FARMERS' ALLIANCE. Hi;; FARMERS' INSTITUTE. West. The movement originated in 1876 as a county institution in Texas, which soon grew into g Slate alliance. Its object at first was similar to that of other farmers' organizations, such as the Grange (q.v. ). Kindred societies grew up in other States, such as the Wheel in Arkansas, founded in 1882, and the Farmers' Union in Louisiana. In 1887 a national alliance was formed out of several State societies, and its political character soon became marked. Meet- ings were held in 1888 and in 1889, and at the latter a platform of principles was agreed upon by the Alliance and the Knights of La- bor, and the name became the National Farm- ers' Alliance and Industrial Union. The plat- form demanded the abolition of national banks, increased issues of legal-tender greenbacks, laws against dealings in futures of agricultural and mechanical products, free and unlimited coin- age of silver, and Government ownership of all means of transportation and intercourse. In the South the Alliance demanded the es- tablishment by the Government of sub-treasury warehouses where farmers could deposit their products and receive currency in exchange, and also the opportunity to borrow money from the Government at nominal interest. In the cam- paign of 1890 the Alliance in the South did not put forth separate candidates, but dictated the nominations of the Democratic party, especially in South Carolina. In the West there were separate nominations. The election gave the Alliance the control of the legislatures of Kansas and Nebraska, and the balance of power in Illi- nois, Minnesota, and South Dakota. It sent nine men to the House of Representatives, and Sena- tors from Kansas, South Dakota, and South Carolina, but the latter was called a Democrat. In 1892 the organization united with other ele- ments and formed the Populist Party (q.v.), nominating a President. This was not done with- out a split in the Alliance, however, most of the Southern members refusing to leave their old political connections. The new party continued the demand for the sub-treasury scheme, free sil- ver, more greenbacks, and public ownership of means of communication and transportation. The Alliance ceased to be a political party, but con- tinued as an organization for the betterment of the agricultural classes. FARMER'S ALLMINAX, The. An annual publication, from 1869 to 1880, by Josh Billings (Henry Shaw). It parodied the old Farmers' Almanac, and became very popular. Its sales reached several hundred thousand copies. FARMER'S BOY. The. A famous poem by Robert Bloomfield. published in 1800 owing to the exertions of a discerning patron, Capel Lofft. It is a description of youthful life in the country, and contains pictures of such rural occupations as plowing, sowing, reaping, sheaf-binding, and rook-shooting. The poem was very popular, and was translated into French, Italian, and Latin. FARMERS-GENERAL (Fr. fermiers-ghxi- rnux). The name given to the members of a privileged association in France, who farmed or leased the public revenue of the nation under the old regime. This peculiar system of tax-gather- ing dated from the early fourteenth century, when the gabclle or salt tax was farmed out in order to raise money for the war against England. In time other taxes were instituted and farmed out, until in the year 1720 there was a special admin- istrative board formed, presided over by one of the farmers general, or by one of bis assistants, for each class of imposts. The Minister of Finance selected the fanners-general at his pleasure, but his choice was generally influenced by bribes (pot- de-vin) . The royal favorites were frequently given control of various imposts in lieu of pen- sion^. The number of farmers-general was ordi- narily 40, but shortly before die Revolution it had risen to 60. The entire sum which it was necessary to place in the national treasury — or, in other words, the annual national revenues —amounted te 180,000,000 livres. All returns above this sum went into the pockets of the farmers-general, many if not most of whom ac- cumulated large fortunes. Those in power were bribed to support this corrupt and ruinous finan- cial system, though Turgot and Necker sought to change it. The Constitution of 1791 did away with the farming of the revenues, while the Revolutionary Tribunal sent many of the ex-farm- ers-general to the guillotine. Consult: De Nervo, Lcs finances francaises sous I'ancienne monarchic, etc. (Paris, 1863) ; Lemoine, Les derniers fer- miers-gencraux (Paris, 1873) ; Vuitry, Etudes sur le regime financier de la France avant la revolu- tion de 17S0 (Paris, 1883) ; Bouchard. Systcme financier de I'ancienne monarchic (Paris, 1891) ; Tocqueville, France before the Revolution of 1789, English translation (London, 1888); Taine, The Ancient Rdgime, English translation (London, 1876) ; Lowell, The Eve of the French Revolution (Boston, 1892). FARMERS' INSTITUTE. A meeting of farmers for mutual improvement in their busi- ness or home life. These meetings have grown out of the public meetings held at a compara- tively early day in the United States under the auspices of local or State agricultural societies. The institutes are carried on under varied aus- pices and are supported in very different ways in different sections, but the character of the meet- ings themselves is essentially the same every- where. They may last but half a day, as in Louisiana, where the farmers assemble once a month at the experiment stations, or may con- tinue three or four days. The tendency, how- ever, seems to be toward shortening the duration and increasing the number of meetings, by which means a greater number of localities may be reached. The winter, when the stress of farm wmk is somewhat lessened, is the season usually favored ; but in some States very successful meet- ings have been held at other seasons of the year. The programmes are planned to promote the in- terchange of ideas, a full and free discussion be- ing sought upon topics introduced in an address or paper by some specialist. Officers of agricul- tural colleges and experiment stations, and other experts, as well as successful farmers who have attained more than local reputation, are usually selected as institute workers by those who have charge of the system of institutes for the State. These workers may also be chosen by the local authorities from lists of such workers prepared by a central bureau. The local committee in- vites successful farmers of the neighboring dis- tricts to explain their methods, provides music, and literary or other general exercises, and ar- ranges for the place of meeting, refreshments, ami advertising. All persons in attendance, the humblest as well as the most prominent, are
