon, saying they would get the "whole country to attend next time."

The farmers in the northwestern part of the county are engaged principally in dairying, and thus the fertility of the farms is well provided for.

The farming lands immediately adjoining the city are devoted to raising vegetables for the Chicago markets. These vegetable farms or gardens vary

very much in size, from a few lots to many hundreds of acres. The largest one comprises about 700 acres within the extended city limits of Chicago on the north side, carried on by Mr. L. A. Budlong, who at times employs as many as 2,000 weeders, paying them their wages every evening. Mr. Budlong, who has been engaged in this business for over 40 years, read before the institute an exceedingly interesting and instructive paper on "Vegetable Raising."

In answer to that part of the resolution adopted at the last meeting of the directors of the Illinois Farmers' Institute that the directors report "the best methods to be adopted by county institutes for aiding in the promotion of agriculture in the several counties" would say, that those having charge of the program should be persons who know where the best and most up-to-date agricultural methods are pursued, and there procure the very best obtainable talent to instruct the members of the institute. Never select a person to address an institute simply because he can talk; he should be able to instruct. The prairie zephyrs usually furnish us with wind enough.

The Cook County Farmers' Institute at its recent meeting meeting adopted a new constitution applicable to the nine new congressional districts. Hereafter we expect to have much better institute work done in Cook county.

Crawford County

J. B. Trimble: We have been holding institutes for about five years and we have two domestic science associations in our county, and we take advantage of them and put them on the first day in order to get the attendance. Everybody comes out to hear them. Mrs. Dunlap said the first time she talked to about 40 women's husbands and three girls. That was the audience the first time, and this last time we had a house full of women and men. Our institutes have not been crowded, but we are in the backwoods a little. We hope to do better in the future than we have done.

DeKalb County

Mr. E. C. West: I think our secretary has the report but I do not think he is here.

Our institutes was organized some four years ago. I had the honor of being the first president and the institute has been growing ever since it started. Of course it was a new thing at that time. One of the best features is our exhibit. We had an exhibit two years ago and this exhibit is gotten up by a committee who visit each business house in the city of Sycamore and get some kind of exhibit donated, all the way from corn shellers to hams. We don't object to anything and consequently we got some $300 or $500 worth of exhibits and it makes the business part of the town interested in our institute. We had a corn exhibit, grain and so on and every article had something attached as a premium, consequently we got a large exhibit of corn and the corn has improved probably 25 per cent in the two years under the influence of the corn exhibit and our corn crop has increased at least 25 per cent. It is difficult to find a place to hold it. We had it at Sycamore three years and went to Hinkley last year and had a very large crowd. They did not have a hall big enough. We have a large evening entertainment and hold three meetings a day. On an average the last year the attendance was a little over 700. Our evening entertainments are quite largely literary, given by the young people.

DeWitt County

Mr. E. L. Hoffman: I have no written report but can make an oral one unless you think I had better write it. We held an institute at Clinton, the county seat, on the 21st, 22d and 23d days of January. Our attendance was good. The fact is the institute has grown so we can no longer accommodate the people, I am sorry to say that that interest which I presume is the original and primary design of the institute-to gather in the young men who farm, has not been very successful with us. We have a good many "smart aleck" fellows who have come to the conclusion, somehow or other, that they know more than the older men. We are slowly gathering them in,

and the fruits from the institute are very visible. Those farmers that have availed themselves of the institutes, it is not a hard matter to pick them out when riding over the country.

Edgar County

George H. Gordon: At the last moment I learn that our county will have no delegate. I am sorry that this is to be true. I send short statement by our esteemed and efficient director, Mr. Shank, telling you that Edgar county is still in line with farmers' institute work. Our institue this year was held in Paris on Jan. 16 and 17. We had an excellent program and a very large attendance. The intesest in this work is growing in our county. The Domestic Science association was given one afternoon and evening for their program. I am glad to say that their session was one of the most interesting and entertaining features of our institute. By all means encourage this part of the work. We need more young farmers to take hold of this work. They are more easily convinced of the change that is now taking place in agriculture pursuits. They are more willing to try new methods as presented at our institutes. They are ready to reject the old and accept the new and improved methods of farming. The interest increases in the institutes held in our county. I then report progress in Edgar county and hope it may continue as the years roll by.

Edwards County

W. E. Shurtleff: Our little county of Edwards has been trying to keep in sympathy with the institute work and in line with the rest of the counties of the State. We have been holding institutes each year for about seven years. It is the effort of the officers to make each institute a little better than the previous one. And I believe they have been successful. This year we held a three days session. Two days of this meeting was devoted to agricultural topics. We had Mr. Otwell of Macoupin county with us. We were also assisted in this institute by our county superintendent of schools and one half day and an evening session was devoted to education and was conducted by the superintendent and teachers of the county.

We also have an auxillary organized, and the ladies of the Domestic Science association were allowed one half day of this meeting and the time was profitably spent.

Franklin County

J. M. Vancil: Our institute last year was virtually a failure. We elected officers, a president and vice president who were so busily engaged in picking apples they did not have time to attend to the institute. We went to work and went through the form of having an institute, however. Our people have not taken to institutes, but they are getting better and we now have the influence of the merchants and leading men and you may expect next year to hear a favorable report from Franklin county.

Ford County

F. A. Warner: The Ford County Farmer's Institute opened auspiciously on program time in Buchholz hall. The decoration committee had done their work well. Farmers always acknowledge the "corn" so the "Welcome to Ford County Farmers" that framed the platform was very prettily and effectively done in pieces of ear corn picked out with husk, daisies and festoons of timothy heads. And just so effective were the bunches of cornstalks in the corners; more would have spoiled the effect. The committee were wise in their choosing. Mr. John fehl presided. His president's address was short, only a pleasant talk, with reference to the good effect of farmer's organizations; giving gracious welcome to those present and prophecying full attendance for future sessions.

The sessions of the institute were well attended. The hall's capacity was tested by 450 people finding places in auditorium, hallway and wings of stage; standing room was not to be had at any price, and many went away after trying in vain for entrance. The evening sessions of amusement were as well attended. Miss McClure received much praise for her forceful, truthful statement of home life on the farm, with the unlovely truth of big barn